In simplest terms, it’s bias that someone doesn’t even know he has.  Scientists have learned that the average person only has conscious access to about 5% of his brain.  As a result, much of the work a typical person’s brain does is on an unconscious level.

Implicit bias occurs on this unconscious level.  It is a form of prejudice that occurs when someone consciously rejects stereotypes and discrimination, but also holds unconscious negative associations in his mind.  Implicit bias does not mean that an individual is hiding his racial prejudices – he literally does not know that he has them.

While the measuring of unconscious biases might seem inconsequential on the surface, it takes on new meaning when we see bias’ impact in the real world.  Studies show that doctors are more likely to prescribe life-saving care to whites, that managers are more likely to hire and promote members of their own in-group and that referees in basketball might be more likely to subtly favor players with whom they share a racial identity.

These biases are incredibly difficult to control, because they form so early in life.  Social scientists believe children begin to acquire prejudices and stereotypes as toddlers.  Children as young as age three learn terms of racial prejudice without really understanding their significance.  They form attachments to their own groups and develop negative attitudes about other racial or ethnic groups.  Over time, most children acquire a full set of biases that become the foundation of stereotypes, prejudice and, ultimately, discrimination.

Also known as hidden or unconscious bias, implicit bias has become a hot topic of study for psychologists at Harvard, the University of Virginia and the University of Washington.  Researchers at these institutions have created Implicit Association Tests, or IATs, to measure the prevalence and degree of unconscious bias.

IAT research is relevant for HR and other hiring managers, because of its application to the hiring process.  While interviewers may believe that they’re impartial, unconscious biases may affect their attitudes toward candidates of other races – and ultimately their hiring decisions.

How do you manage these potential hiring biases if you’re not sure they even exist?  Knowledge is power.  Take the Implicit Association Test,  part of the Project Implicit Harvard research study.  Scores are not a definitive assessment of your implicit thoughts or feelings, but should provide opportunities for self-reflection.

Ensure great Hires with Wood Personnel

Direct placement services like Wood Personnel have the resources and expertise to quickly and cost-effectively deliver candidates with skills, experience and behavioral traits to succeed in your organization.  We use professionally trained interviewers, skills-specific testing, thorough background checks and satisfaction guarantees to ensure the success of your next hire.

Why is this such a good sign?

According to a recent survey of recruiters, 28 percent of the job openings employers had in January were due to employee resignations – up from 21 percent in July of 2011.  To boot, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced in February that the number of workers quitting has been on a steady incline since its low point in December of 2009:

This is actually a sign that the labor market is improving.  During a  recession, people are inclined to hold onto their jobs, because employment prospects are so dim.

Conversely, an increase in “quits” is a sign of returning economic optimism.  Those who are dissatisfied with their current work situation are becoming more confident about their job prospects – so much so that they’re willing to leave their current job to search full-time.

Admittedly, unemployment rates are still high.  Walking away from a job that’s paying the bills always carries some risk.  But if you’re underemployed, in a dead-end job or otherwise unhappy with your current work situation, Wood Personnel can help.

As a leading staffing service in Middle Tennessee, we have a wide variety of office and clerical jobs, IT/IT management jobs, light industrial jobs, accounting and finance jobs, engineering jobs, executive positions (and more) available in Nashville, Cool Springs, Murfreesboro, Hendersonville and beyond.

When you register with us, we can help you conduct a confidential search for the perfect direct employment opportunity.  We work for you, allowing you to stay employed during your job hunt.  Best of all, our services are free!  Contact a Wood Personnel recruiter today to learn more.

Think about it for a minute.  With each new assignment, a contingent worker faces a fresh set of challenges.  He has to: find his way to and around a new work location; learn how to use new computer systems, tools, machinery or other equipment; fit into an entirely unique corporate culture.  Oh, and while he does all this, he also has to be instantly productive in his new position.

Although he’s used to managing the change inherent in his role, an effective onboarding process for temporaries can help smooth his transition into your organization.

Your staffing service should take a leading role in onboarding contingent workers.  As their employer of record, Wood Personnel makes sure that all our employees’ paperwork (employment documentation, background checks, etc.) is in line and provides them with thorough descriptions of their assignment responsibilities.  For high volume staffing users, we can even develop customized orientation materials to ensure our employees are properly introduced to your company and their positions.

