Have You Thanked a Veteran Lately? Have You Hired a Veteran Lately?

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It’s no secret that I have a huge amount of respect and admiration for the men and women – past, present, and future – that make up our Military. You will see that every opportunity I have to pay back our military, I will do it without complaint. It boils down to this one sentence, “They risk their lives so that I may be free.” There are very few instances where I would willingly go into harm’s way to save those I do not know. These men and women do it every day.

As we approach Veterans Day, it is a good moment to stop and think about how you thank Veterans for what they have done, are doing, and will do in the days to come.

Have you ever considered hiring a Veteran? Yes, it is wonderful to personally thank any Veteran that you may see. And it is valuable to host charity collections for Veterans. But how about considering a Military person as an employee?

Maybe you are hesitant because of their experience level. In one of our recent Facebook shares, the article discusses hiring ‘under-qualified’ employees. Many military members have been taught skills that are transferable; however, some of them may seem underqualified at first glance because they may have used military-type language on their resumes that doesn’t necessarily translate well for hiring managers with civilian workplace experience. Keep this in mind when looking at their application. Do you need someone who is able to keep calm and think strategically when things are going haywire around them? Does this sound like any experience the military may have taught a potential employee? If you have ever thought about bidding for a government contract or need employees with government clearance (particularly if you are subject to affirmative action plan reporting), hiring veterans helps your company distinguish itself from others.

Did you also know that many applicants will not market themselves as having served in the military? Some find it an honor and part of their duty to serve America and therefore do not want to put it “front and center.” Others are worried about any negative connotation an employer may have about veterans. If you find that there is a break in employment history, you may want to ask if they served because military service is not always obvious. Many of our clients ask if an applicant has ever served in the military as part of their standard employment application in their applicant tracking software portal. This can help identify a veteran who has not made his/her service known in other parts of the application.

Forbes released an article November 9th titled, “5 Reasons Leaders Hire Veterans”. The author, Meghan Biro, did an excellent job at pinpointing and expanding on these skills: leadership, grace under pressure, performance and results-oriented, self-sacrifice, and communication and goal-setting.

A program that was started last year by JPMorgan Chase called the 100,000 Jobs Mission helps connect companies and Veterans. Their goal is to hire 100,000 veterans by 2020. You can sign up on their site to help with the mission. Your company’s logo will be displayed on their page and it will be linked to your career site.

Hiring a veteran can be a great opportunity to gain a loyal, dedicated, hard-working employee. But make sure you are hiring for optimal job fit first and foremost. It is not good for you or the veteran to hire the wrong person for the wrong job. Taking a second look at a veteran’s application is a good way to say thank you on this Veterans Day.

Paper Kills! New Hire Paperwork Kills Productivity

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Advances in technology over the past few years have allowed organizations to streamline a variety of functions. Accounting, inventory control, payroll – these areas, and others, have seen significant advances in efficiency due to automation.

Human Resources departments have also felt the positive impact of automation, although perhaps not to the extent of other organizational areas. Functions such as benefits administration, applicant tracking and performance management have been made easier with advances in automation capabilities over the past decade. However, a newer technology that has been gaining traction over the past couple of years is poised to help automate one of the most painful aspects of hiring for most organizations – new hire paperwork. The solution is employee onboarding software.

Onboarding software is HR technology that makes the new employee process paperless. Different solutions utilize different approaches, but there are common advantages to using this type of tool:

  • Eliminate paper and printing/storage costs as forms change over time
  • Ensure accurate and complete documents
  • Avoid “back-and-forth” with new employees to gather all necessary documents
  • Reduce overnight shipping charges for off-site hires
  • No need to print and store copies for future reference

Even better, these paperless technology options typically allow you to replicate virtually
all forms unique to your organization’s new hire process.

Examples of forms that can typically be made paperless by utilizing employee onboarding software:

  • Federal Form I-9 / e-Verify integration
  • Federal W-4 withholding form
  • State withholding forms
  • Background and drug testing authorization forms
  • Employee handbook authorization forms
  • Sexual harassment or workplace violence policy acknowledgement forms
  • Direct deposit authorization form
  • Emergency contact form
  • Uniform order forms / Technology order forms
  • Continuing education program enrollment form
  • Building access card request form
  • Confidentiality agreement
  • Personal information form
  • …and more!

