1. Select and Utilize Great Interview Questions-   The best interview questions are questions that allow job candidates to comfortably discuss their knowledge, skills, abilities, and experiences.  The goal of every question is to get job candidates to talk and expand on their experiences.   Utilize performance based/situational questions when possible.  Be sure all job questions are work-related.   
2. Go Virtual- Utilize Virtual Interviews-1^st Round– Virtual Interviewing is a blessing and a massive time saver for both the employer and the interviewers.   There are many benefits to interviewing virtually.   Virtual interviewing eliminates the logistics of in-person interviews.  Virtual interviews save time, allowing employers the ability to interview more candidates.   In addition, virtual interviews tend to make interviewers more comfortable.  When interviewers are more comfortable (less nervous), the better interview they give allowing you to see the true candidate.  If you have yet to interview virtually, give it a try.  Virtual interviews have many benefits and are here to stay!     
3. Speak Little and Listen Big-   The interview is the candidate’s time to talk and the employers time to listen and observe.  If you are talking more than the applicant, something is wrong.  Be sure to listen big and talk less.  Observe and learn as much as you can about the candidate.  Listen for knowledge, skill, and abilities.  Let the candidate do the talking
4. Mini-Interviews- Setup 1^st Interviews as Brief Mini Interviews- To avoid spending too much time with the wrong and/or unfit candidates, conduct brief mini-interviews during the 1^st round.  Treat the first round as an initial screen.  After the initial screen, invite the candidates for a 2^nd interview where you will have more time to spend with preferred and better suited candidates.
5. Test & Verify- Between 1^st & 2^nd Interviews- Utilize Online Skills Assessments or Review Applicant’s Portfolios– Always check and verify the skills and abilities being presented.  There are many online tools for skills assessment to utilize. Because online assessment cost money, we recommend assessing candidates after the initial interviews.
6. Conduct 2^nd Interviews In-Person w/Tour – For second interviews, set-up in-person interviews with tour of the job site, operations, and etc.  The second interview is your time to learn as much about the job candidate.   Second interviews can be structured, conversational, or a mix of both. 
7. The Importance of the Hiring Manager and Candidate Selection- The hiring manager matters on whether or not the job candidate will be successful at your organization. Many organizations make the mistake of group interviews without giving weight and deference to the hiring manager.    The new employee and hiring manager need to be able to work together and the fit between the two is very important.  To minimize turnover and selecting the wrong candidate, be sure to give the hiring manager all or a good amount of weight in deciding who to hire. .     
8. Hire the best person for the job!- The goal of every hiring campaign is to find the best person for the job.  Look for the individual who brings the most skills, knowledge, experience, and potential to the job.  Avoid bias, quotas, and be sure to treat everyone equally.   When you hire the best person for the job, you help your organization grow and succeed by leaps and bounds!   

HR Assistance from HRandFriends.org

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Per BLS, Payroll employment rises by 199,000 in December; unemployment rate declines to 3.9 total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 199,000 in December, and the unemployment rate declined to 3.9 percent. Employment continued to trend up in leisure and hospitality, in professional and business services, in manufacturing, in construction, and in transportation and warehousing.

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If your organization is not currently using a compensation professional, organization can reference available 2022 salary studies to assist with their upcoming planning and salary budgeting.   Salary studies are based on future estimates of what organizations will do or believe they will do.  Obtaining salary studies can be expensive to obtain.  Using the overall total salary increase projection from salary studies may be sufficient for some organizations without having to purchase the studies.   Your oganization can gauge other organization’s salaries and wages by referencing the quarterly Employment Cost Index.  Unlike salary studies, the Employment Cost Index is free to obtain.  The Employment Cost Index (ECI) is a quarterly report published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics that details the growth of total employee compensation. It tracks the cost of labor changes, as measured by wages and benefits, at all levels of a company. The data is broken down by industry group, occupation, and union vs. non-union workers. The data is compiled from surveys of non-farm businesses (about 4,500 sampled) and state and local governments (about 1,000 sampled). The Empoyment Cost Index is not a projection of future increases, however it provides a good quarterly view of wages. Take a look for yourself.

Below is the link:

Employment Cost Index (bls.gov)

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*Per latest salary survey results, expect a 3 to 3.5% increase to salaries in most sectors:

• World At Work Survey- Forecasting 3.3% salary growth for 2022.
• Per Conference Board, the median total US salary increase budgets for 2022 are 3.00 percent, the same percentage as the previous eleven years. The 3% is accross all epmployment categories.
• WorldAtWork’s survey- reporting a 3.3% salary budget increase for 2022.
• HRandFriends.org salary center- forecasting a 2.5% for governments and a 3.3% for private sector.

*Inflation Impact-  As of August 2021, inflation is expected to outpace wage adjustments per latest salary surveys.

