The amendments will change the definitions for several regulations. These changes include guidance concerning the use of criminal history before making a conditional offer of employment. In addition, it updates the initial individualized assessment and how to consider provided evidence of mitigation or rehabilitation.

Definitions

The definitions of employer and applicant have changed and become more broad in their scope. Here are some examples:

Employer: Employers include the following: “a labor contractor and a client employer; any direct and joint employer; any entity that evaluates the applicant’s conviction history on behalf of an employer, or acts as an agent of an employer, directly or indirectly; any staffing agency; and any entity that selects, obtains, or is provided workers from a pool or availability list.”

Applicant: An applicant “includes, in addition to the individuals within the scope of the general definition in section 11008(a) of these regulations, individuals who have [received] conditionally offered employment, even if they have commenced employment when the employer undertakes a post-conditional offer review and consideration of criminal history; existing employees who have applied or indicated a specific desire [for] a different position with their current employer; and an existing employee [subjected] to a review and consideration of criminal history because of a change in ownership, management, policy, or practice. An employer cannot evade the requirements of Government Code section 12952 or this regulation by having an individual lose their status as an ‘applicant’ by working before undertaking a post-conditional offer review of the individual’s criminal history.”

Considering Criminal History Before Conditional Job Offers

Other amendments addressed how to consider criminal history before making a conditional job offer. Here are some of the changes:

• Employers cannot include any wording in job postings, advertisements, applications, and other materials claiming they will not consider individuals with criminal history.
• Exceptions to the regulations when the law requires an employer to conduct criminal background checks before offering conditional employment; exceptions do not apply if the law requires another entity to run the background check.
• Employers cannot consider any information about an applicant’s criminal history, even if the applicant provides it voluntarily.

Rescinding Conditional Job Offers

The amended regulations have changed what factors employers must consider before withdrawing the conditional offer of employment. This section addresses rescinded offers based on an applicant’s criminal history. According to the changes, the background must have a direct and adverse relationship to the offered position.

Initial Individualized Assessment

The amended regulations specify that the employer’s individualized assessment must be “a reasoned, evidence-based determination.” As such, they must consider the three factors included in the original regulations: The nature and gravity of the offense or conduct, the time that has passed since the offense or conduct and/or the completion of the sentence, and the nature of the job held or sought. 

Furthermore, the amended regulations require employers to consider “any evidence of rehabilitation or mitigating circumstances.” This specification applies when the applicant or a qualified third party provides information “before or during the initial individualized assessment.” 

Evidence of Rehabilitation or Mitigating Circumstances

In the past, employers had to consider evidence of rehabilitation or mitigating circumstances after sending a pre-adverse action notice to the applicant. Now, employers must consider this evidence as part of the initial individualized assessment when provided by the applicant. The amended regulations also include guidance concerning what evidence employers should consider. 

Though the wording sounds optional, employers should consider this evidence to avoid future complications. However, they cannot request specific types of information. The regulations also prohibit employers from disqualifying applicants for failing to provide specific details.

California employers should review their hiring practices and ensure they comply with California’s FEHA. The best way for employers to comply with these and other background screening regulations is to partner with an experienced background check company.

Disclaimer:

Information provided here is for educational and informational purposes only and should not constitute as legal advice. We recommend you contact your own legal counsel for any questions regarding your specific practices and compliance with applicable laws.

The post California Changes How Employers Use Criminal History appeared first on JDP.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently published a Federal Register Notice concerning remote employment eligibility verification (Form I-9). In it, the DHS requested public comment on a pilot program for more employers to access the alternative verification processes. Interested parties may share their opinion on the pilot until October 2, 2023.

Remote I-9 Verification

Currently, only employers with good standing who use E-Verify can remotely review Form I-9s. E-Verify is a website that electronically confirms workers’ eligibility to work in the United States. The DHS and Social Security Administration (SSA) operate this program, ensuring hired individuals prove their authorization to work in the states.

This criterion allows companies to verify I-9 documentation through live video calls and other methods. If an employer chooses to verify its new hires remotely, it must remember to fill out Section 2 of Form I-9s to indicate it used the alternative process.

