Anchor Payroll Blog

Each fall, kids return to school with clean notebooks, sharpened pencils, and the excitement of starting something new. For those students in high school, many are also on the lookout for a job, whether for some extra spending money, for a class requirement, to find some independence, or to gain some experience in a potential career.

Question: What questions should an employer avoid asking during the recruiting and interview process?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in July 2009 was 9.4% compared to 5.8% in July last year.  In turn, many employers have observed from their growing stacks of resumes, a wider availability of experienced workers as interested job applicants. As the employer, to effectively determine which resumes will lead you toward the top job candidates, keep in mind the following helpful steps:

Congratulations!  The hard part is over—you’ve finally hired someone.  You now have a new “employee.”  That means you need to give the person the tools to be the best employee he or she can be, and that process starts on Day One. 

If you employ or plan to employ anyone under 18, you need to be aware of how federal child labor laws and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) play a key part in your business success. You should also check your state's legal requirements and follow the rules offering more protection. The information we'll cover below pertains to federal law.

If you’re finding it difficult to hire employees, you’re not alone. Bloomberg reports that many small businesses are struggling to find people who currently want to work—in fact, 42% say they have jobs they can’t fill. The number of people quitting jobs right now is also higher than average.  

Employee turnover is expensive—more so than you might think. According to a recent survey by the Society for Human Resource Management, the average cost-per-hire is $4,129. However, turnover costs can vary depending on the length of time it takes to fill the role, the importance of the position to the employer, and the employer’s industry. Some costs are easily calculable, such as those of recruiting, hiring, and onboarding. Other costs can be difficult to measure, such as the impact of a termination on employee engagement. Easily measurable or not, all these costs hurt your bottom line.

A job posting is often the first impression a prospective job applicant has with your organization. It’s important for that impression to be an informative one. Your job postings should convey why someone would want to work for your company, what distinguishes your workplace from others, what’s exciting about your mission and vision, what you have to offer, and what the job is and requires. Here are a few ways to get better results from your job postings: