The “reasonable care” standard is subjective. The judge must decide if the employer took the amount of precaution a “rational” person would take in the circumstances. Here’s how you can structure your hiring process to best protect your business from this type of employer negligence claim.

What is Negligent Hiring?

An employee or customer can file a negligence claim against a business owner if they have been harmed by an employee and believe the behavior could have been anticipated based on the employee’s background prior to their hiring. For example:

• An employee at a moving company steals from a customer. A background check would have revealed that the employee had multiple theft convictions.
• An employee sexually assaults another employee. The employee was hired even though a background check showed they had been convicted of sexual assault.
• A truck driver hurts another driver in a car crash. The employer hired the person without looking at their driver’s record which would have shown they had multiple convictions for driving under the influence (DUI).

What do the Courts Consider?

Negligent hiring laws are different in each state, so it’s important to check your state’s requirements. However, the courts frequently require plaintiffs to show:

• The employer did not use “reasonable care” during the hiring process.
• The employee was “unfit” or “incompetent” for the role for which they were hired.
• The risk would have been evident if the employer had used “reasonable care.”
• The plaintiff was injured because the employer neglected to use “reasonable care.”

The judge could require the employer to pay for the damages caused by the employee, such as medical expenses or the cost of the stolen property. Because these cases can be expensive and time-consuming to litigate, many are resolved through settlement agreements.

Some employers get Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI) to cover negligent hiring and other claims like wrongful termination. EPLI policies generally protect companies from wrongful acts directed against employees, former employees, and job applicants.

How Can You Protect Your Business From Legal Claims?

It’s important that you document your hiring policies and the steps you took for each candidate, so you have a record if you need it as evidence. Additional actions you can take to help prevent this type of negligence claim include the following:

1. Check a Candidate’s Criminal Record

One of the best ways to prevent negligent hiring claims is to run a criminal record check. Keep in mind that many states and cities have “ban the box” laws that preclude covered employers from inquiring about a candidate’s criminal record on a job application. It varies from state to state, but some require covered employers to wait until the interview stage or a conditional offer is made before getting the candidate’s consent and running the check.

There are also federal laws and guidelines you should adhere to when you run a criminal record check. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prevents companies from discriminating against applicants and employees “on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex.”

Based on case law, the EEOC has found that a company is liable for violating Title VII if the employment decision disproportionately screens out a protected group and the employer is unable to show that it is relevant to the position and a business necessity.

The EEOC published an enforcement guidance with guidelines for using criminal background checks as part of your hiring process. For example, the agency recommends:

• Eliminating policies that disqualify all candidates with certain criminal convictions.
• Only considering crimes that are relevant to the job and could affect job performance or put the company at risk.
• Implementing individualized screening procedures for candidates with criminal convictions.
• Notifying the candidate that they may be screened out because of their criminal record and giving them the opportunity to respond and correct any inaccuracies.

2. Do Extra Due Diligence for Certain Jobs

If you’re hiring for finance, education, healthcare, real estate, hospitality, and other service industries with a lot of customer or client contact, your legal team may recommend you do a more thorough background check to prevent negligent hiring claims.

Depending on the role, you may want to check a candidate’s motor vehicle record (MVR) or credit report. As with a criminal record check, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and most state Departments of Motor Vehicles (DMVs) require you to get a candidate’s permission first and give them a chance to refute any inaccuracies.

If you’re hiring for a job that requires a license or certification, it is best practice to contact the appropriate organization to ensure that the candidate has an active license or certification. Similarly, if the job requires an advanced degree, you may want to call the college or university to check that the candidate is a graduate.

3. Call a Candidate’s References

Another way to show you took “reasonable care” during the hiring process is to contact a candidate’s references and all past employers to ensure that they worked for the company. A candidate’s references may provide insights into their interpersonal skills, strengths, weaknesses, and what it’s like to work with them.

Before contacting references, check if there are any relevant state employment laws you must follow. Find out if you need permission, what you can ask, and what the employers are permitted to tell you. Even if it isn’t a state law, some employers have a policy of only verifying that the person worked there and their dates of employment.

Avoid Claims and Discover More HR Advice

These steps should help you protect your small business from negligent hiring claims. You’re responsible for making sure your team complies with employment laws and follows best practices. Monster can help you stay informed. You can sign up to get HR and recruiting advice, news, and data delivered straight to your inbox.

Legal Disclaimer: None of the information provided herein constitutes legal advice on behalf of Monster.

The post How to Avoid Negligent Hiring for Your Business appeared first on Monster.com.

The number of tasks you need to address throughout your hiring process is extensive. Some are even legally required, and many should be completed well before you begin evaluating applicants. A detailed hiring checklist can help make sure you are in compliance with local, state, and federal employment law, and ensure that your next hire helps keep your business moving forward.

Before You Begin the Hiring Process

As much as you may want to hire more help, you may not yet be able to afford it. You will need to do some assessment—and some math—before you proceed to the next items in your hiring checklist. To determine whether it’s time to hire or look for other solutions, you’ll need to pay attention to two key factors: your company’s growth indicators and the workload you and your current employees are shouldering.

If your employees’ workloads are increasing and overtime costs are steadily increasing, it’s time to hire. Consider the following questions:

• Have you secured the needed budgeting for this position, including benefits?
• Have you budgeted enough for recruitment, search, and onboarding processes?
• Are your current employees’ workloads increasing, along with overtime costs?