You can help ensure your contingent workers are productive, safe and efficient by helping to onboard them, too.  In her Staffing Industry Analysts blog, Subadhra Sriram recommends the following tips to help you orient and assimilate temporary and contract workers:

• Have contingent workers complete online forms before their assignments start.  Instead of spending valuable time filling out paperwork when they arrive, our employees can immediately begin working for you.
• Provide us with clear and detailed job descriptions, as well as performance expectations.  Sharing this information before the assignment starts helps ensure all parties are on the same page – and are working toward the same goals.
• Give your temporary and contract workers the support they need.  Make sure they know to whom they report and who can answer their questions.  Have all the materials they will need to perform their work available and set up.
• Establish a collegial working environment.  Before a temporary arrives, tell your direct staff about his role and how they can welcome/support him.  Once he’s there, take a few minutes to properly introduce the temporary to his co-workers, show him where the break room and restrooms are, etc.

These steps may sound small, but they will truly make a big difference to your contingent workers.  Treat them with care and they’ll return the favor.

If you’re considering hiring an intern, be sure you thoroughly understand the benefits and risks first.  This list of pros and cons can help you make the right choice:

Pros:

• Get work done.  Interns provide additional manpower for short-term support.  Extra hands help increase productivity and free core employees to complete creative, strategic or other projects you may struggle to complete.
• Gain brand ambassadors.  Interns will spread the word about your company to other potential job seekers.  If you have an impressive internship program, your interns will share their positive experiences with their circle of influence – which translates into free recruitment advertising for you.
• Bring in fresh perspective.  New people bring with them novel perspectives, fresh ideas, specialized strengths and up-to-date skill sets.  You can use these to augment your direct workforce and help you uncover new solutions to company challenges.
• Internship programs are year-round recruiting tools.  By continually bringing in new talent, you create an ongoing pipeline of potential employees.
• Internships allow you to essentially “test-drive” a potential employee.  You can assess how he performs on the job, and how he fits into your corporate culture, before extending an offer for employment.

Cons:

• Planning and properly administering an internship program is time-consuming.  If you do not have the resources to adequately orient and manage interns, your program will not wind up benefiting anyone.
• Unpaid internships are not without their risks.  Recently, state and federal regulators have been debating whether or not unpaid internships are legal.  Notably, high-profile media outlets have been targeted by class-action lawsuits brought by interns who claim they are actually employees.  Claimants allege that by misclassifying workers as interns, employers denied them “the benefits that the law affords to employees, including unemployment, workers’ compensation insurance, Social Security contributions, and, most crucially, the right to earn a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work.”

Not interested in the legal exposure associated with interns?  Temporary and contract employees are a great alternative.  They deliver all of the advantages listed above, without the risks.

If you want to increase productivity, free your workforce to focus on more strategic priorities, or bring fresh perspective to your organizational challenges, Wood Personnel’s temporary and contract staffing services for Middle Tennessee employers may be just what you need.  Contact us today to learn more.

• ensures you will be taken more seriously at work;
• makes you more likely to engage in challenging but manageable projects;
• helps you get you outside your comfort zone;
• allows you to achieve new goals;
• is the most attractive personal brand attribute;
• is a key leadership quality, better positioning you to advance in a company;
• allows you to attract and retain a quality team, because they will trust you and feel you have matters under control.

If you’re lacking on-the-job confidence, I highly recommend reading the entire Forbes.com article.  In the meantime, use this summary of essential points to become a more confident role model – and achieve the career success you deserve:

Stay focused on you.  Stay on-task and focused, regardless of office politics, rumor mills or other non-productive maneuvers by co-workers.

Capitalize on your strengths.  Find out what you do best and integrate those talents into your job every day.  When you lead from your strengths, you’re engaged, energized and self-assured.  If your current role doesn’t allow you to capitalize on your strengths, think about other roles that will.

Improve your weaknesses.  If weaknesses undermine your confidence, make a plan to reduce or eliminate them.  While you shouldn’t obsess about your shortcomings (nobody is perfect), acknowledging weaknesses and making a diligent effort to overcome them can help boost your confidence.

Monitor your successes.  Keep track of your daily accomplishments with a “to do” list to become more aware of your continual achievements.  Additionally, keep a digital “kudos” file to record your successes – congratulatory e-mails, milestones reached, recognition from bosses or peers, thank you letters, etc.  Keep this file handy for when you need a personal “pat on the back,” or for when you launch a future job search.

Realize that your confidence may be threatened at times.  If you receive negative feedback that shakes your confidence, give yourself a day or two to recover before making any important subsequent decisions.

Seek encouragement from others.  Ask respected friends, co-workers or family members what they think are your three greatest strengths.  Find a way to incorporate them into your career.  Often, others see more talent in us than we recognize in ourselves.

Keep a positive attitude.  Positive doesn’t always mean “happy” – it can also mean resilient.  When things are tough, focus on how you can provide solutions rather than spend a lot of time discussing the problem.

