In our last post, we talked about the importance of asking questions in an interview and gave you some examples of questions you should be asking. Something else that is as equally important to know is what questions not to ask in an interview. When you ask the wrong questions during an interview, you can come off as aggressive and forceful, which can cause the interviewer dismissing you as a candidate.
Checking References
When you start collecting all of those resumes, there is a lot of information to take in. You’ll look at education, work experience, skills, and accomplishments. One thing you’ll look at is references, though you’ll probably avoid it as long as possible.
Really, you don’t need to check references until after your initial applicant screenings, but keep in mind that reference checking is an important part of the process. Once you determine which applicants would make great candidates, you, you can start checking references. Applicants should have provided you with their references, but you may need to ask. Once you have the references, it’s time to start checking them. Here are a few tips on how to properly check references:
Interview Questions to Ask
It’s no secret that interviews can be stressful. You have to think about what you are going to wear, what questions to prepare for, and how you are going to explain any gaps in your resume. But, there is one more key thing you need to be thinking about: the interview questions you’re going to ask.
Typically, interviewers will ask you if you have any questions, and having interview questions prepared is going to give a much better impression. So, before you leave home, make sure you’ve asked yourself, “what questions should I ask in the interview?”
Diverse Staffing Named 2014 Best Places To Work In Indiana
February 19, 2014 – Diverse Staffing has been named one of the 2014 Best Places to Work in Indiana, based on results from a statewide program designed to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in Indiana. Diverse Staffing is the only staffing firm in its category to make the list that recognizes companies that excel in leadership and planning, culture and communications, job satisfaction, working environment, training and development, pay and benefits, and overall employee satisfaction.
This is the second time in three years that Diverse Staffing has earned a Best Places to Work in Indiana distinction for creating a productive environment in which employees feel valued. The award program is a project of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, BizVoice, Inside INdiana Business, the Society of Human Resource Management-IN State Council, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and Best Companies Group.
“I’m very proud that Diverse Staffing has been named one of the Best Places To Work In Indiana for a second time. This is one of the highest honors a company can aspire to, and one that recognizes our employees’ passion for excellence, our teamwork and trust, and how we help and support one another,” said George Apgar, Managing Partner of Diverse Staffing. “At Diverse Staffing, we recognize that our people are our greatest resource, and we have built a culture based on a foundation of excellence in everything we do for our staff, temporary workforce and our clients,” Apgar, continued. “This award is a testament to the daily commitment and dedication our people share to make Diverse Staffing an exciting and innovative workplace.”
Diverse Staffing offers a proprietary staffing delivery model that integrates online, mobile, social media, call center, and community-centric services. The Diverse approach is tailored to support all business types, from small offices to multi-state Fortune 100 manufacturing facilities – enabling clients to proactively plan, execute, measure, and continuously improve each staffing initiative.
Diverse Staffing will be honored at the 2014 Best Places to Work in Indiana Awards Dinner on May 1, hosted at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis and coordinated by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. The final rankings will be announced at the event.
The Diverse Staffing Benefits
There are thousands of staffing firms across the country. So what is the Diverse Staffing difference? What makes us so special and valuable to your organization? Our award-winning service is unmatched. And our candidates are among the most highly qualified you will ever find. The Diverse Staffing benefits include great features and services:
World-Class Recruiting
With Diverse Staffing, you partner with experts who possess more than 100 years of combined recruiting and staffing experience – strategists with a rich background and extensive training in your specific business areas.
Critical Needs Analysis
Diverse Staffing works with you to develop a comprehensive study of your organization’s immediate and long-term staffing needs. Our important and highly-detailed discovery phase helps us to understand the exact skill requirements necessary for each vital position you need to fill. Most staffing firms can only fill such critical positions with talented “A” candidates some of the time. Our award-winning process helps us to fill your positions with the right candidate every time.
Research-Based Recruitment Methods
Many staffing agencies only rely on regional job board postings to help fill open positions. Diverse Staffing goes much further. Our award-winning, research-based recruiting methodologies include in-depth, proprietary research, valuable information obtained through referral-based communities, and data gleaned from corporate networking systems.
Drug & Background Screening
At the client’s request, Diverse Staffing offers a quick and thorough drug screening, as well as comprehensive background checks on each eligible candidate—tests performed locally for accurate, immediate results at no additional cost to you.
The Candidate/Client Introduction
The first day a new recruit joins your team, a representative from Diverse Staffing will be onsite to help establish responsibilities and priorities. We help streamline an effective communications strategy—one that strengthens your organization’s plans and processes and promotes clarity and constant improvement.