The Pilot Program

According to the proposed program, only employers with 500 or fewer employees may participate. Interested companies must apply to participate in the program. However, only employers not enrolled in E-Verify may partake in the pilot program.

Like the remote verification process for E-Verify users, participating parties must consistently use their chosen review process through the site. For example, if a workplace decides to review Form I-9s remotely, it must do so for all employees at that workplace. Other aspects of the pilot program include the following:

• Remotely verifying Form I-9 documents over a live video interaction to ensure the employee’s records appear genuine,
• Examining the employee’s identification documents within three days of their start date and
• Explaining in Section 2: Additional Information that they used the “Initial Pilot” and marking the alternative procedure box

Before launching the pilot program, the DHS opened it for public comments. The DHS hopes for insight into the value of the program’s feedback data requirement, potential hurdles in collecting the data, and ways to increase the data quality. The agency is also open to suggestions on mitigating the burdens associated with the data collection process.

The Current Status

For now, the program is only a proposal and could change before its implementation. Such changes largely depend on the comments it receives from the public. Parties interested in more remote Form I-9 access can submit comments through the Federal eRulemaking Website until October 2, 2023.

These proposed changes act as reminders of the ever-shifting regulations surrounding Form I-9. The constant changes have made it challenging to remain compliant. As such, employers should consider partnering with a background screening partner that offers an electronic I-9 tool with E-Verify integration. The right partner will offer tools that guide employers through the process.

Disclaimer:

Information provided here is for educational and informational purposes only and should not constitute as legal advice. We recommend you contact your own legal counsel for any questions regarding your specific practices and compliance with applicable laws.

The post DHS Requests Comment on Proposed Remote I-9 Pilot Program appeared first on JDP.

As of August 1, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) allows qualified employers to review I-9 documents remotely, significantly helping employers with remote workers. Previously, all employers had to verify the employment eligibility for new hires physically. 

However, employers must meet specific requirements and follow procedures to qualify for remote verification. This guide will explain the basics of qualifying and following the procedure.

How to Qualify to Remotely Examine I-9 Documents

Interested employers must meet specific requirements before remotely examining employees’ employment eligibility documents. These conditions include enrolling in E-Verify for all workplaces using remote verification. They must also maintain good standing with E-Verify and comply with all requirements to remotely examine I-9 documents.

E-Verify is an online platform run by the U.S. government. It allows employers to verify the employment eligibility of their new hires by using the employees’ Form I-9 information. By inputting the information into E-Verify, employers can compare it with data from the Social Security Administration and DHS to verify identity and work authorizations.

Employers can enroll in E-Verify by finding the government-run website, clicking “Get Started,” and following its instructions. This process allows them to choose which locations to enroll in E-Verify. Employers may use one site to create all of your company’s cases for new employees. However, employers must understand that E-Verify does not exempt employers from completing Form I-9.

The Remote Verification Process

Employers remotely examining their employees’ I-9 documents must conduct a live video interaction with the employee. During this interaction, they must observe the employee completing Form I-9, Section 1, then uploading and sending the Form I-9. In addition, the employer must also review the front and back of the employee’s identity and work authorization documentation.

According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), employers must retain the documentation for three years after the employee’s hire date or one year after employment ends, whichever is later. Maintaining and retaining Form I-9s is crucial for complying with employment eligibility verification requirements. 

As such, government agencies like the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) often inspect employers for compliance. ICE will check that employers have indicated whether they used an alternative verification or re-verification process for Section 2 in Form I-9s.

What Next

Employers enrolled in E-Verify and with good standing may now use the new remote process. Otherwise, interested employers should register immediately to get started. Regardless of enrollment, employers many expect the process to prove more challenging as they adjust to the new form and regulations. The best way to ensure continued compliance is to incorporate an electronic I-9 management tool with E-verify integration. 

Disclaimer:

Information provided here is for educational and informational purposes only and should not constitute as legal advice. We recommend you contact your own legal counsel for any questions regarding your specific practices and compliance with applicable laws.

The post Employers May Begin Using Remote I-9 Verification Procedures appeared first on JDP.