If the answer to all these questions is yes, then you’re ready to start the hiring process. If not, you may need to make do with help from a consultant or labor-saving software until your profit margin increases enough to afford additional staffing.

Determine Who Will Make Your Hire

Your hiring checklist should include the important task of assembling your recruitment team—your human resources department (if you have one), a hiring manager, or a recruiting agency. If you have been, up to now, a sole proprietor, and you have no past recruiting experience, think about collaborating with a trusted consultant or local recruitment agency.

A small, community-based recruiter might even offer a discount on your first search as an incentive to work with you in the future as your business and hiring needs grow.

Make Sure to Comply with Employment Law

Your hiring process checklist should include all the paperwork and legal obligations you will need to have in place before you bring on a new employee. If this is your first hire, or you haven’t made a hire in a while, there are a few actions you may need to take to make sure that you are in compliance with local, state, and federal laws guiding employment practices, including the following:

• Make sure you have an employer ID number.
• Register to pay state and federal payroll taxes and determine any registration and tax requirements of the municipality where your business is located.
• If your state requires it, purchase worker’s compensation insurance. If you’re not sure whether your state requires this, you can check with the National Federation of Independent Businesses.
• Check with the U.S. Department of Labor to learn which federal labor regulation posters you are required to display at your place of business.
• Finally, make sure you’ve calculated accurate withholding for state unemployment taxes into your payroll process.

Craft the Perfect Job Description

Ideally, the hiring manager and HR team should work together to determine what needs the new hire will fulfill. At smaller companies, the owner may be the one making all new hires. In this case, ask someone you trust who understands your business to help you draft and edit your job description.

Your job description is a critical step in your job search process, so it’s advisable to dedicate a section of your hiring checklist to drafting a strong job posting.

• Begin with a short paragraph or a set of bullet points that describes why your business is a great place to work.
• List the job’s responsibilities and the preferred skills, experience, and educational background of your ideal candidate.
• Use a salary tool that calculates for job title and location to determine a salary range, along with a description of benefits.
• End with a call to action that encourages candidates to send a resume or fill out an application.

Consider browsing through postings for similar jobs for inspiration. Once you’ve finalized the wording, make your job listing easy to find and your application process simple and clear.

Interview Hiring Checklist

Once you start hearing back from candidates, select which applicants you want to interview. Notify candidates you are eliminating from consideration at each step of the process, so you don’t gain a bad reputation among the wider applicant community.

If you don’t get enough replies to your job ad, consider lowering your experience and educational requirements or increasing your salary range. Ask employees for recommendations or reach out to local colleges, tech schools, and business associations.

As you prepare for your candidate interviews, make sure you work with someone else—another employee, a trusted consultant, or an outside recruitment agency—to craft a variety of questions to help you get to know each candidate. Even if you are a sole proprietor looking to hire your first staff position, you may want to have someone else sit in on the interviews for added feedback.

Your questions should:

• Build rapport. Put your candidate at ease at the beginning of the interview by asking them things they are likely to know. For example, why they are interested in the job, or why they are in their chosen field.
• Explore past experiences. Ask about what experiences from their past jobs relate to the current position, about successes they’ve had, or challenges they’ve overcome.
• Test knowledge. Find out what technical skills the candidate has and how they would use these skills to solve problems.

Compile All Necessary Documents

One of the most essential aspects of your hiring checklist will be ticking off every box next to the legal documents that you should have prepared to be filled out by your new employee, well before their first day. Begin compiling this paperwork before you have selected your final candidate.

These include:

• Offer letter
• Employment agreement
• Employee eligibility verification (I-9)
• Federal income tax withholding form (W-4)
• Health insurance enrollment forms

Select the Ideal Candidate

Now that everything is in order, talk with everyone who met your finalists and compare notes on what impressed you and what concerned you about each candidate.

• Consider their soft skills: Which applicant seemed to have the strongest customer focus, interpersonal, and communication skills?
• Whose experience and background are the best fit for the job in question?

Once you’re ready to make your offer to your preferred candidate, give them time to think about your offer and be prepared to adjust your salary range.

Check Off More Boxes on Your Hiring Checklist with Expert Advice and News for Employers

The hiring process is anything but simple, which is why employers of all sizes can use a little help from time to time. From expert advice to the latest recruitment trends, Monster’s hiring newsletter provides news, tips, and more designed to help you grow your business.

The post What Every Hiring Checklist Must Include appeared first on Monster.com.

Let’s look at what makes hiring unique with microbusinesses and how to set yourself up for success as you go about hiring the best employees for your company.

What Is a Microbusiness?

Microbusiness is a subcategory of small business, and usually refers to companies with around 10 employees or less. The category typically includes businesses such as:

• Startups
• Small family-owned businesses
• Solopreneur businesses with only one employee, such as freelancers, consultants, and independent contractors

These types of businesses have been on the rise in recent years, especially as working from home and gig work have become more common, leading to an increase in solopreneur businesses. They often, but not always, have smaller operations and revenue and require less than $50,000 to start up.

They typically don’t use traditional business loans or have investors other than the owner. In the past they might have been lumped into the larger “small businesses” category or referred to by terms such as “sole proprietorship” or “mom and pop business.” Examples include freelance operations, food stands, and small home-based businesses.

How to Know When to Hire Your First (Or Next) Employee

When deciding whether it’s time to hire an employee, be sure you have a clear idea of what problems you’re trying to solve with the additional staff. From there you can determine if you need full-time, part-time, or contract employees.

