Reference Checks & Verifying Education Experience

Lester Rosen, president of Employment Screening Resources, had some wisdom to share on these topics at SHRM 2007 in Vegas. He states that every employer has a LEGAL obligation to exercise due diligence in hiring. He also provided tips for employers when asked for references. Tap into his expertise at HR.BLR.com.

Viva Las Vegas!

Just a quick note to start a series of blogs from the 2007 SHRM Conference in Las Vegas. I am fortunate enough to not only attend the conference, but also to volunteer and see a bit behind the scenes. And last but not least, I'll hopefully get to spread some good old fashion Cool Works cheer.

Some numbers to ponder.

1,000,000 square feet of convention space

15,000 attendees

4,000 exhibitors

500 volunteers

200+ sessions for learning and networking

and

108 degrees!

If you're in town, post a comment and hopefully we'll be able to meet up somewhere.

Why Fewer Teens Have Summer Jobs

We've been struggling to make sense out of what feels like a trend of fewer folks in general being interested in summer jobs and, specifically, a declining interest in the outdoor locations that we Cool Works (tm) represents.

We came across an article today by Derek Larson of The College of St. Benedict/St. John's University about why fewer teens are grabbing summer jobs that we thought was pretty good. Some of his high points:

* Fewer jobs are available to teens than in the past due to reduced demand for low-skilled labor and other factors such as summer school

* There's more money out there. Families aren't as reliant on income from teens to help with expenses

* Teens are finding that advancing their education can be more valuable in the summer than working to help pay for it. A summer job will have little impact financially

* Stagnant minimum wages may have driven teens into the cash economy

* Hiring teens can be complicated. Employers are seeking older workers

This is great food for thought. Read the article at St Cloud Times website.

How to Interview a Job Candidate from HR Lowdown

Here's a "just in case" reference if you're still looking for employees for the summer and if not a great resource to stash away for next year. Hope you find this useful.

http://www.hrlowdown.com/2007/how-to-interview-a-job-candidate/