Another significant factor in these shortages includes delays in the hiring process. Many companies rely on staffing companies to find quick and reliable employees. In some cases, the staffing agency may have revealed the source of the delay: the background check process.

Staffing agencies must move quickly when recruiting employees, processing them, and sending them to partner employers at reasonable times. As such, they need to optimize every step, especially the background check. As a result, companies can hire more employees and fill positions quickly by improving this step.

Here are several ways to speed up the background check process.

Provide a User-Friendly Background Check Process

In recruiting and providing clients with quality employees, staffing companies should strive for an easy, stress-free process. Candidates who struggle or become overwhelmed with the process may feel unwilling to move to the next opportunity. Unfortunately, this resignation often happens for most staffing companies.

Many background check companies make the process challenging. For example, they often require applicants to complete lengthy forms, many of which do not translate well on mobile devices. This decision often deters potential employees because most people rely on mobile devices to accomplish many tasks.

As such, background check companies with a user-friendly process can significantly improve the background check process. Not only do they make it easier and stress-free, but making it user-friendly improves the likelihood of applicants completing the forms.

Optimize Your Process for Mobile Devices

Mobile devices have become an essential tool for most applicants, and many prefer to complete job applications and background checks on their mobile devices. As such, staffing companies should optimize their processes for mobile devices by making the application and background check process easy to navigate and complete. The process should also allow candidates to save their progress and return to it later, ensuring they can complete it at their convenience.

Allow Applicants to Obtain Status Updates

Many applicants experience anxiety about background checks, worried about how long it might take or what the report will say. Providing them with a means to watch the progress could prove helpful. The ability to monitor progress could alleviate their anxious energy. It also soothes their nerves enough to trust the process and provides a timeline for when to next get in touch with the company.

Help Applicants to Avoid Errors

Applicants often experience anxiety during the background check process, and providing them with the ability to obtain status updates can help reduce their anxiety. By providing a timeline for when the process will be completed, candidates can trust the process and have a clear idea of when they will hear back from the staffing company. Additionally, partnering with a background check company that provides error detection methods can help eliminate errors that slow down the process.

Final Thoughts

By implementing these tips, staffing companies can optimize the background check process and move candidates through the funnel faster. A faster and more efficient process will help companies hire more employees and fill positions quickly, even during times of labor shortages. Ultimately, partnering with a trustworthy and reliable background check company is crucial in creating a process that accomplishes the staffing company’s objectives.

Disclaimer:

Information provided here is for educational and informational purposes only and should not constitute as legal advice. We recommend you contact your own legal counsel for any questions regarding your specific practices and compliance with applicable laws.

The post 3 Ways Staffing Companies Can Move More Candidates Through the Funnel Faster appeared first on JDP.

The majority of respondents (88 percent) believe that appearance has the ability to influence others’ perceptions of their competence, so it should come as no surprise that 86 percent feel it’s important to look physically attractive in an interview setting. On average, respondents said they spend over an hour thinking about, shopping for, or picking out an interview outfit to do so. Despite the effort and thought put into their appearance, over half (54 percent) say they still worry that some aspect of their appearance could cost them a job. 

While making a candidate feel comfortable is not an interviewer’s primary responsibility, keeping the conversation and questions appropriate is. According to respondents, that’s not happening as often as it should – 59 percent have been asked about their personal life and one in three have been asked about their relationship status. 

More shocking, we found that many interviewers bring up topics deemed illegal: 37 percent of women say they’ve been asked about their plans for children, compared to 27 percent of men. Children are a sensitive topic, especially for women, half of whom fear such a life event would impact others’ views on their productivity.

While money is a sensitive subject for anyone, our research shows that men and women are equally comfortable negotiating offers, though only two in five candidates negotiate every offer they receive.

Methodology

From November 15 to November 18, 2019, we surveyed 1,997 people to learn about their experience in job interviews. Ages ranged from 18-70 and there was an even split of men and women. For media inquiries, contact media@digitalthirdcoast.net. 

Fair Use 

Feel free to use this data and research with proper attribution linking to this study. When you do, please give credit and link to https://www.jdp.com/.