For example, if business is booming and you need help with the bookkeeping, customer service, fulfilling orders, and managing your sales pipeline, you may or may not have enough work for a full-time employee in all four areas. So, it’s important to look at your situation and ask, how much work is there for each role? Is it enough for full-time, part-time, or less than part-time? Is the workload consistent or does it fluctuate?

The advantage of hiring contractors is that you can:

• Hire them on an hourly or per-project basis, paying only for what you need when you need it.
• Easily scale their workload up or down as your business needs change, without having to hire or lay off anyone.
• Test out working with someone before you commit to a full-time hire.

The advantages of hiring people full-time or part-time include the following:

• Their time is dedicated to you instead of juggling multiple clients.
• You have greater control over how and when they perform the work.
• They become more ingrained in your culture and operations.

Hiring Best Practices for Microbusinesses

Before you post a job listing, begin by preparing a few critical elements in advance. Getting your ducks in a row ahead of time will help ensure that you are attracting quality candidates and ready to close the deal when you find the right person.

1. Know How to Describe Your Company and Culture

Gather a few key facts about your microbusiness that you can share with candidates. Is your company fast paced? Obsessed with quality? People-focused? The goal is to quickly provide an idea of the kind of company it is and what it might be like to work there.

Also be ready to talk about why you’re hiring and what your growth trajectory looks like. Are you anticipating moderate but steady growth and planning to stay small? Are you growing rapidly and looking to put together a nimble team that will help take the company to the next level?

Being up front with this information will help candidates determine if it’s the kind of company culture they’ll thrive in. And getting the cultural fit right makes it far more likely that an employee will stick around for the long term and be more enjoyable to work with.

2. Write a Clear Job Description

Crafting a clear job description will save you precious time and energy during the hiring process. It’s important to communicate requirements like:

• The tasks you need them to do, and what skills will these require.
• The soft skills or personality traits they need to be successful in the role.
• Any certifications, degrees, or specific experience that is absolutely required.

It’s a good idea to distinguish between must-haves and nice-to-haves so that you don’t eliminate good candidates who just need a little more training to meet your needs. Most of the time, hiring someone with the necessary personality traits is more important than their experience doing the same job elsewhere (although ideally, they will have both).

3. Determine Compensation

Use salary research and calculator tools to find out the fair market pay for the role you’re hiring for. Be sure to factor in the cost of benefits, and all applicable federal, state, and local payroll taxes. Do your best to offer competitive salaries to attract quality candidates. Hiring a smart, capable person who doesn’t require constant oversight will save you money and headaches in the long run.

As a microbusiness owner, it may be particularly difficult to offer a competitive salary. But, even if you can’t pay quite as much as large businesses, be sure to point out any lifestyle benefits such as flexible work hours, work-from-home options, time off for volunteering and family activities, etc.

4. Plan to Evaluate the Must-Have Skills

Anyone can say they’re good at a job, but the proof is in their work. While the interview process can be highly subjective and depend on a candidate’s soft skills, it’s a best practice to evaluate hard skills. Some ways you can test out their expertise is by:

• Asking for samples of their work (for jobs like design, writing, etc.).
• Having candidates take an online test (for things like typing speed, subject matter knowledge, etc.).
• Giving them a small assignment (an exercise that takes less than 2 hours to complete).
• Role playing (for positions in sales, customer service, etc.).

5. Complete the Appropriate Human Resources Paperwork and Processes

If this is your first hire, there are a lot of human resources and compliance logistics to cover, including:

• Getting an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS.
• Verifying eligibility for employment.
• Setting up a payroll system.
• Maintaining tax documents (collect W4s, send out W2s, etc.).
• Compiling benefits packages and disclosing employee rights.

While this may seem overwhelming, there are ways to lighten the load for your microbusiness. If this is all new to you and something you don’t have time to become an expert in, hiring a payroll or HR company that works with small businesses can remove the guesswork and ensure that you don’t skip any important steps. Your bookkeeper or accountant may be able to refer you to someone.

Make the Right Hire for Your Microbusiness

When hiring, pay attention to red flags, listen to your instincts, and hire for the best possible fit—you can always train for skills. A dedicated, enthusiastic, professional worker is worth investing in training if they bring a can-do attitude that benefits your customers, employees, and the business in general. When you’re ready to get started, post your microbusiness job opening on Monster for free.

The post How to Hire for Your Microbusiness appeared first on Monster.com.

The same applies to the job market. When looking for employment, more than half of jobseekers like to apply to companies that were recommended by others and associated with happy employees and candidates. As such, small business owners and hiring managers in search of top talent must consider word of mouth recruitment and foster relationships that build the framework for it.

Attracting and retaining top talent can be tough, especially in a tight labor market. To meet your company’s hiring goals, the more tools you have at your disposal, the better. Five actions you can take to incorporate word of mouth into your hiring strategy include:

1. Soliciting candidate reviews
2. Collecting candidate testimonials
3. Encouraging employee advocacy
4. Creating a company culture that emphasizes trust
5. Running a referral bonus program

Below are more specific steps for each of these actions that will help bolster your word of mouth recruitment efforts.

1. Ask for Candidate Reviews

Candidate reviews are important as they give other prospective applicants confidence that it’s worth applying to a company. Be sure to take advantage of any platform that allows for reviews, such as Google My Business, Yelp, and Facebook. Also, remember to monitor reviews and reply to them regularly.

