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Archive for the ‘Human Resources’ Category

Keep Your Business Safe by Checking Employee Backgrounds

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

In this day and age it is difficult to tell what kind of people we are dealing with. An impressive resume can be copied from the internet and a nice suit can be bought. This potential employee can give you intelligent answers to all your questions. You may think this is an ideal candidate for the position. Then when everything seems to be going well, you do a simple background check. In this background check you can find out previous employment history, criminal background, education, and credit history. You never really know what a person is like based on what they articulate during an interview or how they look.

Prescreening employees can eliminate the costs associated with hiring, training, and then firing a dishonest employee. There are several ways to do a background check. One is on the internet. There are many different sites that can give you information about anyone with some basic information.

A criminal background check is very important to many businesses. There are issues of security with information, merchandise, or money depending on the type of business you have. You certainly wouldn’t want to hire an accountant who has been in prison for embezzlement.

Drug testing has also become a mandatory part of the prescreening process for many companies. Some online sites have their own network of clinics that can do drug testing and physical exams, reporting to the background check company. Then as the employer all you receive is one bill for the whole process eliminating the need to keep track of the outside payments associated with this procedure.

Another way to do a background check is to contact a business that only does background checks. These businesses have become quite successful in recent years. The need to hire honest hardworking people can make or break a business in this fast paced economy. The businesses will call previous employers and references. They will do a criminal check and even a credit check. The best part is that they will give you a comprehensive report on all the information they have gathered to help you make the right decision about a potential employee.

There is also software that can be purchased to help the Human Resource professional. Depending on the package it can allow you to search the internet, receive hit notifications, and securely retrieve and archive completed reports.

There is also the need to find out if the employee can legally work in this country. With all the illegal immigrants coming into the country and buying false identification, it is difficult for employers to determine the legal status for them. Hiring an illegal can cause a lot of trouble with legal fees, fines, or even incarceration for extreme violations.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as Background Investigations at http://www.investigateanyonenow.com

How To Find A Freelancer

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

If you have your own business and there is a specific project that you need done, how do you go about finding the right person to do it? In the past there has always been the traditional route of hiring permanent staff but today more and more people are choosing to work with freelancers because of the benefit that freelancers provide. How should you go about finding a freelancer who has the necessary skills you need, what should you look for and where should you be looking.

One of the easiest places to find a freelancer these days is on freelance jobs boards such as freelanceworkexchange.com, elance.com and guru.com. To find a freelancer on these websites you will need to start with your project description. The more specific your project description is, the more likely you are to find the right person for the job. Your project description should be well written and should include exactly what you are looking for, if you have a time frame you will need the work done in and what this time frame is as well as any requirements you are seeking from the freelancer.

Once people start responding to the project you posted you should carefully consider each application as you would if you were hiring permanent staff. Take a look at the wording of the proposal as well as details that may be available regarding feedback about this freelancer, how much they have earned, etc. There are unfortunately a number of freelancers bidding for projects on these boards who do not know what they are doing but this is usually evident from the first project proposal. If possible take a look at some other proposals they have submitted to the website. Freelancers who do not know what they are doing are more likely to submit exactly the same proposal for each project, although the price may vary, the wording will remain the same. Professional freelancers know how to adapt their proposal to each individual bid that they place.

Another very important factor in most cases is the portfolio of work. If you are offering an administrative position this is sometimes harder to provide examples of work for and a portfolio may not be as necessary but if you are looking for a freelance writer, web designer, artist or a number of other fields then a portfolio should be vital. Take a look at their portfolio and consider whether they are offering the type of work you are looking for. If the person has a well presented portfolio that displays the kind of work you are looking for then you are a lot less likely to encounter problems with them down the line or have to require too many revisions from them.

Try sending them a couple of messages before deciding if they are the ones you want to choose for your project and see how quickly they reply. Good freelancers should be easily contactable. If you prefer other methods of communicating with your freelancers then you should include this information in your project description and ask your prospective freelancers how they will be able to communicate with you. Communication is a vital aspect of any working relationship and perhaps even more so when working with a freelancer.

The easiest place to find freelancers is using freelance jobs boards, however when using these boards there are a number of things you will want to look at when choosing your freelancer. The first thing you should consider is the proposal itself along with any reviews, feedback and details of amount earned. You should also take a careful look at their portfolio - are they offering the kind of work that you want your freelancer to do? Lastly, once you have eliminated a couple of prospects through the above methods try communicating with some of your prospective freelancers, make it clear that you are still selecting a freelancer but see how quickly they respond to your messages as communication is vital for any business, particularly when working with a freelancer. If you follow these steps when choosing your freelancer you are more likely to find a freelance partner that is able to offer work of a high standard and give you what you are looking for.