The post The Experience of Interviewing in 2020 appeared first on JDP.

But is it enough to eliminate hiring bias?

What’s a Blind Resume Review?

A blind resume review (sometimes called blind recruitment) happens when personally identifiable information is removed from a job candidate’s resume prior to being reviewed by an employer.

Information that may be removed during this process can include:

• Names
• Gender
• Age
• Education history
• Years of job experience

The goal of blind resume reviews is to reduce both conscious and unconscious hiring bias. This bias most often impacts women, non-white applicants and older applicants. The idea is that if you don’t know information like a candidate’s name or how many years they’ve been in the workforce — which could give clues about their demographic information — you can’t make a biased decision about that candidate.

Just how pervasive is hiring bias?

• In 2015, the National Bureau of Economic Research sent over 40,000 fake job applications as part of research about age discrimination. They found that older female applicants were much less likely to receive an email or phone response requesting an interview or to learn more information than all other candidates.
• A Northwestern University, Harvard and Institute for Social Research in Norway study found that white applicants get 36% more callbacks than equally qualified African Americans, and 24% more callbacks than Latinos.

More employers are becoming aware of these hiring biases and increasingly care about their workforce’s diversity. One reason diversity efforts are gaining traction has to do with research that found companies that are more gender diverse and companies that are racially and ethnically diverse outperform those that lack such diversity.

While we commend organizations that use blind recruitment to combat hiring bias and work towards creating a level playing field for workers, it shouldn’t be the only anti-bias tactic employers use.

Why Your Blind Resume Review Isn’t Enough

While blind resume reviews are a good start, they’re just that: a start.

After you’ve picked out candidates using the blind review technique, you still have to meet them for an interview. And when you meet them, you’ll learn all the demographic information you worked so hard to avoid in the first place.

Don’t forget that your interview itself may be prone to bias. For example, if different candidates for the same job get asked different questions during their interviews, it’ll be harder to fairly compare them.

Additionally, people of all walks of life have biases that must be accounted for. As a result, there’s a risk for inherent bias when the interviewer’s gender, race or ethnicity, age or national origin differs from the candidates’. To complicate things even more, it’s possible for a person to be biased against people who share their demographics. For example, a woman could have an unconscious bias against women in tech. That could result in a female hiring manager believing a female candidate is less qualified for a job, even if the candidate is equally as qualified as her male counterparts.

Blind resume reviews remove bias from the first part of the hiring process — and stops there. While it’s a step in the right direction when it comes to giving diverse candidates a shot at jobs they’re qualified for, bias during the interview process can get in the way of making a fair hiring decision.

How Else Can You Reduce Hiring Bias?

Blind resume reviews alone won’t solve your hiring bias problem (in fact, you may never fully eliminate bias all of the time). Luckily, there are additional ways to help reduce the chance of bias influencing your hiring decisions. Below are a few additional anti-bias tactics that can be added to your hiring process.

• Improve your recruitment
  Remember that efforts to eliminate hiring bias and improve diversity actually start during recruitment. You can’t build a more diverse workplace if you don’t attract applicants who don’t match the current typical makeup of your workplace or industry. And it’s not enough to just have one diverse applicant: as one Harvard Business Review study found, if you only have one woman or racial minority in your pool of finalists, their odds of being hired are statistically zero. There are many ways to attract more diverse talent, including making strategic choices about where you advertise your job to including information about your organization’s commitment to diversity and inclusive work culture (should you have such a culture, of course) in your recruitment marketing and job postings.
• Remove unintentional gender bias from your job descriptions
  Rewrite your job descriptions to either remove gendered language or create a balance between masculine and feminine language, or language that’s often associated with one gender. Why does it matter? Job postings with predominately masculine language get fewer female job applicants than those that use predominately feminine language or those that have a balanced use of both masculine and feminine language.
  • Examples of masculine words include “active,” “decisive,” and “objective.”
  • Examples of feminine words include “honest,” “committed,” and “enthusiastic.”

  If you want to learn more about gendered language, check out the list of masculine and feminine words studied by researchers looking at their impact on job applicants.