When creating your business’s profile on these platforms, you can post the best reviews on your social media accounts and highlight them on your website. By sending links to the review page, you make it easy for happy candidates to submit their feedback and increase your chances of gathering five-star reviews.

2. Collect Candidate Testimonials

Another option for increasing word of mouth recruitment is to reach out to candidates that had a positive experience with your company and ask them to leave testimonials. Take quotes and comments from these testimonials and turn them into eye-catching content in the form of images, illustrations, graphs, or animated videos and share them on whichever social media platforms you use.

Make it a habit to save testimonials in a spreadsheet that you or your hiring manager can easily access to repurpose at any time for your social media accounts. Sharing candidate testimonials provides two benefits: potential customers get to read about your company’s unique selling points while potential candidates see your company from the perspective of someone who has been in their shoes.

3. Encourage Employee Advocacy

Having a great company culture helps foster a positive work atmosphere which in turn ensures employees are happy working at your company. It’s also an excellent way to encourage word of mouth recruitment.

Companies with an employee advocacy strategy are 60 percent more likely to attract high-quality applicants and 20 percent more likely to retain them. Encourage your employees to share about the business publicly, both online and offline, and watch their praise go a long way in promoting your company.

When implementing an employee advocacy program, make sure it is:

• Strategic: Clear goals should be defined and metrics should be specified to measure progress toward those goals.
• Sustainable: With support from management and a plan for keeping enthusiasm up, the program will be designed to last long-term.
• Organic: Don’t mandate advocacy, instead encourage it. Participation should be voluntary and out of genuine interest.

4. Start a Referral Program

Referral programs are a triple-win solution for you, the referrer, and the candidate: you get high-quality candidates, the referrer gets incentivized by a referral fee, and the referred candidate has a leg-up over other applicants. By motivating employees through incentives like cash, extra vacation time, or other perks, they’re more likely to be proactive and go out of their way to recommend your company and find you good candidates.

5. Create a Company Culture That Emphasizes Trust

A company culture where employees feel respected and heard translates into one with a foundation of trust. These companies are also more likely to attract high-quality candidates through word of mouth. You can create an environment of trust by:

• Keeping your word—never over promise to avoid under delivering
• Demonstrating integrity
• Implementing a strong company culture and enforcing policies that everyone follows
• Creating a company-wide social media policy that ensures everyone on your social media channels behaves
• Encouraging feedback from employees to continually learn and improve

Word of Caution

To stay within the realms of legality, avoid relying solely on word of mouth recruitment. If, for example, a position opens at a small company of 10 white, male employees in their 30s and you ask them to provide candidate referrals, chances are they will refer peers that are also white, male, and in their 30s.

When asked for referrals, women tend to reach out to other women in their networks, and men do likewise. Make sure that your recruitment strategy doesn’t contribute to job segregation. In the scenario above, it’s important to use word-of-mouth recruiting as part of a broader recruitment strategy—not your only tool—that also integrates diversity recruiting strategies to ensure you reach a diverse pool of candidates.

Stay Informed About the Best Hiring Strategies

Word of mouth recruitment is an excellent way to both promote your company and find qualified candidates. Investing more of your resources toward encouraging word of mouth is a win-win for your hiring strategy and your company’s reputation. Keep up with other top hiring recruitment strategies by getting tips and insights delivered right to your inbox from Monster.

The post How to Make Word of Mouth Recruitment Work for Your Business appeared first on Monster.com.

As a small business owner or manager, you have a lot of responsibilities to handle. It takes time to research government contracts and the hiring regulations you must follow as a government contractor. We’ve consolidated the most important information you need to know so you have more time to focus on building your business.

How to Get Small Business Government Contracts

Government agencies are required to list their available contracts so companies can submit bids. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) sets the eligibility requirements for each contract based on the team size, revenue, and industry.

Some small business contracts are reserved for companies with owners that meet certain demographic requirements. For example, there are contracts specifically for businesses primarily owned by women, service-disabled veterans, and “socially and economically disadvantaged” people.

According to the SBA, you can increase the likelihood of winning small business contracts by selling products and services at a competitive rate, consistently delivering high-quality products and services on time and on budget, and having a strong reputation in your industry.

Federal Employment Anti-Discrimination Laws

Executive Order 11246 requires any company that receives more than $10,000 a year in federal government contracts to adhere to federal employment anti-discrimination laws and to implement affirmative action throughout the hiring process. You must comply with the following laws (state and local laws and regulations also may apply):

• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964: This law prohibits companies from discriminating against applicants and employees “on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex.” It is illegal to retaliate against applicants or employees who file a discrimination complaint or participate in an investigation. Additionally, companies need to provide reasonable accommodations for religious beliefs. The act was amended to include The Pregnancy Discrimination Act.
• The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA): This law prohibits discriminating against applicants and employees who are 40 years old or older and prevents retaliation.
• Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA): Under this law, it’s illegal to discriminate against applicants and employees with eligible disabilities. It also requires employees to provide reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities.
• The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA): This law prohibits discriminating against applicants or employees because of genetic information, including genetic test results and family medical backgrounds.

Job Posting Regulations

The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) mandates job posting and notice regulations. Depending on the size of your small business government contracts and the role, you may be required to notify the American Job Center or your state workforce agency. Government contractors must specify that they’re an equal opportunity employer by posting required signage in the office and including a statement in all job posts.

There are different job posting language requirements based on the type of company, but there are two commonly used “taglines.” You can simply say you are “an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability/vets” or say, “All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.”

