Recruiting compliance can be a slippery slope.  Are you aware of the retention guidelines?  Do you have a checklist or policy about recruiting best practices?  If these questions struck fear into your heart, this article will either assure you that you are all set, or let you know that you might need to fix some things.

Many employers have the same policy when it comes to their recruiting practices.  I’ll call this the hope for the best policy and it usually goes something like this — when someone resigns or gets fired, they create a job post, interview, and fill the spot, just “hoping for the best.” There is more to recruitment than that and that’s why this is a policy that needs to change. 

The labor market these days has no patience and no candidates that want to work at a company that doesn’t have itself secure in its culture.  This means you must have a clear written policy about what hiring looks like at your organization.  Why?  Because when you know what you are doing, and you follow your own process, it gets done.

First off, evaluate your current staffing.  Is everyone doing the job they are capable of and good at? Is there room for more tasks during the workday or is everyone at capacity?  Statistics show us that most employees are not legitimately busy for their full shift.  Are job descriptions current?  Are you prepared for the person you count on the most to get sick and not come back?  Is there a succession plan in place? Next, are your wages competitive with the market? What about your benefits and personnel practices?  What do you have to offer that other companies don’t?

Now that you’ve considered all of those questions, you may be ready to post the job.  Will it be compliant with all the federal and state guidelines? And when the ad brings in some candidates, will you be asking the right interview questions?  Questions that tell you what you really need to know?  Questions that are not discriminatory? And when that is done, and you’ve made the hire, will you keep the recruiting documentation for the appropriate period of time? Are you prepared to defend yourself in the event of an unfair hiring practice accusation?

Now that we have gone through all of these questions – do you feel prepared to recruit and retain employees? Hopefully, the answer is a resounding yes. However, if not and it feels overwhelming, we can help.  NAE has policies and procedures, templates, and checklists on our Member Portal to assist with your hiring efforts and more. If you need more hands-on assistance, you should consider our HR Assist program. With HR Assist, have one of our HR consultants come on-site to help you put it all together. Whether you need long-term HR assistance or help with a short-term project, NAE’s team of experienced HR consultants can help. Call us at (888) 398-8092 or email us at info@nevadaemployers.org for more information about this great program.