Consider these factors to determine if onboarding software is right for streamlining new hire paperwork in your organization:

  • Number of hires you make per year
  • Number of forms required in your new hire packet
  • Whether those forms change based on position hired or geographic location
  • Whether you hire people across multiple locations
  • Internal resources available to handle these tasks manually – would automating free these resources for other more relevant and/or strategic human resources efforts?

As an HR professional, you owe it to yourself to be aware of this trend and how it can impact both your organization and your new hires. Let’s hope that over the next few years, we can all experience a paperless employee onboarding world – happier trees, no paper cuts, and happy new hires everywhere!

Schedule a live demonstration of ExactHire’s software-as-a-solution (SaaS) employee onboarding software today.

Why Wait Longer for Electronic Submission and Storage of the Form I-9?

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I recently read an article on SHRM’s website, “USCIS Publishes Proposed Form I-9” by FosterQuan, that indicated that in late March of this year, a notice to collect input regarding proposed revisions to the Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification was published in the Federal Register. The article noted that one of the changes seems to suggest that the future version of the form may 1) allow individuals to complete it electronically; and, 2) allow employers to store the Form I-9 electronically.

Currently, the Form I-9, available for download from the USCIS (U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services), does allow one to type information into most fields with the exception of the signature fields on the form. As a result, many employers are still printing out a hard copy for signature by both the employee and the employer representative, and then filing the hard copy away in (an often dusty) file cabinet. If this sounds like your organization, you know that it takes time and money to print out forms, shuffle them back and forth between people (and locations) for signature, and then actually get them filed into the appropriate cabinet (and isn’t that item on the top of everyone’s priority list?).

The good news is that for nearly a couple of years now, the government has given its blessing to employers who wish to electronically sign, submit and store their I-9 forms assuming the proper security guidelines are followed. This ruling was effective on August 23, 2010 and more information may be found in the Federal Register. So why wait any longer to use a form that may be signed and stored electronically?

Electronic signature and storage of the Form I-9, and all other new hire employment paperwork, can already be accomplished through the use of employee onboarding software. Here are some advantages to making your organization’s onboarding process paperless:

  • Onboarding Central Employee ViewEliminate the struggles associated with collecting paperwork from many employees across many different locations. All employees submit their paperwork electronically from the convenience of their own location. If individuals are unable to complete all forms in one sitting, they may easily log back in at a later time to finish.
    • Tip: Depending on the type of paperwork you are collecting, you may even prefer that some employees submit paperwork online prior to their first day of employment.
  • Take the guesswork and the redundancy out of employee onboarding paperwork. Instead of new hires having to navigate through a stack of different forms, they may answer a series of simple questions and that information will be used to automatically populate all of the required forms.
  • Onboarding Central Administrator ViewEnsure that data is collected and stored in a secure, web-based environment. With the proper administrative login credentials, information can then be accessed from any computer with an internet connection.
  • Continue to follow government guidelines regarding the completion of the Form I-9.
    • New hires will submit information that populates the employee section and then electronically sign the Form I-9.
    • Then, HR administrators will process new I-9’s electronically by reviewing and verifying employees’ acceptable documents to establish identity and employment authorization. Once this has been done, these employer representatives will electronically sign the form, as well.
  • Eliminate the frustration of receiving new employee paperwork that is missing important information. Use the employee onboarding software to require critical fields so that employees may not sign and submit their forms until all required fields are completed.
  • Change benefit vendors? No problem. Electronic forms for the new vendor(s) can easily be added and existing employee information may then populate the appropriate forms.
    • Then, employees may log back into the onboarding software to review, verify and sign any new or updated paperwork.