Affirmative Action Programs

Depending on the size of your small business and contract, you may be required to develop a written affirmative action program. The theory is that workplaces that don’t discriminate should have a diverse team if they have a diverse candidate pool.

Companies that receive small business government contracts must compare their workforce data to the candidate pool and document and implement actionable policies and procedures for increasing diversity. For example, companies could make the hiring process more equitable by writing inclusive job descriptions, using blind applications, requiring hiring managers to complete anti-bias trainings, standardizing the interview process, and avoiding illegal interview questions.

Recordkeeping Requirements

It is mandatory to keep certain employment records, including application forms, resumes, interview notes, and applicant demographic data-for one year. One solution for making this process easier is to use an applicant tracking system (ATS) to collect and save necessary hiring data.

Also, depending on the size of the contract and your company, you may be required to send an EEO-1 Report to the DOL and the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) annually. The agencies collect demographic information, such as the sex and race or ethnicity of all employees and their job categories and pay. Even if you are not required to fill out the report, it’s helpful to complete an independent audit. The data can be used to identify pay discrimination so your leadership team can make necessary adjustments.

Receive More Hiring Advice

This hiring advice is beneficial for all business owners, not just ones with small business government contracts. Continue to strengthen your hiring process so you can recruit top talent for your small business by getting hiring best practices, news, and trends from Monster delivered to your inbox for free.

The post Small Business Government Contracts and Your Hiring Process appeared first on Monster.com.

A Gartner survey of 127 industry leaders shows that 82 percent of employers plan some remote employment options. This includes hiring remote team members to access quality talent outside of their geographic location.

Below are a few best practices for hiring remote workers to help small business owners and hiring managers like you ensure your remote hiring practices yield the same results as you’d expect from a traditional interview and hiring process.

Virtually Introduce Yourself

One of the most effective best practices is incorporating video content throughout the recruiting process. Consider adding a link to an introductory video to your job listing or send the link to candidates once their interview is scheduled. Yes, they can perform an online search, but this is your opportunity to make a powerful first impression, which is even more important since you won’t be interviewing face-to-face.

The video can include a preview of your remote operations as well as the type of project management and communication software you use to keep your team connected. If not a video, consider including a link to a virtual team member page that speaks to how you keep everyone engaged.

Clearly Outline Remote Obligations

Effective communication takes on added importance when managing the interview process for remote workers. Expectations regarding work styles, availability, and team interactions may get lost in translation. To avoid such mishaps, best practices suggest clearly outlining processes, expectations, and obligations prior to and throughout the process. Answer questions such as:

• What time zone will you expect employees to be available?
• How flexible are the work hours (scheduled work hours vs. deadline-driven hours)?
• How often will the team meet virtually?
• When and where will the employee be required to attend in-office meetings?
• How far away can the employee live from your office or headquarters?
• Who will pay for transportation to and from the office if a flight or long drive is required?
• Is the position permanently remote?

Extend the Interview Process

Best practices for hiring remote workers also includes extending the interview process. Since neither of you will get an in-person feel for one another, this can provide the extra exposure to the other’s personality, helping you pick up on nuances that are more readily discernible in person. You can also use activities like administering a pre-interview assessment, starting with a phone interview, providing a virtual tour of your company and operations, or even just conducting three interviews instead of two.

Three interviews may sound like a lot, but many candidates are more nervous to interview virtually than they are in person. While nerves are always a factor, adding an additional interview or two can help candidates get more comfortable speaking to you on camera.

Don’t Lose Sight of Your Company Culture

You may have already learned this the hard way, but just because a candidate won’t be working with you or your team in person does not mean a good fit with your company culture is any less important.

Company culture is the collection of beliefs and behaviors that determine how a company’s employees and management interact. Culture can be shaped intentionally or grown organically and impact every aspect of business—even if you’re hiring remote workers. As a small business owner, you may be able to emphasize your company culture as a selling point for employees who’ve grown weary from working at large firms where there’s less opportunity to make a big impact.

Beyond their skill set, candidates must have the personality, passion, innovation, communication style, and level of professionalism that will complement your current team members. Or, if your company culture needs improvement, they must possess the traits you are working towards achieving.

Culture is important to candidates, too. In the U.S., 35 percent of job seekers said they wouldn’t accept a job that was a perfect match if the corporate culture clashed. Implementing best practices for hiring remote workers requires that your company culture be more than a mission statement. It must shine through to the candidates during the hiring and onboarding process.

Get Your Team Involved in Hiring Remote Workers

Getting your team involved supports a variety of the best practices on this list, including ensuring candidates are a good match for your company culture. There is a variety of ways to get your team involved in the hiring process, such as:

• Asking your team to refer quality candidates
• Offering a referral bonus
• Inviting team members to narrow down the candidates
• Mixing up who you invite to interview depending on the job opening
• Having at least one interview with a small panel of employees

Prepare Virtual Interview Questions

In addition to your job-specific go-to questions, prepare a few virtual interview questions to determine if working remotely is the right fit for your candidate. The objective is to identify if they have the communication skills required to collaborate from afar, as well as the organizational skills, self-discipline, and time management skills to work from home.

Questions can include:

• Do you thrive working independently?
• Have you worked remotely before?
• If so, what did you like most about working remotely?
• What are the greatest challenges to working remotely?
• What project management and communication software have you used?
• What did you like most about the software?
• What did you like least about the software?
• Do you feel like part of a team when working remotely?