*Consumer prices roses 5.4% as of July 2021 compared to the prior year.

• Uncategorized

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Key tips to follow when searching for an HR consultant:

1. Thorough Search and Key Words to Use– If searching online, do a thorough search online and use key word terms like “best HR consultants in Michigan, best HR consultants of 2021” or etc. 
2. Professional Sources– Use professional sources like HRDirectory.com
3. Ask around– Ask other organizations, human resource professionals, and managers if they hired a good HR Consultant and if they have any recommendations.
4. Ask good questions- Be sure to ask good questions about the HR consultant’s services (see below).
5. Check references– Verify the HR consultants work by checking references.

Key questions to ask when hiring an HR consultant:

1. Why should I choose you?  The response to this question can tell you a lot about the consultant, such as how confident they are about their skills. The consultant should also be confident in recalling good examples of how they’ve handled difficult clients or situations

• How much experience do you have?  The response to this question will help you determine the level of experience the consultant possesses.   If the consultant has limited years of experience, listen for recent projects and tasks accomplished.  By digging deeper, you might unexpectedly find a great HR consultant.  Don’t be afraid to keep asking questions.

• Do you have any areas you specialize in?  This question helps highlight the skills and experience the consultant specializes in.   Look and listen for a good fit of skill and experience.

• How would you approach certain situations?  Past situations and scenarios are great questions to ask.  An experienced HR consultant will be able to highlight their skills when asked this type of question. 

• What’s your availability?  This question will help determine how much time the consultant will dedicate to your household.  You want to choose a consultant or firm who doesn’t have too full of a workload elsewhere.  If they’re trying to work with multiple clients, then you might get a consultant who’s not as productive but still charges a large bill.

• How do you charge for your services?  One of the most important questions you should ask is how much the HR consultant charges for their services. Be sure to get the consultant’s charges in writing.

When looking for an HR consultant, HR Vendor, Recruiter, etc, be sure to visit  HRDirectory.com for a top or local HR specialist near you! 

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1. HRDirectory.com
2. SHRM Vendor Directory
3. WorldatWork.org

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1. Don’t include promises that you can’t keep.
2. Adding a lot of detail might sound like a good idea, but think again. Keep it to the main company policies. Too much detail can get confusing & will also provide more ammunition for lawyers .  If you want to provide more details on procedure and processes, do that in a separate manual for managers.
3. An employee’s probationary period should not be mentioned.  If that is included in the handbook, then any at-will status can be lost by implying that, once the period is over, the employee can stay with the company indefinitely.
4. Try not to be too specific, especially when discussing the company’s discipline policies. Doing this could make it look like every single possible infraction is documented, when indeed it might not be.
5. Not keeping the information in the handbook consistent with other company documents.

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Tips:

• Schedule regular job description audits-Set up reminders to routinely review the descriptions of the positions that report in to you.  This will help you hire the right employees, manage their performance & can also help legally if needed.
• Perform job description audits at turnover or when duties change-  Audit job descriptions when positions are vacated or when duties changes.
• Ask yourself key questions as you draft or re-write job descriptions.  Consider what a successful employee would look like.  What skills are necessary? What is the true nature of your needs? Is this an existing position or new position to fill? If it’s an existing position, find out how the current employee spends their time and what are the main skills they use.
• Observe the job and seek input/feedback from the employee- Observe the job and seek feedback from the employee in the position when updating job descriptions.
• Write a draft first. Make sure it gives a proper idea of the responsibilities of the job.  It needs to be realistic & accurate.  Inaccurate information can cause legal problems like disability bias claims. If you don’t write a job’s essential functions correctly, then it is difficult to prove that certain disability accommodations are workable for the position.  Sometimes, certain accommodations can adversely effect someone’s ability to perform their core job responsibilities.
• Review the job description samples if needing assistance with job descriptions.  For members of HRandFriends.org, checkout the sample job description on the members only page.
• Hire an HR professional experienced in writing job descriptions- If needing professional HR assistance creating and/or reviewing job descriptions, there are vendors who can help.  Do a search for Job Descriptions in the HRDirectory.com search box.

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When dealing with pregnant employees or job applicants, there are 2 main guidelines to follow:

• Ignore pregnancy when hiring or firing. Never ask a job applicant if they are planning to have children. The reason for this is that employers can’t fire or refuse to hire a pregnant woman due to the pregnancy, conditions of the pregnancy or any prejudices toward pregnant women.
• Choose your words wisely.  If the wrong words are used during that first conversation about an employee being pregnant, you can be accused of discrimination. Those words are considered the ‘evidence’.  Avoid comments about whether or not they will come back after the baby is born or the amount of time they might want off etc.  It’s best to stick to more positive & general comments like congratulating her & asking how she is feeling so far. Offer her the suggestion of contacting HR for more information on the Family & Medical Leave Act

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