Workplace 101: A Profiles Global Business Blog

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates that employee theft costs American companies $20 billion to $40 billion each year. This number increases rapidly when you consider the costs of replacing employees who steal. Thirty percent of job applications contain false information. We can think of no better reason to use pre-employment screenings. The most popular way to determine if an employee is trustworthy and reliable is typically a background check. Background checks allow employers to view a candidate’s vehicle records, legal records, credit reports, employment records and citizenship status, among other records.

Assessments are valuable tools that provide insights into candidates for managers, especially when used in the pre-hiring process. Pre-hire assessments can determine how an individual will fit in a specific job, identify their thinking and reasoning styles, and highlight relevant behavioral traits.

In a perfect world, work would always be enjoyable, and work environments would promote productivity and engagement. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case. People find themselves in sticky situations or conflict with coworkers. Some personalities and behaviors are oil and water, and they will never mix. Fortunately, the right employee assessments can nip co-worker conflict in the bud, and minimize drama and disruption.

Would you lose sleep if you lost a mission-critical employee or if your CEO announced a major expansion strategy in a new field of play? How quickly could you react and adapt to these situations and do your part to help your organization win in an intensely competitive environment? Most organizations can't simply go out into the world and pick up quality talent on a whim; skills are in short supply, and the competition is becoming increasingly resourceful in attracting the people with those skills. Proactively building your talent pipeline is good business and will help you shine in times of change.

A new study by the Aberdeen Group has identified the four most common strategies to achieve hiring excellence. These are:

We all like a good scary movie every now and then (well most of us do anyway!), but nothing is scarier to a CEO than hiring someone who appears to be perfect for the job, and then finding out quickly that he or she is a nightmare. Everyday we see organizations use hiring practices to avoid.

The best salesmen and women use every tool at their disposal to close a deal. Sure there are those rare types who can sell with charisma alone, but there needs to be substance with that style.