While you may provide some of the remote technology they need, be sure to ask a few questions that address what technology candidates are responsible for providing. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, as it should be included in your job description. For example, a computer or laptop, solid internet connection, and a backup co-working space they can work from if the internet is down.

Ensure You’re Tech-Ready

Your virtual first impression is just as powerful as your in-person first impression. Here are a few tips to put your best foot forward when hiring remotely:

• Ensure you send an interview link in advance, and maybe an automated reminder.
• Use a quiet and distraction-free room to log into the online interview
• Skip the virtual backgrounds unless your company has created a branded background.
• Login to the interview at least 5 minutes early so you don’t leave the candidate waiting.
• Wear a headset or earbuds and test your audio and video before you go live.

Also, consider providing the candidate with a virtual interview checklist, including what software they may need to download to access your interview link.

Use Best Practices to Build Your Remote Team

There are a quite a few unique considerations when hiring remote workers. Use these tips to get you started. Be sure to stay abreast of other trends and best practices by signing up to receive Monster’s expert insights, delivered free to your inbox.

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Use your homepage copy as an elevator pitch for your small business. Describe what your small business does, its mission and values, and the value proposition. You can use additional pages to sell your products and services and “sell” your company as a great place to work.

Follow these best practices to create a website that will help you increase revenue and recruit top talent.

“About Us” Page

Potential customers, clients, and candidates want to learn your brand story. Share why you started your small business and more information about your company’s history. You may want to include creative elements like photos and a timeline.

Impress people with some of the recognition your small business has received. It’s helpful to mention any awards your business has won and include press clippings with links to the full story. You could also feature client or customer testimonials and product reviews.

Team Page

Let clients and candidates “meet” the people they’d be working with by creating a team page that highlights the people who make your business successful. Instead of writing bland bios, encourage team members to share their hobbies and interests out of the office.

Depending on your company culture, you could get creative with your design and include fun props or photos of team members and their pets. Use this section of your small business website to share photos of your office or workspace and your team at work.

Career Page

Your career page gives you an opportunity to go into more detail and add more creative elements than you can in your job descriptions. The best career pages include these components:

Job Postings

In addition to posting your job descriptions on popular job boards, post them on your small business website to drive traffic to your career page. Maximize reach by including the keywords and terms candidates are likely to use when they use a search engine to look for similar jobs. If you’re hiring a janitor, for example, you could also use the titles “custodian,” “cleaning person,” and “superintendent.”

Since you have more room on your career page, you could share the next steps in the hiring process at your small business so that candidates know what to expect. You could also include advice and an FAQ section with the answers to common questions people have about the hiring process or working at your company.

Company Culture

Candidates want to work with people who share similar professional values and goals. Showcase your team’s core values, such as collaboration, teamwork, innovation, accountability, kindness, and learning. Show your commitment to fostering an inclusive workplace by sharing your company’s diversity and inclusion statement and initiatives like employee resource groups (ERGs).

It can be helpful to include short video or written interviews with team members from various departments. Ask them to describe the company culture, their role and responsibilities, and what they like best about working at your small business.

Benefits and Perks

This is where you’ll note the benefits you offer, such as health insurance, retirement plans, commute stipends, paid time off, and paid parental leave. Next, mention any perks of working at your small business as opposed to a larger business. For example, you may want to highlight the flat organizational structure, collaborative company culture, flexible schedule, remote work options, casual dress code, and fun team-building events.

It’s valuable to showcase professional development initiatives, such as training programs, mentorship programs, and learning stipends. Employees at a small business often have a wider range of responsibilities than they would at a larger business with more defined roles, meaning they can learn new skills and advance at a faster rate. If that’s the case, mention it on your small business website.

Blog Page

You may want to create a blog page to share company updates and advice. A blog is likely to increase traffic to your website because it generates new search engine optimization (SEO) keywords.

If you have a service business, it is helpful to share relevant advice that will interest your potential clients and candidates. For example, if you run a marketing agency, you could share actionable digital advertising, social media, and website optimization advice.

Use Your Small Business Website to Build Your Team

After implementing these best practices, your website will demonstrate the benefits of joining your small business. Sign up to receive hiring advice, trends, and news from Monster so you can recruit a talented team with the necessary skills and experience to make your small business even more successful.

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Fortunately, implementing best practices will help your small business run an effective and efficient hiring process. Here are four of the main challenges small businesses face and the actionable steps you and your hiring managers can take to overcome them so you can win over top talent.

Writing an Effective Job Description

Taking the time to write a strong job description makes your hiring managers clarify the role, responsibilities, and requirements so they can identify people who meet their hiring needs.

The strongest job descriptions will introduce candidates to the business and demonstrate why it’s a great place to work. Ask your hiring managers to focus on the perks your small business offers that larger businesses might not. For example, your workplace might have a flexible work schedule, a flat organizational structure, and a tight-knit team with a strong company culture. Highlight anything else that contributes to high workplace morale.

One of the main benefits of working at a small business is the opportunity for employees to take on a wider range of responsibilities, allowing them to learn more and advance faster than they would at a company with more targeted roles and more people vying for promotions. Your job description should mention professional development initiatives such as training, mentorship programs, and the fast-track for promotions.

Reaching Qualified Candidates

Only posting the job on your small business’ career page is the equivalent of hanging up a “We’re Hiring!” sign and hoping that people see it. Fortunately, there are simple ways you can solve one of the biggest small business recruiting challenges: reaching the right candidates.