Rob Palmer is the Editor of Freelance Work Exchange, the leading jobs site for contract professionals worldwide. Looking for a legitimate home business opportunity? Join Freelance Work Exchange for just $2.95 and get access to thousands of
freelance jobs and
work-at-home jobs for writers, designers, programmers and freelancers.
http://www.freelanceworkexchange.com

Diversity in Leadership

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

Professor Bhiku Pareskh, from the Centre for the Study of Democracy at the University of Westminster once said:

Diversity is a fact of modern life. It is an unavoidable fact of life because not all differences can be rationally and conclusively resolve. It is also an important source of moral, economic and social energy. It brings together different ways of looking at life and therefore enables us to learn from others and deepen our insights into human life.

Coming from a country where there is a population of 1.5 million, from Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Shango and all the mixes in between with as many permutations of ethnicity possible, I must admit, diversity was a hard concept for me to grasp! I had to ask- what is diversity? This reminds me of filling out the boxes at the end of an enrolment form as I always wonder why there is not a box for those who have to figure out whether they are BC, BA, AB, who simply identify themselves as H for human!

So when did this term become so popular? The simple answer for me sometime when economics began to make it viable. Cynical? Well, perhaps a little. After all there have been government mandates on Equal Opportunities, quotas and the like. And why has the business sector embraced diversity? One could delve into recent research showing that 80% of 140 UK organisations view the development of diversity as a key contributor to their overall business success. Direct benefits include better recruitment, improved understanding of markets and communities, increased retention, enhanced reputation to cite a few.
Organisations in the voluntary and public sectors may be more focussed on fairness and justice as motivating factors for embracing diversity, consistent with their beliefs and values.
Whichever way organisations and companies broach the subject, simply having policies in place is not sufficient to ensure successful implementation. It is indeed, the depth of integration into any strategy that produces success.

So how does Leadership fit into the diversity agenda?

Leadership is quite simply critical in taking forward the diversity agenda. Leaders need to know how to manage and create culture, along with setting strategy for the future that incorporates a diverse workforce for the benefits of individuals and the organisations key objectives. To have positive performance outcomes of diversity in Leadership, one needs leaders who:
Are skilled in communicating with and coordinating among members of diverse teams
Are good at dealing with group process issues ie. Problem solving and communicating without prejudice
Can build on teams creativity and innovation, even if it does not look like anything to which we are traditionally accustomed.

To gain value from diversity in leadership requires a sustained, systematic approach and long-term commitment. Success is further facilitated by a perspective that considers diversity to be an opportunity for everyone: an opportunity to learn from each other how better to accomplish great achievements.

Marcia Granger MCC Leadership Coach helps those in new leadership positions create the perfect work/life balance. Find out how having the right Leadership tips and tools can change your life at http://www.1stleadershipcourse.com

Conducting An Online Investigation Using Net Detective

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

Searching for a lost love or a missing person? Investigating a cheating spouse or checking someone’s background? Or are you simply attempting to find an address or phone number? If this is what you are trying to do, then the next few paragraphs will help you succeed. In this article, I will describe how to use one of the longest standing internet detective sites: Net Detective.

Believe it or not, before doing any online investigation, the first step is actually done OFFline! Gather as much information as you can about the person your looking for. This will make your session with Net Detective much more productive. For example, if it is an old girlfriend your looking for, then try to find:

1) Old phone numbers or current phone number
2) Old Address or current address
3) Full name including middle initial
4) Maiden and/or married name
5) Current or previous neighbor’s names and/or addresses
6) Social Security Number

Basically, any identifying information that you can find. Look at old envelopes, letters, yearbooks, bills, etc…

Now it is time to log in to Net Detective. If you aren’t already familiar with Net Detective, it is an online investigation site (or internet detective site). The nice thing about Net Detective is that they’ve been around since 1996 so they are reliable and thorough.

Once you’ve logged in to Net Detective, you will see a space for first name, last name, and state. Try typing in the information that you have. Hopefully, you’ll get your answer on the first try. Unfortunately, in this day and age, many people have to be very careful with their personally identifiable information. So their information may not be in Net Detective’s database, or it might be harder to find. One trick is to enter the first initial instead of the whole first name. Instead of typing “Jack Smith,” type “J Smith.” Often, if you didn’t find anything with the entire first name, you will find it with the first initial.