  Need help finding gendered language in your job posting? Try running it through the Gender Decoder, a free tool that will find gender-coded language that could discourage women from applying for your position.

• Diversify your interviewers
  Have a diverse group of colleagues take part in interviews. This will help you consider more perspectives and have potential biases challenged when making a hiring decision. It may also help your candidate feel more comfortable during the interview process.
• Stick to the script
  Ask all candidates the same questions in the same order. Such a structured interview will make it easier to directly compare candidates’ answers and ensure that you give each candidate the same opportunity to prove their capabilities.

While reducing hiring bias will require you change your recruitment and interviewing processes, the payoffs — including above improved financial returns and happier employees — should justify your efforts.

The post What’s a Blind Resume Review? appeared first on JDP.

Employers can run background checks at a variety of times during the hiring process. Here’s the best time to run pre-employment background checks.

When Should Employers Run Pre-Employment Background Checks?

The best time to run a background check during the hiring process is after a conditional job offer has been shared with a candidate, but before their employment is finalized.

Some employers like to run checks on all applicants that go through the interview process. Their logic is that getting a head start on these screenings will save time once they’re ready to extend an offer, since they’ll already know if their top pick has been disqualified based on their screening results. However, there are several reasons why you shouldn’t take this approach.

Here’s why you shouldn’t you a conduct background check before extending a job offer.

1. It may be illegal to run a background check if you haven’t offered your candidate the job.
   This is primarily a result of ban-the-box laws, which prohibit employers from asking about a candidate’s criminal history as part of the application process. These laws still allow employers to conduct pre-employment background checks, but they can’t be run until a candidate is interviewed or until the employer has offered a candidate the job. The specific limitations outlined by ban-the-box laws vary from state to state and city to city, so be sure to read up on your area’s laws. SHRM provides information about city and state ban-the-box laws that we recommend referencing as a starting point in your research.

   Laws impacting background screening can change frequently. Be sure to consult your organization’s legal counsel when deciding when and how background checks will be used as part of your hiring process to make sure you’re compliant with all applicable laws.

2. Running extra background checks can get expensive.
   If you background check candidates before you know if you even want them on your team, you’re wasting your money. You wouldn’t buy 10 tickets to a movie when you know you’re only bringing one person to the theater, so why would you pay for checks on people you never plan on hiring?

   Consider this: some statistics say the average interview-to-hire ratio — or the number of candidates an employer interviews before hiring one — in the U.S. is around 14:1 (on the low end). That means the average employer will have to interview 14 job candidates before hiring a person for the role. Why spend 14 times more on background screening than you need?

3. It may send the wrong message to candidates
   Candidates — especially those who are used to only being subject to a background check after they’ve received a conditional job offer — may be confused or put off by such an early background check.

   They may feel like they’re being subject to unnecessary or inappropriate screening considering the stage they’re at in the hiring process, or they may assume that a job offer is imminent. Should they not get the job offer, they may walk away with a bad taste in their mouth for your organization and your hiring process — especially if they had a clean background.

How Can I Get Background Check Results Faster?

Back to the big reason employers like to conduct checks on candidates before they’re ready to send a job offer: speed. We understand why employers want background check completed by the time they’re ready to extend an offer. The sooner the background screening process is completed, the sooner you can get welcome a new person to your team.

Luckily, waiting until you’ve shared a conditional job offer to start a background check doesn’t have to be as time consuming as you may fear. If you work with a background screening provider with a record of conducting fast background checks, like JDP, you can get your background check results faster than you think. The turnaround time of any background check, from any provider, will be at least partially influenced by the type of information you’re seeking and where that information is coming from. While there’s no guaranteed standard for how quickly you can get background check results because of variables outside of any background check provider’s control, at JDP, a national criminal background check is typically completed in less than one business day.

The big takeaway? Wait until you’ve extended a conditional job offer to one candidate before you run a background check. Doing so will help you maintain compliance, save money and give candidates a more positive experience with your organization.

The post When Should I Run a Background Check on a Job Candidate? appeared first on JDP.