Post your job description on high-traffic job boards, industry sites, and college and university career boards. When you post your job description online, it’s helpful to use the keywords people are searching for when they’re looking for that type of job. In addition to using the most common job title for the role, include other synonyms throughout the job description. If you’re hiring a receptionist, for example, you might also want to use the terms “assistant,” “secretary,” and “front desk associate.”

Next, use your network. Ask your connections if they know of qualified candidates. Feature your job openings on your company’s social media channels. Encourage your team to share the job posting with their professional networks by offering an employee referral bonus.

Making Your Hiring Process More Efficient

Another common recruiting challenge small business managers face is the need to manage the hiring process in addition to their regular job responsibilities. They might be tempted to rush through the process and settle for so-so candidates or procrastinate and miss out on top talent. Fortunately, there are simple ways you can make the hiring process more efficient.

The most effective way is to use applicant tracking software (ATS) to collect, organize, and review resumes. Depending on the ATS you choose, you can automatically rank resumes based on keywords from the job description or use the filtering tools to search for resumes that meet your hiring needs. An ATS can also help you ensure that your small business is compliant with Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Department of Labor (DOL) guidelines.

Keep up the momentum throughout the interview process. Encourage your hiring managers to conduct screening interviews to learn more about a candidate’s qualifications and share more about the role and company to make sure it’s a fit on both sides. Make the rest of the interview process more efficient by inviting all the decision-makers to one interview (instead of scheduling multiple rounds with each candidate) and by asking revealing interview questions.

Offering a Competitive Salary

One of the biggest recruiting challenges small businesses face is the inability to attract qualified candidates with a salary that is far below the market rate. It’s helpful to use salary tools if you’re unsure of the market rate in your state.

You might not be able to offer as high of a salary as large companies, but it’s important to offer something close even if it means you need to cut other costs like your marketing budget. Some companies fall into the trap of hiring inexperienced people because they are less expensive, but it’s a gamble because it’s expensive to re-hire if it doesn’t work out.

When you hire experienced people who have handled most of the job responsibilities before, they’re likely to be more successful and make fewer mistakes. However, keep in mind that you might not find someone who meets every single requirement. People with a growth mindset can quickly adapt to learning new skills if your small business has professional development programs and good managers.

Overcome Additional Recruiting Challenges

After making these changes, you should be able to recruit candidates who have the skills and experience to make your small business more successful. Sign up to learn more hiring best practices and stay on top of job market trends and news.

The post How to Overcome Your Small Business Recruiting Challenges appeared first on Monster.com.

The total cost of losing an hourly, frontline employee ranges from 30 to 150 percent of that person’s annual earnings, according to some estimates. It’s hard enough to find employees, but add to this the fact that turnover for non-exempt (hourly) help is more than three times greater than that of exempt (i.e., fixed salary) employees and it’s clear that employee turnover is a huge drain on profitability.

We’ll address the contributing factors to this problem and provide you with tips and suggestions for how to find good, reliable hourly employees who will be long-term assets for your business.

What Employers are Overlooking

One cause of this problem is that many employers don’t fully grasp the demographics of the hourly, frontline workforce. While many employers aim recruiting messages only to younger people, about one-third of these workers are actually 25-44, while slightly less than one-third are 45 or older. Many employers also recruit for full time positions when many hourly workers would prefer 30 or fewer hours per week.

Another large part of the hourly worker recruitment and retention problem can be attributed to the following:

• Many employers tend to focus on recruiting unemployed candidates when they’re looking for employees, which is fine, but be sure to also attract top candidates who may already be working and who may be open to a better job or working conditions.

• Depending on the nature of the job market, there may be an overwhelming number of applicants for each job, which makes it difficult to find exceptional performers. A more targeted marketing strategy will help you find top job candidates.

• Most managers and supervisors hire only occasionally and aren’t trained in best-practice techniques for how to find employees. Instead, they’re managers who hire from time-to-time. Build a continuous talent pipeline and be sure to take time with your job interview preparation.

Take a Marketing Approach to Recruiting

To recruit the best hourly employees, employers have to make recruiting a 24/7 activity. If you only recruit when you have openings, you can’t get the best, because the pressure to hire someone quickly causes you to be less selective and often results in a bad hiring decision. Learn how your business can attract top talent by building a talent pipeline and perpetually seeking out your next recruit before the need arises.

Also, you need to be on top of your applicants. Whether you’re looking for a customer service representative or retail salesperson, most people apply for three or more jobs at once. This means employer responsiveness is a deciding factor in recruiting success. So, when you need new recruits, monitor the system and get back to promising applicants right away, even if you’re not quite ready to conduct interviews or make hiring decisions.

Become a “Magnetic Company”

There are companies that never have recruiting problems. When they need good employees, plenty of candidates are readily available (companies such as Disney, Nordstrom, Southwest Airlines, for example). Many companies hiring for their small business do have similar reputations you don’t have to be big to be desirable to candidates. In fact, you can maximize your small business hiring advantage.

These companies can use the flexibility inherent to their smaller size to become “magnetic companies” that attract quality applicants. For example, many small businesses are closely tied to their local communities and have the “home town” advantage that larger competitors can’t touch. Also, smaller businesses tend to provide more opportunities for workers to accelerate their careers are learn new skills.

