Smart and Safe Hires Northampton MA

Source: REPLACEMENT CONTRACTOR Magazine
Publication date: November 1, 2004

By Jay Holtzman

A bad hire can ruin not only your day but your company, too. Hiring an employee who later does harm to a client, by theft or physical assault, can wreck your reputation and result in a lawsuit. Prevent that by making sure your hiring practices are right.

Being right is neither difficult nor expensive. First, make sure you use the A-I-R method — for application, interview, references — says Les Rosen, president of Employment Screening Resources, Novato, Calif. Rosen recommends the following.

Application. Have a written application. Make sure you have a place for the applicant to provide information about any criminal record. Make it clear that false or misleading information, as well as serious omissions, will be grounds to end the hiring process or to terminate employment at any time.

Check to see that the applicant signed it and authorized you to perform a background check. Just knowing that you'll do a background check will discourage potential problem employees. Read the application thoroughly. Did the person answer every question? Are there gaps in the employment record?

Interview. Toward the end of the meeting, tell the applicant you do criminal checks and ask if they have any concerns. Some will end the interview right there. Ask what the applicant thinks past employers will say about them and gauge their reactions.

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