Here is a listing of just some of the employment forms that many organizations choose to incorporate into their web-based onboarding application:

  • Form I-9
  • Federal Form W-4
  • State tax forms
  • WOTC Form 8850
  • Direct deposit form
  • Emergency contact form
  • 401(k) enrollment form
  • Health insurance enrollment form
  • Long Term Disability insurance / Dental insurance enrollment form
  • Computer and Internet usage policy acknowledgement form
  • Confidentiality agreement form
  • Employee handbook acknowledgement form (with link to the employee handbook document)
  • Driver’s license check authorization form
  • New employee checklist form
  • Training schedule form
  • Continuous education program form
  • Payroll application user guide

So, are you ready to get rid of those dusty file cabinets in your office? For more information about ExactHire’s employee onboarding software, please contact us.

How to Use Applicant Tracking Software to Source Internship Candidates

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It’s that time of the year…the grass is green, the birds are chirping, and many new faces are popping up as potential employees (and perhaps as new LinkedIn followers) for your organization as students dive full throttle into the internship search process.

Let’s say you are pretty satisfied with the questions asked on your employment application, and it helps you capture appropriate, job-relevant information from experienced job seekers and recent college graduates. But is the same application appropriate for your potential internship applicants? Will these interns-to-be take the time to complete the whole application thoughtfully? What will they think when they get to questions like “please list all applicable licenses and certifications,” etc.? They probably don’t yet possess such credentials and might abandon the effort to complete the application thinking it won’t result in any employment fruits for their labor.

With this scenario in mind, how do you customize your applicant tracking software to engage potential interns to apply and capture the right type of information on the internship employment application? Here are some tips:

  1. Create a link dedicated to internship opportunities on your ATS site’s landing page. By specifically calling out your organization’s focus on internship opportunities, you are establishing credibility and making it easy for students to navigate your careers page.
  2. Establish a secondary employment application dedicated to internship applicants and/or recent college grads. This version will likely be shorter than your regular application (i.e. not as much room will be necessary for previous employers, certification listings, etc.), and you may use it to capture student-focused information such as: school and permanent home address, extracurricular activities, and expected graduation date.
  3. When posting job listings, make sure one of your available employment types is “internship.” When sorting through available jobs, students may quickly hone in on the positions relevant to them. NOTE: Take it a step further and give students a direct link to your job listings already filtered down to available internships only. This can easily by placing some strategic hyperlinks on your “Internship Opportunities” page (see tip #1 above).
  4. Be sure and include specific information about the compensation, benefits, hours and responsibilities associated with the internship when crafting the job listing within your applicant tracking system. It is important for employers to take care in determining whether an internship will be a paid position, stipend, or unpaid. There are very specific rules to follow in order for an internship to be eligible to be unpaid. For more information about internship pay guidelines, visit the Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division site.
  5. Take advantage of Bookmark & Share Icon links to promote your internship opportunities on social media sites – especially Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn. Your applicant tracking software should allow you to promote links to your listings on your own social profile pages, as well as allow applicants to easily share interesting employment options with friends.
  6. Give students (and this goes for all of your other applicants, too) the ability to sign up for automated job alerts on your careers portal. They may not be in the market for your specific internship opportunity this semester, but if they receive an email alert with new open opportunities the next time you post, it will be easier for them to apply sooner in your selection process.

Pass or Fail? Employee Testing vs. Employee Assessments – Part 2

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Now for the review of the employer group I had referenced at the end of my last blog. This particular group is a small, non-profit organization that employs a number of high-powered people. They move at a fast pace and raise unbelievable amounts of cash. They have been very successful over the years.

So, why were they interested in using employee assessments?

The organization recently went through some changes within their board of directors and the decision was made to focus more corporate energy on talent management and overall job performance of their key staff members. The goal of this initiative is to help them identify and groom the next group of leaders as they head into the future.

To help with this, this organization engaged us at ExactHire to assess their current key performers to better understand what things they had in common, what differences existed, and what key traits and characteristics stood out as critical for good job fit and employee engagement within their group.

There was good communication with the employees as to the potential changes coming down the road, but many were understandably nervous about this assessment process. Going back to my last post, many of these folks saw this as a “test” that had to be passed.

