(Courtesy of the Business Owner’s Toolkit Web site)
There are certain statements and information that you will want to include on a job application for your own purposes. They give applicants clear information about your business and what you expect as a potential employer.
Release of Information Form
To protect yourself and to inform the applicant of exactly what your reference checking plans are, ask the applicant to sign an information release form that gives you permission to check references. Keep the original with the applicant's file and make copies to distribute with written letters and to fax to people who request it for phone reference checks.
Employment-at-will Statement
Application forms frequently include the assertion that the applicant, if hired, will be subject to employment-at-will. Employment-at-will means that the employee may leave at any time and that the employer may terminate the employee at any time, whether for cause or not. Employment-at-will statements are designed to make sure that you're not creating or implying that an employment contract will be created, should you hire the applicant. You can include a disclaimer on application forms telling applicants that the application (or other written documents) does not create an employment contract.
False Information Statement
You may have a policy of terminating and employee if it is discovered that the employee made false statements on his or her resume or job application. A statement to that effect in the job application gives prospective employees notice that submission of false statements will not be tolerated and gives them incentive to fill out the form correctly.
Work Authorization Statement
Although you cannot discriminate on the basis of citizenship, proof of identity and work authorization are required of all employees by the Immigration Reform and Control Act. To bolster documentation of your compliance efforts — and to make sure that applicants understand what is required of them — include the following statement: “Applicants are required to furnish proof of identity and legal work authorization prior to hire."
Active Application Period
In companies that get a lot of applications, the applications are kept in an "active" file for only a limited period of time. You may want to include that information on the employment application in order to prevent any misunderstanding of the hiring process by the applicants. You may also invite them to reapply after the period is over. If you want to do that, include a statement like this on your application: "I acknowledge the fact that this application of employment will be active for 60 days; after this time period, I must reapply for further consideration." For employees of 15 or more. Even though a job application is removed from the "active" file, that does not mean you can toss it. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission requires that you keep hiring information on unsuccessful applicants for a year, and it is good practice to keep it even longer. If the applicant is hired, of course, the job application becomes part of his or her personnel file.
Confidentiality Statement
A simple confidentiality statement that will allay an applicant's fears about sharing information is all that is necessary. "All information will be kept strictly confidential."
Work Rules
Some companies choose to use the application to provide applicants with information about work rules. The application statement also provides an opportunity to have the applicant agree to abide by all work rules, if hired. If you will require any sort of drug testing, you should mention it in the employment application
You can require, as a condition of employment, that an employee sign a statement promising not to reveal secrets or to work for a competitor. Unless you're in a highly competitive, scientific, or high-security field, you probably don't need this. Such a statement on an employment application puts applicants on notice that nondisclosure is a requirement of employment.
Effect of the application.Just as a matter of extra protection for you, the employer, at the end of whichever policy statements you choose to put on your application form, add the following: "This understanding supersedes all prior agreements and representations, and any subsequent understanding that affects this arrangement must be in writing and signed by the Owner/President of XYZ Company. I hereby warrant that I have read and fully understood the foregoing and seek employment under these conditions of my own free will and in accordance with my own judgment." Have the applicant sign and date the application. This documents that the applicant knew about all the policy statements that you included in your application.
Interview Tips
Illegal Interview Questions
Federal and state laws prohibit prospective employers from asking specific questions that are not related to the job they are interviewing for. Questions need to be job-related and not used for obtaining personal information. It is illegal to ask about any of the following: race, color, sex, religion, national origin, country of origin, age, disability, marital or familial status, or sexual preference.
To read more, go to: http://www.nextlevel-consulting.com/articles/Recruitment/article03.html
Interviewing Principles
Behavioral Interviewing
The behavioral interview technique is used by employers to evaluate a candidate's experiences and behaviors in order to determine their potential for success. The interviewer identifies desired skills and behaviors, then structures open-ended questions and statements to elicit detailed responses. A rating system is developed and selected criteria are evaluated during the interview.
Some keys points for Behavioral interviewing:
- "Past behavior predicts future performance/behavior"
- Behavioral interviewing looks at collecting specific experiences related to competencies for particular jobs. The goal in asking experience related questions is to have the candidate provide a STAR: situation, task, action and result.
For assistance in creating behaviorally-based interviewing guides, go to the following website: http://www.selectpro.net/?Code=GA778
For general interview information, refer to the following website: http://www.casanet.org/program-management/personnel/intervie.htm