Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Using The Internet To Find Workers

his article will give you some great tips for using the Internet to find employees that work well in your business.

Make sure you pay attention to everything discussed here because it's important when using the net for employee searching.

Our world is becoming more digitized every day, and online venues can be great places to look for good help. However,you will need to be sure you tailor your message to attract the kind of help you need, and you should be prepared to weed out quite a few applicants who don't understand what you're looking for, no matter how carefully you word your job listing.

With online ads, the "where" matters more than it does for print classifieds. In most cases, a free online classified will not generate much interest. You can check with your local paper to see if they have a website with a classified section, many of them do, and listing on them is less costly than print; in some cases it's free. Job boards and forums are another good place to post classifieds, because job seekers can search listings by location and generally employers can post for free.

Typically, you can include a lot more information in an online help-wanted ad than in a print classified ad. Here are some tips on writing effective employment ads for online forums and classified sections:

1. Keep your language clear and concise. Use action words to describe what you're looking for, both to ensure job seekers understand, and to portray your company as a great place to work.

2. Create a detailed job description, so the candidates know exactly what is expected of them. This will also help to reduce the number of unqualified applicants you receive.

3. Target the forums and message boards where you're most likely to get qualified candidates. There are plenty of places online where like minds gather, and the more closely the people who will see your message are to your industry, the better the applications you'll receive.

4. Job banks are a great place to start. Places like Monster Jobs and Yahoo hot jobs attract a large number of job-seekers from many different areas, so you will probably get local talent and interest there.

5. Remember, you want your company to look good, so be sure to list any benefits and perks, including a great work environment.

6. Don't forget to include contact information! Make sure it's easy for potential employees to respond to your ad, the job market is fiercely competitive, and there are plenty of other companies waiting to get the best employees for themselves.

You now have a bunch of tips for safely using the Internet to locate potential employees. Make sure that you use all of these strategies so that you have the best chance of getting a great employee.

What to Look For When Looking For An Employee

This section will give you all of the tools you need for properly evaluating an employee.

What makes a good employee? There are several things you can look for during the application and interview processes that will help to ensure you hire good people the first time. The screening process should start with the initial application or resume.

One step you definitely shouldn't skip is the background check.Though there may be a small cost involved in this, it's important to make sure anyone you are considering hiring has supplied you with accurate information, and doesn't have a criminal background (or has sufficient record of dismissal).

Here are a few alarming statistics from HireRight, a company that verifies resume information and conducts background checks:

1. 10 percent of applications and resumes contain serious background misrepresentation

2. 30 percent of job applicants exaggerate accomplishments to look good on paper

3. 34 percent of applications and resumes contain outright lies regarding ability, education, and experience.

As you can see, background checks are an important step in the hiring process.

Nice people make the best employees. In general, they are fast learners, easy to teach, and fun to be around. If it comes down to choosing between an exceptionally qualified and rude candidate, or a nice one who may need a bit of extra training to get up to speed, it's in your best interests to choose the nice person every time.

Other than being nice, what qualities should good employees possess? Here are a few examples of qualities and characteristics to look for:

1. Responsibility: Seek people who will see their tasks through to the end, and will claim responsibility for their work and their actions on the job.

2. Initiative: Does the candidate demonstrate an interest in self-starting? Look for someone who will find something to do when they run out of work, rather than someone who'll wait to be told what to do, and then rush through the assignment.

3. Discipline: Good employees are able to focus and complete a task or assignment thoroughly.

4. Positive: The best employees are generally cheerful, even when working on an assignment they don't particularly enjoy.

5. Consistent: Look for employers who are dependable, show up on time, and will put in extra effort when necessary to finish the job.

6. Empathetic: Your employees should be able to recognize when coworkers or customers are having trouble, and be courteous and aware of their needs.

7. Modest: Look for people who give credit where credit is due, and don't try to claim all the recognition for the work of the team.

This set of tricks for evaluating employees before you actually hire them should give you an extremely high chance of finding that perfect employee.