As we gathered everyone together for group feedback after the assessment results were compiled, it was obvious that many people were still apprehensive. After walking them through what the assessment measured and what various results actually meant, however, it was wonderful to see a visible change in attitude for most of the people in the room. Realizing that there was no “pass” or “fail”, most were able to actually confirm that the results really did identify who they were and how they were likely to handle certain work-related situations.

In turn, the HR Director for the organization now plans to use the employee assessment tool results as a platform for internal conflict resolution, in addition to the original career-pathing use.

The moral of the story? Be sure to first know the difference between tests and assessments. From there, go out of your way to make that difference clear to your employees and applicants before asking them to take any assessment. Getting them comfortable and open to what you are doing will always aid your goal of obtaining the best job fit possible for your organization and its employees.

ExactHire Partners with Orr Fellowship

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We’re excited to be working with the folks at the Governor Bob Orr Indiana Entrepreneurial Fellowship, or Orr Fellowship for short!

For those of you who are not yet familiar with this exciting initiative, the mission of the Orr Fellowship is to “retain and inspire Indiana’s brightest minds. It serves as an applied training vehicle for the State’s future entrepreneurs and organizational leaders.” Participants in the Fellowship program serve two year stints at some of the state’s hottest, fast-growth and entrepreneurial-minded companies.

ExactHire just launched Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) for the Orr Fellowship, and we’re proud to be part of the effort to battle “brain drain” in Indiana. The Orr Fellowship ATS creates a central repository of individuals who apply to Orr Fellowship and Orr Internship positions.

ExactHire’s ATS solution creates a technologically-savvy means by which Orr Host Companies can quickly view the applications and qualifications of applicants, as well as contact these applicants for interview consideration, directly. These companies will have the cream of the crop from which to choose as Orr Fellows are some of the sharpest recent graduates in the state.

To explore whether or not Applicant Tracking Software is a fit for your organization, please contact us.

Pass or Fail? Employee Testing vs. Employee Assessments – Part 1

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A thought occurred to me last week after a meeting with one of our clients — why don’t more organizations use employee assessments?

Here at ExactHire, we use and promote the use of assessment tools for many employee issues. Among those uses are hiring, team building, succession planning and 360 degree feedback for performance reviews.

Then it hit me…most people (and therefore organizations) see these tools as “tests”, not assessments. Tests mean I either pass or fail, right? Flashbacks to high school and college cram sessions start to dance in your head. The knot in your stomach you had when opening your report card becomes a very vivid memory. Sound familiar?

Don’t get me wrong, there are lots of true employment “tests” out there. For those positions where one needs to have proficiency in particular areas (technology skills, proficiency with tools & machinery, etc.), tests can be very appropriate.

However, for most positions in most organizations, “tests” are not applicable. But, assessments are. Why?

When hiring or promoting people, organizations want things to work. So do the people involved. Who wants to take a new job or be promoted to a new job where they don’t enjoy it? Everyone involved wants the same thing…job fit. Simply put, get the right people in the right positions to achieve maximum efficiency.

Where these processes fall down is that they involve people. To be clear, I’m not suggesting that assessments replace the human element involved in hiring/promoting people. I am suggesting, however, that very few of us are good enough at judging others to consistently make good decisions in these areas. This leads to hires & promotions that regularly either don’t work well (at best) or are outright failures (at worst).

As you can probably gather from my remarks to this point, we are big believers in using employee assessments to improve the odds of making better decisions when hiring or promoting people. In my next post, I’ll take you through a recent client experience where many of the employees who took part in an assessment pilot initially felt they were being “tested” vs. assessed. What we saw with them may interest you as well. Read Part 2!

Cody Payne

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Cody Payne joined ExactHire in May 2018 as a Developer after making a career change and receiving a degree in Software Development. Cody will collaborate with both the ExactHire and DeveloperTown teams to develop strategic software solutions.

Prior to joining ExactHire Cody worked for Anthem handling medical claims, mediating member and provider disputes, and handling customer account issues. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in History from Indiana University. In his free time, Cody loves to play basketball, read, and spend time outdoors.