Make It Easy to Find Hourly Employees

To hire the best, you’ve got to make it easy for the best people to apply. If you accept phone calls, résumés, and applications only during regular business hours, you discourage the very people you should be trying to recruit—all the good people who are busy working. This means you have to modify or extend your hours for accepting applications and conducting interviews to synch with applicant availability.

Install a 24-hour job hotline and include it in your job postings. It can be as simple as an answering machine or as sophisticated as a fully automated interviewing system. With a 24/7 system, you’ll see an increase the high-quality applicants by 30-50 percent or more.

Job applicants are busy. They sit down at the computer and “let their fingers do the walking.” If you’re not using popular online job boards and your company website to advertise your jobs, you’re definitely missing the boat. If there is a “Careers” or “Join Our Team” tab on your website, take a few minutes to take it for a test drive. Many of these website pages lose jobseekers by making the process too complicated and/or time-consuming while some don’t work at all.

Find, and Keep, the Best Hourly Employees

The workforce, particularly the hourly workforce, can seem like a whirlwind at times. Knowing how to weather the ups and downs of the job market and find employees who can deliver results is no easy task. And, once you find them, it’s always in your best interest to keep them around. If you’re looking to find and retain top talent in this market, you need to know what they’re looking for. Close the gap by getting free access to key candidate survey data, and more, from Monster Intelligence.

The post How to Find Good Hourly Employees appeared first on Monster.com.

Below we’ll not only discuss the details of a basic employment offer letter, what should be included, and what legal considerations to keep in mind, but we’ll also provide you with an offer letter template to get you started.

How to Write an Offer Letter: The Basics

In your last in-person interview or via a telephone call, you asked your top candidate to come work for your company. Excited for the offer, they said yes. But putting it in writing is the final step and will also clear up any confusion over specifics, such as salary, exemption status, location, and start date. Even though you mentioned these details, they should also be included in writing.

When your new hire signs the letter (whether it’s mailed or sent via email), they have formally accepted the job. This is when your company’s human resources department begins the onboarding process (tax papers, work authorization, benefits, direct deposit options, company policies, etc.).

What to Include in Your Offer Letter

Before you get to the onboarding stage, make sure you fully understand how to write an offer letter that will set them up for success. The following are common elements to include in an offer letter, although your company may want to include additional information as needed.

• Official letterhead or logo. This is a formal document so you should consider it as formal correspondence.
• Formal letter guidelines. This letter should follow standard business correspondence with the date the letter is written after your logo and/or company name, followed the full name and contact information of the recipient.
• Opener. After the greeting (“Dear X”), get right to the point by stating something like “We are pleased to offer you the position of Y at Company Z.”
• About the position. This paragraph describes the job, including the title, whether it’s full or part time, work location, name of direct supervisor, and expected start date.
• Salary and benefits. Include the base salary or hourly wage and payment schedule, a summary of company benefits, any bonus structure, and applicable work options (such as telecommuting or flex time).
• At-will status. Make it clear that the company may terminate their employment for any lawful reason and at any time.
• Closer. Give the new hire details on how they can reach you (or your HR department) with any questions or concerns and close by reiterating how pleased you are to have them joining the company.

Legal Considerations When Making a Job Offer

The main consideration when writing an employment offer letter is to avoid language that would create any contractual obligations you didn’t intend. In other words, you don’t want the letter to suggest that you’re offering an indefinite period of employment to the recipient. This is achieved by stating in the letter that the employment relationship is “at-will.”

The term “at-will” means you can end the relationship for any legal reason at any time, which also applies to the employee, who may quit the job at any time for any reason (or for no reason at all). This and other legal considerations are crucial when first learning how to write an offer letter.

And while job offers may be rescinded at any time for any reason (before they’re accepted), it’s a good idea to include an expiration date. This can help you minimize situations where your prospective new hire is entertaining offers from other employers and dragging out the process. You could face legal action if you rescind an offer after it’s accepted and the damages could be significant, for instance, if the candidate already quit their prior job in anticipation of the new one.

Offer Letter Template

Your letter may vary based on the nature of the job, your style, and the level of formality you choose. The following template will give you the basics of how to write an offer letter:

[Company logo]

MM/DD/YYYY

Full name and address of candidate

Dear [name of candidate ],

We’re excited to offer you the role of [title] at [company name ].

We believe you’re a great match for the [full- or part-time] [title] position. In this position, you will be expected to [duties and responsibilities]. You will start on [start date] and report directly to [supervisor’s name] at [workplace address]. You will be expected to work from [work hours and days of the week ].

Your starting base salary is [amount] that will be paid on a [monthly, weekly, etc.] basis through [check, bank deposit, etc.]. In addition, we are offering benefits such as [insurance, paid time off, etc.]. The benefits package will be explained in more detail during the onboarding process.

Your employment with [company name ] will be on an at-will status. It means that you and the company can terminate the employment for whatever reason and at any time.

Should you accept his job offer, please sign and return this letter on or before [expiration date ].

If you have any questions, please contact me at [phone number and email address ]. We are excited to have you on our team and we look forward to working with you!

Best,

[Your signature ]

[Your full name and title ]

[Signature line for employee ]

Efficiently Go From Job Description to Employment Offer Letter

Now that you know how to write an offer letter—the final step after determining your staffing needs, writing an effective job ad, interviewing candidates, and deciding on your top pick—you’re ready to grow your team. But before you get to that point, you’ll want to find the best possible candidates. Find more top candidates quickly by posting your job with Monster for free.

Legal Disclaimer: None of the information provided herein constitutes legal advice on behalf of Monster.

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