The Erie Personnel Blog

Having the right tools at your disposal can make hiring a lot easier—and a lot more successful.  Here is a quick overview of different assessments tools you can use, beyond the basic job interview:

• Qualifications Screens – simple questionnaires determine if an applicant has the minimum requirements to perform a job (availability, minimum age, years of related experience, etc.).
• Job Simulations / Work-Sample Tests – These require the candidate to actually demonstrate or perform job tasks. Simulations may be conducted: as written tests, as role-playing exercises, on a computer, or even in real-life conditions. By design, they generally show a high degree of job-relatedness.
• General Abilities Tests – Generally used for entry-level jobs or for applicants without advanced degrees. They measure broad mental abilities such as reasoning, quantitative, verbal, and spatial abilities.
• Specific Ability Tests – Test for distinct mental and physical abilities, such as typing speed, reading comprehension, strength, and mechanical aptitude.
• Knowledge and Skills Tests – Determine how much an individual knows about a very specific, advanced subject area such as software programming or mortgage laws. Knowledge tests are similar to specific ability assessments, but examine more sophisticated skills.
• Talent Measures / Personality Inventories – Measure a candidate’s natural personal characteristics like: leadership and management skills; problem-solving ability; motivation; self-confidence; and communication styles.
• Culture Fit Inventories -  Assess how well an applicant will fit into your corporate culture and work environment, to help ensure organizational commitment.
• Background Investigations – Gather information from outside sources, such as former employers and police records. Employment, criminal record, and reference checks all help employers avoid potentially catastrophic hires.

If you would like more information about any of the above assessments please contact our offices today.

In an unpredictable economy, workforce flexibility can be a huge competitive advantage for your organization.  Here are five ways a strategic staffing model can help your business:

1. Run leaner.  If you think of contingent labor management as an unnecessary expense, it’s time to change your thinking.  Using staffing and contract labor can actually help your business lower overhead costs while augmenting your talent acquisition process.  You can reduce your “permanent” headcount to match the low end of your business cycles, and then supplement your staff with temporary employees to handle production surges, special projects, or initiatives that require specialized expertise.
2. Offload employment-related expenses.  Staffing companies provide expensive and time-consuming services like recruitment advertising, screening, interviewing, skills testing, employment verification and drug testing.  Additionally most staffing firms now offer their employees benefits like vacation/sick/holiday pay, health insurance and 401(k) plans.  You pay only for productive work hours, while the staffing service covers all additional employment-related expenses.
3. Avoid costly hiring mistakes.  The temp-to-direct hiring option allows you to “test drive” new hires – you can see how candidates perform on-the-job before extending an offer for direct employment.  If the candidate does not meet your needs, the staffing firm will typically provide a replacement at no additional fee.
4. Enhance and upgrade your team.  Plan for the upturn now and get a jump on your competitors.  Business may be slow at present, but highly qualified candidates are abundant.  A staffing service can help you capitalize on this unique opportunity to upgrade your staff with top-notch performers.  They can help you analyze your post-recession staffing needs (i.e., new types of positions/skills that will be needed post-recession) and create a team that’s prepared to “explode out of the box” when the upturn hits.
5. Reduce employee burnout.  When your team’s resources are stretched, burnout becomes a real issue.  Using temporary employees can relieve some of the burden.  They can help reduce overtime hours, lower absenteeism, minimize turnover and even lower worker’s compensation claims – all without increasing your permanent employee headcount.

Trust is essential when building a healthy and productive work environment–especially when you’ve just joined a new organization.  Whether you’re leading an entire department or work hand in hand with a just a few coworkers it’s important to build trusting relationships.

Here are several tips to help trust both with coworkers and your superiors:

• Be honest and share information completely. Be straightforward and honest with everyone and expect the same in return.
• Be open to the ideas of others. Don’t dismiss an idea simply because it doesn’t align with what you had in mind.  Take everyone’s feedback into consideration before making a final decisions and let other’s be heard.
• Stand up for what you believe in.  If you feel strongly about an issue, make sure you voice your opinion–but be sure you can share some evidence to support your view.
• Follow through on commitments.  The easiest way to lose someone’s trust and confidence is to let them down.  Make sure you meet your commitments and don’t set deadlines you can’t meet.
• Learn from your mistakes.  Mistakes will happen, and when they do, own up to them.  Taking responsibility and developing a process to ensure the same mistake isn’t repeated is a great way to build trust.

And if you’re currently in the market for a new job opportunity please search our current openings.  We have several outstanding jobs throughout Ontario.