If all you have is an old phone number then Net Detective can still help. Click on the tab entitled “Search By Phone #.” Then enter the phone number. It’s that simple! Hopefully, the name you are looking for will pop up, and then you can click on it to cross reference more in-depth information.

If you do find the person that you are looking for, but you want more in-depth information like,

1) E-mail Addresses
2) Employment Info
3) Income Info
4) Other Persons in Household
5) Date of Birth
6) Marital Status
7) As well as much more information

then you can upgrade to Net Detective Plus, for law enforcement grade resource tools.

That’s it. Hopefully by using these tips with Net Detective, you will be able to find the person that you’ve been looking for. Good Luck!

Scott Fromherz operates multiple internet sites. To find out more about Net Detective and other internet detective sites, go to http://www.DetectiveDetective.com

Business At Home Jobs- Dealing With Employees

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

Many businesses that begin in the garage or a room in the home quickly expand and suddenly they have taken over the entire basement, hired employees and are dealing with expansion issues. This short article discusses several issues associated with hiring employees, contractors and casual workers.

You may have been working with your small business out of your home for some time, business has been good and now you are ready to expand. Suddenly you are dealing with employment issues such as hiring, benefits, and deductions at source, government filings. Many small business owners throw up their hands and decide it is just not worth it to deal with all of the personal and personnel issues that are involved with dealing with employees. There is also liability insurance that is required to cover your employees while they are on your premises.

Small business owners have other choices when it comes to having work completed for them and they do not all involve someone coming into your home to complete the work you need to have completed. Many small business owners will subcontract work out to other small businesses. Subcontracting is an excellent approach as long as you take the time to define the product you want delivered, the quality of the product, the price of the product and the delivery date. Get these four items right, hire an excellent subcontractor who delivers quality work, on time and provides support for follow-up and you generally will have a very successful relationship.

In addition to the above benefits of using subcontractors, there are other valuable advantages. Subcontractors can be hired only when you need them, there is no need for dealing with pension plans, un-employment, health coverage and other assorted deductions. You pay for what you get and they deal with any of these issues separately. In addition there is no need for liability coverage, since these people are not on your payroll and they generally do not work at your home.

Online business entrepreneurs are particularly suited for work on a subcontracting basis. These subcontractors can be virtually anywhere in the world and are able to send you your material by email or in the case of large files using FTP transfer methods. Many people have started online home businesses and deal with sub contractors all over the continent. Keep excellent records and always ensure that there are clear guidelines associated with your subcontracted work to avoid any misunderstanding between you and your subcontractor.

Elias Georgi is an experienced and successful sponsor, mentor and coach for many thriving, tested and proven home businesses. Elias offers proven Internet opportunities and strategies. Visit his Website: work at home business opportunities, he also runs the article directory.

Public Records Can Answer A Lot Of Questions

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

While it’s true public records laws vary from state to state, there are certain documents that are open to anyone to peruse. These documents can help people who bother to look into them find out a world of information that can guide good decision-making. Whether it’s a public records check for an employment situation or a man or woman checking another person out to make sure they’re a “safe” date, a check on a person’s background isn’t out of the question in this day and age.

Thanks to the Internet, public records checks are fairly simply to perform, too. Again it will depend on the state in question, but in general a whole host of information is available for public records checks. Depending on where you go and what records you want, the process is generally as simple as requesting the documents and perhaps paying a little fee for the government agency’s trouble.

To properly perform a public records check on a person, it’s very likely you’ll need their full legal name, date of birth and even Social Security number to proceed. Government agencies generally won’t give out the information without making sure the person you’re requesting documents on is the person they are pulling files on. Without this information, it’s very possible an employer might pull records on John B. Doe rather than John A. Doe. The mix up could cost an honest person a job, so government agencies try to avoid the confusion by requiring good identifying information up front. If you don’t have the basic information, don’t count on getting files in return.

Here are some of the most common forms of public records that can be had by anyone on anyone:

* Arrest records. If a legal adult has been arrested, the details of the crime (unless sealed by a court) are open for anyone to look at. This means arrest reports, convictions and so on can all be opened for perusal. A caution on arrest records, however, is the fact that an arrest doesn’t mean guilt. Court records will be needed to determine that.
* Speaking of court records, these are usually open to the public. Some types of records will be sealed or partially sealed to protect victim identity, but in general, divorce proceedings, criminal hearings and so on can be picked up in transcript form.
* Property records. The ownership of buildings, homes and plots of land is public record. If the property is on the tax roll, the information about who owns it can be found through a simple records request.
* Driving records. The availability of these will vary from state to state, but generally these records are open to the public. If a person breaks the law, and they’re an adult, they pretty much forfeit their rights to privacy in this type of case.

