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What you don’t know can hurt you. You could hire any of these people without a quality background screening service—Harvard did. Image: Listserve.com … James Hogue … Hogue defrauded Princeton and Harvard.

Weekend roundup for Jan. 31-Feb. 1, 2015 … We have spent a lot of time over the past ten years figuring out how to separate employees’ personal lives from their work lives, but most companies have realized this is a losing battle and are embracing the integration of technology into the workforce.

EEOC sues after employee refused employment after drug test … Once again, a multi-national corporation shows the necessity of meticulosity in HR processes and procedures. A candidate was refused employment because she couldn’t take a drug test.

Most companies have a rehire policy of some kind—you have to differentiate between those employees you want back on your team and those who can never, ever darken your doorway again once they walk out. But, what determines whether an employee is eligible for re-hire or not?

This is the final piece in a series on avoiding unnecessary risks in the hiring process, published in response to the documents jointly published by the EEOC on background screening and the recent rash of litigation.

So, how do you decide who to hire when you have multiple positions to fill and hundreds of applicants? Can you streamline the process and eliminate candidates more quickly with a hiring matrix? Yes, and no.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued its first comprehensive update of its guidance on the subject of pregnancy discrimination since 1983.  It supersedes that document and incorporates significant new developments in the law since its publication 30 years ago.

Are your candidates who they say they are? Certain gestures may force honesty, once again reiterating the need for behavioral analysis as part of the approach to the interviewing process.

I like to get off of behavioral questions for a minute and get the candidate comfortable again by asking one of the usual, “I see you were at such and such company for so many years, why did you leave that company?” but this is only so that I can eventually ask…

Do you have a lone gunman or a team player? Once you’ve assessed where a candidate’s motivation comes from, their ambition and self-esteem, it’s time to see if they have the tools in their tool box to get the job done.

(3 Results-Focused) At this point I usually get into asking more specific questions about their resume, like “why did you leave here?” and “what did you like best about this job?” so that they relax again.  Pay close attention to the body language before they answer.

When I am assessing a candidate’s outlook and general attitude, I am looking for their perspective, integrity, and honesty.