No matter the reason, employers have options for which drug testing method to use. Two of the most common drug testing methods are hair testing and urine testing. These tests differ primarily in how they’re conducted and how far back they can detect drug use.

Urine Drug Testing

The most common form of drug testing, urine drug testing detects substances by analyzing a urine sample provided by a patient. Urine drug tests typically detect drug use that has occurred within the one to three days prior to the test being conducted.

The person taking the drug test will receive a specimen cup at the clinic conducting the test. They’ll fill the cup with at least 45 milliliters (or a little over 3 tablespoons) of urine. Once the person has collected their sample, the person administering the test will check to make sure it’s in the normal temperature range before sealing it for testing.

What Drugs Can a Urine Drug Test Find?
Urine drug tests are able to detect:

• Alcohol
• Amphetamines
• Barbiturates
• Benzodiazepines
• Cocaine
• Marijuana
• Methamphetamine
• Opioids
• Phencyclidine (PCP)

Employers may not always test for every drug a urine test can detect. Employers who use JDP’s drug screening services may request a custom panel to test only for specific substances.

When Should a Urine Drug Test Be Used?
Urine drug testing is appropriate for pre-employment screening, random drug testing and post-accident drug testing.

Because urine drug tests detect substance use that occurred one to three days prior to the test being conducted, it may not be the best option for employers who need to have a better understanding of their candidate or employee’s longer-term drug use.

It’s important to note that a positive result on a urine drug test does not necessarily mean that the individual was on drugs at the time of the test. It only means that drugs were in their system within the few days leading up to the test.

Hair Drug Testing

What is a Hair Drug Test?
Hair drug testing (also called hair follicle drug testing) involves taking a sample of hair to look for patterns of drug use over the previous 90 days.

During the test, around 100 strands of hair will be removed from the back of a person’s head. The person collecting the hair will typically cut a 1.5 inch long sample. Once the hair has been collected, it’s sealed in foil and shipped for testing.

What Drugs Can a Hair Drug Test Find?

Hair drug tests can detect:

• Amphetamine/methamphetamine/ecstasy
• Marijuana metabolite
• Cocaine and metabolites
• Opiates (codeine, morphine, 6-acetylmorphine)
• Phencyclidine (PCP)

Employers may not always test for all of the drugs a hair drug test can detect.

When Should a Hair Drug Test Be Used?
Hair drug tests are ideal for looking at long-term drug use. Since hair tests can identify substance use over the past 90 days, they give insight into how often an individual uses drugs.

Because hair drug testing offers a window into the past, employers typically use this testing method as part of their pre-employment screening process or as part of a random drug screening for employees.

How Much Hair Is Taken in a Hair Test?
As Quest Diagnostics explains, a hair drug test requires about 100 – 120 strands of hair, or the equivalent of a one centimeter wide row of hairs. This hair is typically taken from the crown of the patient’s head.

Patients don’t need to worry about leaving the testing facility with an unsightly patch of hair missing from their heads. Because the amount of hair removed is so small, the amount of hair removed will be undetectable.

Need to conduct a hair drug test on a bald person? Not a problem. Hair can also be collected from the chest, underarms, legs or face.

Can a Person Who Uses Doctor-Prescribed Drugs, like Opioids, Pass a Hair or Urine Drug Test?

Typically, when a drug test detects opioids, the individual will be asked if they have a valid medical prescription. If they’re able to provide the prescription, they shouldn’t be penalized for the positive result on the drug test.

It’s important to note that some safety-sensitive jobs prohibit the use of opioids, even when the candidate or employee has a valid prescription.

Should You Choose Urine Drug Testing or Hair Drug Testing?

Your decision to conduct urine drug tests or hair drug tests will depend on the goals of your testing, how quickly you need results and your budget.

Generally speaking, hair drug testing is ideal if you want to learn about a person’s drug history over the past three months. If you’re concerned about recent use (for example, if an employee had an accident on the job today and you need to find out if drugs could have played a role in the accident), a urine drug test will be best.

When deciding which you should use, keep the following considerations in mind:

The post What’s the Difference Between Urine and Hair Drug Testing? appeared first on JDP.