Getting public records on people is a fairly simple undertaking thanks to the Internet. Many agencies allow online queries into backgrounds and there are even programs that can help simplify the search even more. Checking into a person’s background isn’t “sneaky” and it’s not underhanded. In this time of identity theft, and increased crime, it is just a smart thing to do.

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http://www.e-investigate.com

The Importance Of Employee Development

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

Employee development is crucial for the growth and prosperity of any business as employees are one of the determining factors for the success of the company. The more capable and qualified the employees the better the performance of the company. When they are well trained, they can easily handle situations and please customers ensuring customer retention. They can also resolve any glitches easily without much ado.

Employee development programs are essential to improve morale and to motivate the employees to perform well. Employees like to learn new skills and meet challenges and they are more motivated when they feel there is great potential for personal growth. When the company shows interest in employee development, the employee naturally has a greater interest in the company’s development too.

Training Program For Employees
Training programs are essential and companies provide either initial training to help the employee learn about how to perform their duties or ongoing training where employees meet regularly to discuss how to improve work performance.

Some companies sponsor employees to learn the latest training so they can perform their jobs well. Care should be taken to see to it that the training is relevant and that it has a positive impact on the employee’s performance. It should benefit the company. Companies should carefully analyze and determine if their employees need training. If so, select appropriate courses and monitor the training to be certain it has caused a positive change in the company’s performance. Good training programs will greatly diminish the need for hiring specialists to perform certain tasks, improve work efficiency, and help employees know the latest techniques to adopt for the betterment of the company.

Employee development training must be regularly scrutinized, goals must be set, and achieved within a certain period of time. Assigning employees correctly to perform their duties is essential. Initiating rewards such as raises, promotions, and tuition reimbursement will motivate employees and make them eager to participate in the employee development programs.

Companies must analyze carefully if they need to enroll their employees in specific development programs. If so, what courses are best suited for their company? What target results do they want from their employees on account of the training? They can answer these questions using a needs analysis and finding out which areas need extra training for employees. Usually managers need training to help perform better and manage more efficiently. Make sure the employees are up to date with the latest technology available to ensure they perform better. Convey to the employees all about the program, the outcomes you expect, and how important it is they do their jobs better by using the opportunity the company has provided them. Hence, employee development programs are essential for any business to thrive and succeed.

Additional Help
There are companies that offer services and products to run a new business easily.

David Gass is President of Business Credit Services, Inc. His company publishes a free weekly e-newsletter on Small Business Consulting at their web site http://www.smallbusinessconsulting.com.

The Best Way To Screen Potential Employees

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

Screening potential employees is crucial in developing a highly successful team. Without the right people you’re headed down the wrong path. It’s hard to compete. Having a team that is well trained, enthusiastic, and drug free is the greatest asset a company can have. Below is a list of things you should require in order to properly screen potential employees.

Applications are a good way of establishing your professional credibility as well as they’re prior work history. Some companies even analyze the way the application is filled out including neatness and completeness. Applications are a good start. Once several candidates have filled out applications it give you a chance to call the people with the best applications.

Background checks are essential to not hiring the wrong people. This includes a criminal background check and some even run credit checks on potential employees. Credit checks are mostly done by financial institutions when the potential employee will be handling other people’s money.

References should be from professional sources, not necessarily family members or close friends. These may be the people who know them best, but can you trust them to be unbiased?

Drugs and the workplace don’t mix. Drugs impair a person’s ability to think and can hurt the company. It puts the safety of the person on drugs and everyone else at risk. Drug screening is important in the modern day workplace. It is an inexpensive way of streamlining your business.

Resumes give an overall perspective not just of work and education history, but also insight into the personality of the individual.

Interviews are often the most important part of the hiring process. Are they alert? Are they showing motivation? Do they take care of themselves? One technique that is not used very often is to work with the potential employee for an hour or so for minimum wage. Go through some of the tasks to see if the job is a good fit. This is one way of getting feedback in regards to if it’s a job they’re going to enjoy. The hiring and training process can cost a lot of money. Often people don’t know what they’ll be doing all day every day.

It is expensive to hire a new recruit and train them so make sure that the screening is done properly. Small business owners know exactly how and what the services are that you want provided by your associates. Using some of these suggestions may help you through that process.

David Gass is President of Business Credit Services, Inc. His company publishes a free weekly e-newsletter on Small Business Consulting at their web site http://www.smallbusinessconsulting.com.