360° Total Quality Management (TQM)
We work with you to craft a real-time, complete feedback system that ensures greater opportunities for improvement and peak performance.
Employee Recognition & Retention
We offer various, user-friendly candidate management programs to help attract and retain talented recruits. As well, we inspire greater employee loyalty and motivation through special incentive programs and rewards for meeting and exceeding quality performance goals.
Customized Quarterly Reports
As part of our award-winning service, we offer at no additional charge a number of customized quarterly reports, which allow you to chart the progress of each recruit, as well as the overall status of your project.
Location
Diverse Staffing offers several regional locations to cover the regions you serve in your businesses. HR personnel are always comforted to know that a Diverse Staffing office is “right down the road,” with experts available immediately to help answer your questions and concerns.
Payroll & Billing
If you wish to “preview” talent with no risk to you and no burden to your internal accounting department, hire the candidate through us. Diverse Staffing will put that employee on our payroll and handle all project billing for the candidate. You have no long-term obligations to either Diverse Staffing or the candidate. And you can ensure that each potential employee will work out in advance of your eventual hire.
Reference Checks
Diverse Staffing guarantees due diligence in tracking each candidate’s employment history and performance.
The Diverse Staffing benefits can help you successfully carry out your plans and effectively manage your processes. Call us at 317.803.2910 to learn how we can start helping you today.
The Anatomy of a Comprehensive Staffing Service
When you begin searching for a staffing agency to help with your work force needs, it helps if you understand the anatomy of a comprehensive staffing firm. In order to avoid working with a firm that may not provide you the best features or even all of the features you really need, you should be sure that you are receiving comprehensive staffing services. Below, you will find a short guide to comprehensive staffing services and what you need to be on the lookout for.
Evaluating Your Needs
Clients turn to Diverse Staffing, to design a custom, research-based recruiting program built on a unique, metrics-driven staffing model. Unlike programs offered by most recruiting and staffing firms in the market, this extremely proactive Diverse Staffing recruitment system incorporates “Best Staffing Practices”. This allows us to help corporate clients like you identify, build and track a specialized, national database of the country’s most highly skilled job candidates.
Customizing Solutions
Utilizing this powerful proprietary system, Diverse Staffing then “goes the extra mile” by helping to recruit these candidates on behalf of our corporate clients. Our integrated staffing model serves corporate clients through five phases:
- A Research Phase – in which Diverse Staffing creates a customized, research-driven recruiting database
- A Recruitment Phase – in which Diverse Staffing works with the clients to identify and attract top recruits
- A Submittal Phase – in which Diverse Staffing submits top candidates to client for final consideration
- An Offer Phase – in which client and candidate come to terms on employment arrangements
- A Retention Phase – in which Diverse Staffing performs periodic follow-up evaluations with both client and new employee in a systematic review process.
Measuring Results
Diverse Staffing does not stop working after the “offer phase.” We want to ensure a quality work environment and streamlined communications, as well as increased opportunities for retention. That is why Diverse Staffing follows up on every assignment with both employer and employee by implementing a 360-degree Total Quality Management (TQM) feedback system. This TQM system employs a systematic, data-driven process and allows for feedback and continuous improvement, not only between the client and the employee, but also between any party and Diverse Staffing. We are all looking for opportunities for greater improvement, and this TQM feedback system is the very best in the industry.
Best Practices in Employee Evaluation
A key goal for any staffing agency is to find you and other corporate clients the best and most qualified job candidates. Not all firms offer the comprehensive services that enble them to reach that goal. Our evaluation processes deliver consistent and measurable improvements when it comes to placing qualified talent: Applicant Interview – During the interview, details about skills and experience are discussed. Testing – For certain positions, such as for office/clerical applicants, typing and data entry skills will be required. Thus we will test individuals on their software and clerical skills. We also offer certification of Forklift Operators and ensure that CDL drivers have the required licenses.
Additional employee screening should always include:
- Reference Checks – References from previous employers are verified.
- Drug Screening – Applicant drug screening can be performed at the client’s request.
- Criminal Background Check – Criminal background checks are performed at the client’s request.
- Ongoing Recruitment Programs – Through our various recruiting methods, we ensure that we always have the right candidate for you at the right time.
- Employee Benefits – Employees can qualify for paid holidays and vacations, 401(k) plans and group health insurance plans, available from Diverse Staffing. Direct Deposit of paychecks and a Debit Card program are also available to all Diverse Staffing employees (thus eliminating the overhead costs to our corporate clients).
- Satisfaction Guaranteed
Diverse Staffing even offers you this pledge: If you are not completely satisfied with one of our employees, notify us within the first four (4) hours of the assignment, and we will replace that employee with another and not charge you for the initial hours.