#1: Job hunters are mobile.

These days, Instagram isn’t the only thing that’ll make people scroll like crazy on their smartphones. 89% of job seekers use mobile platforms for their employment search. But sadly, many companies haven’t caught up with the wave, as many online applications are still pretty clunky on mobile.

#2: Paper resumes and applications become ancient artifacts.

Already a fairly pervasive trend, 2019 may be the final nail in the coffin for physical resumes and applications. Between online video and social media, candidates and companies alike are looking to tech for that all-important first impression.

#3: Job flexibility is favored.

Research shows that 65% of employees would pursue contract work if given the opportunity, and 68% of candidates say that the ability to work remotely impacted their decision to accept an offer. Employee expectations have changed, and the companies that recognize this shift will thrive.

#4: Candidates expect a good experience.

From the application to the final interview, candidates are increasingly less willing to settle for ho-hum hiring experiences. That means that going the extra mile by ensuring a super-simple way to apply and a respectful screening process is essential in 2019.

#5: Recruiting gets social.

A callback to the #2 trend on our list, paper resumes are history and digital recruiting is the future. Particularly in creative fields like art direction or writing, organizations will look more and more to social media, blogs and YouTube to find the perfect candidate out in the wild.

#6: Your employer brand matters more.

Job seekers always research companies before they apply, and if your organization has negative reviews for how it treats its people, you’ll likely scare off top talent before they even get in the door.

#7: Structured interviews are growing in popularity.

Because of the ever-changing regulations around hiring, many employers are switching to the structured interview, i.e., an interview in which the candidate is only asked a set of predetermined questions. This means that all applicants are queried on the exact same topics, in the exact same order, to ensure fairness across the board. Structured interviews are effective, objective and most importantly — legally defensible.

#8: Inbound recruiting is more essential.

Sure, HR can go out and look for qualified candidates, but with our current labor market, organizations are turning to strategies that bring candidates to them, i.e., inbound recruiting.

#9: There’s a stronger focus on “strategic alignment.”

90% of HR leaders know they need to be more strategic, but 49% of them aren’t quite sure how to get there. 2019 could be the year that closes that gap, as more organizations work to refine their hiring efforts to support business growth.

#10: HR shares the workload via “collaborative hiring.”

Collaborative hiring — a recruiting method in which both HR and other teams from throughout the organization work together to bring on talent — is predicted to really take off in 2019. It improves the quality of new hires, and greatly decreases turnover.

The post Recruiting in 2019: Trends to Watch appeared first on JDP.

Prepare yourself for a lengthy process.

One of the major drawbacks of sourcing specialized foreign talent is that your organization will have to prepare itself for a lengthy lead time. Depending on which immigration program your company decides to use, the process could take months or even years before the employee is able to start work. So implement your plan with the long game in mind — you won’t be able to decide that you need specific STEM skills this week and have that person at your doorstep within the next.

Help thwart recruitment issues with a written policy.

Newer immigration policies have made it tougher for companies to find and hire qualified foreign applicants, with more intense scrutiny being applied to the processing of H1-B visas. At the Council for Global Immigration’s 2017 Symposium, 63% of attendees said their companies had a written policy for recruiting and retaining foreign nationals. And having a defined set of guidelines can help companies appropriately engage the right parties to ensure that they cut through the red tape as painlessly as possible.

Decide which immigration program you’re going to use.

There are a number of ways to bring international employees to the United States, including H1-B Visa Sponsorship, National Interest Waiver and Student Exchange Programs. The pathway your company chooses will largely depend on the specifics of the situation. What role will they be fulfilling? Are they planning on becoming permanent citizens or simply working temporarily? Considerations such as these will drive your decision.

Perform a thorough background check.

Current U.S. immigration policy does a good job of ensuring that immigrant employees have been thoroughly vetted and are upstanding citizens. But depending on the specific requirements of your industry, more background information may be needed — including a full drug screening. Make sure to work with a qualified provider to maintain compliance with all laws that govern your business.

Need help screening international applicants? Let JDP help!

The post Hiring Foreign Employees: What You Need to Know appeared first on JDP.