5 Fail-Proof Ways To Get A Raise

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

No one asks for a raise just for the sake of asking. You need a raise, maybe to move to a new home, or you may want to support your spouse’s college education. You may even be putting in 50-60 hours a week for the sole benefit of the employer; whatever the reason, you have identified that you need it.

The big question is, “do you deserve it?” You can confidently ask for the raise when you are sure of yourself.

Five Ways To Get A Raise.

Here are five sure-fire ways of getting a raise.

1. Don’t Ask For A Raise Without A Fail-Proof Plan In Place: Bosses sometimes listen only to well thought out plans which they can hardly refute. If you did not know, they are where they are because can resist such demands which call for additional expenses and can improve the bottom line of the company by curtailing costs (i.e. - your salary!). Your plan can include how an additional $10K or $20K raise can benefit the company. You presentation needs to include what the company is losing and where, by situations not being attended to and how you propose to reverse the trend. But play your cards safely; it can backfire on you if you disclose all your plans.

2. You Need To Occupy An Indispensable Position To Force A Raise: Employers will always be looking to reduce the biggest component of expenditures, which is salary, by at least capping it. However, this does not limit them to raise a high performer’s salary even when the ‘budget is very tight’. Once you are indispensable, your boss sees you as a value adder and he can ill-afford to lose you to his competitor.

3. Know The Industry Standard Salary For Your Position: This is one of the main reasons for asking for a raise; you have recently discovered that you are being poorly paid vis-a-vis your counterparts in other organizations. But if you are unaware of this, your boss may turn down your proposal saying ‘you are already drawing the highest salary in the industry’; or ‘this is the highest you can get anywhere for this position.’ Know what the standard is in comparison to what you are already getting!

4. Have Options Ready To Suggest To Your Boss: It is possible that the boss might be bound by true constraints. Keep ready alternatives like a housing allowance or extra bonuses directly connected to your performance. Having taken the step to ask for a raise, you shouldn’t come away empty-handed. And you won’t, if you have prepared correctly.

5. Predict The Grounds On Which You Can Be Rejected: The objections that your boss might raise will always be your weak points or the organization’s overall weak financial position. But your demand is based on your measurable performance; the company’s overall weakness shouldn’t bother you. If nothing appears to move, ask your boss whether you need to speak to upper management. His reaction to this may not be positive, but handling this situation tactfully should save the day for you and get you what you want.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution’s Six Sigma Online offers online six sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

The Importance Of Employee Orientation

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

Businesses have learnt that employee orientation plays a very important role in the development and performance of an employee. Like they say, first impression sare unforgettable. Hence the orientation process must be carefully planned and executed to ensure that the employee ends up knowing all about your company, the company profile and its policies, the target goals, the duties and the role the employee plays in helping the company achieve its objectives

Once the initial orientation is complete, training is provided to ensure that the new recruits do their best to accomplish the tasks assigned to them. The objective of the orientation is to make the employees are completely familiar with all aspects of their duties. They must be clear about the goals of the company and how they must help the company achieves its targets.

Some companies require that the human resources manager, who recruits the employees needs to follow up the orientation program for a certain duration of time until the employees are completely familiar with their duties and all relevant aspects of the business. This process makes the recruits feel welcome and helps them know what is expected of them and how best to assist the company.

Tips For Good Employee Orientation

Make sure they feel welcome and are familiar with their duties.

Assign a mentor to guide them when they have doubts. Make sure the mentor assigned has time to guide them and is not in a hurry to catch up with deadlines.

Make the employees feel they are part of a team. Introduce them to their team members and colleagues.

Make sure that you are totally prepared to train and guide them, being certain they are given all that is necessary for them to perform their duties well, such as computers, email ids, and passwords. Get their work area ready and do not keep them waiting.

Do not keep them waiting in the lobby until you figure out what to do with them. Be prepared for their arrival and make sure they are assigned duties after initiation and orientation.

Make sure the orientation lasts for at least the first two months.

Make the orientation is fun, interesting, and productive. They should not be saturated with unnecessary information and not miss out on essential information.

Monitor their performance regularly and make sure they are doing the duties assigned to them correctly.

Good employee orientation will ensure that the employees feel motivated and a part of the team and will make an effort to do their best to help the business achieve its goals. Employee development is crucial for customer satisfaction, retention, and the growth of the company.

Additional Help
There are companies that offer services and products to help manage and run a business successfully.

David Gass is President of Business Credit Services, Inc. His company publishes a free weekly e-newsletter on Small Business Consulting at their web site http://www.smallbusinessconsulting.com.