Carefully consider your boss’s and co-workers’ actions – and how you react to them.  Elevate your “emotional radar” in the workplace.  When your confidence is undermined by a boss or co-worker, try to understand his behavior for what it really is.  Realize that he may just be “acting out” in ways that we are all capable of, when under stress.  Once you see him as a human being protecting his turf or ego, or wanting praise like a child, you will respond more constructively.  This will empower you and engender confidence, which others will want to emulate.

At Wood Personnel, our Nashville staffing and recruiting services are designed to improve on-the-job success for our clients and candidates alike.

• conduct your search from the comfort of your own home;
• actively look for a job while you’re still working;
• apply for jobs with just a click of the mouse.

Still, the process is not without its potential pitfalls.  Privacy concerns and issues with technology can complicate matters and jeopardize your chances of success.  So before you start surfing the job boards, make sure your online job search is safe and productive by avoiding these common online job search mistakes:

Overlooking privacy issues.

If you’re currently employed, the last thing you want to do is lose your job because your boss finds out you’re looking for another one!  In reality, many employers actively search for their employees’ résumés online using search engines or job boards.  So be smart.  Protect your identity (and your existing job) by limiting access to your essential contact information (i.e., name, address, phone).  Set-up an anonymous personal e-mail account for recruiters to use to contact you.

Waiting for opportunities to come to you.

If you think the perfect position will appear in your Inbox, you may be deluding yourself.  Instead of waiting for online opportunities to come to you, go out and find them by leveraging Internet research sources.  Spend time reading through company websites to identify potential employers.  Then, customize your résumé and cover letter based on what you find out about them, their competition, their products and services, etc.

Blasting your résumé all over the Internet.

When it comes to applying for a job the right way, you can’t take a “one size fits all” approach.  Merely posting your résumé to hundreds of job sites will not be as effective as you might think, because you won’t be able to customize it for a particular position or company.  You will get better results if you apply for far fewer positions, but take the time to tailor your application so that it stands out from the crowd.

Limiting your efforts to the Internet.

While it’s easy to apply for jobs online, you’ll be much more successful if you cast a wider net.  Make sure to network, leverage social media, attend job fairs and register with an employment agency like Wood Personnel.

As a leading staffing service in Middle Tennessee, Wood Personnel works with the area’s best employers.  Our direct hire, contract and temporary employment opportunities are among the best jobs in the region.  We work hard to match you with the ideal assignment or position and ensure confidentiality throughout the entire process.  What’s more, because several WPS clients choose to work with us exclusively, we fill many career openings that may not be found elsewhere!

Getting started with Wood Personnel is as easy as applying for a job online.  Why not give it a try?

Who isn’t?  With the “Great Recession” finally in our rear view mirror, and hiring on the upswing, developing a cost-effective method for consistently selecting top performers is high on the list of today’s HR professionals.

A few months back, I posted Ready to Hire? Improve Your Hiring Process with These Ideas to get you started.  As promised in that post, here are a few more strategies to help you eliminate interviewing biases, inconsistencies and inefficiencies – and ultimately hire better:

1. Minimize interviewer inconsistency.  If you can’t personally conduct every interview, you should train interviewers to enhance consistency.  Interviewing styles and effectiveness vary greatly, depending on personality, confidence and amount of formal training.  Some interviewers excel at asking questions; some are great ambassadors for your company; some are very detail-oriented and systematically process responses.  But unfortunately, few are strong in all these areas.  To improve consistency, require interviewers to cite specific candidate statements to back-up their evaluations and/or conclusions.  Train them to support their ratings with examples – rather than recording opinions, impressions or hunches.
2. Ask the recruit why he wants the job.  Our current job market is flooded with the type of applicant who indiscriminately shoots off résumés in response to any posting that matches his keyword search – all in desperate hope of landing any type of interview.  If a recruit can’t tell you why he wants to work for your organization, you probably don’t want him on your team.
3. Make a good first impression on the candidate.  While you are evaluating a candidate, the candidate will be sizing up you and your company.  Increase the likelihood that a top performer will accept your job offer by making a positive first impression:  respect the candidate’s time by being on-time and prepared for the interview; supplement the interview with written or on-line information about the company and/or position; allow time for follow-up questions (a candidate needs to learn about your organization, culture and the available position at the same time you’re learning about him).
4. Plan multiple interviews.  Always conduct at least two interviews (three for higher level positions).  Why?  Recruits may be able to fool you in one interview, but the chances of them misrepresenting themselves successfully across multiple interviews are greatly diminished.  In addition, a more rigorous process will help weed out those candidates who are apathetic and/or unreliable.
5. Hold a post-interview review meeting.  Establish a formal process for finalizing the interview process and making a hiring decision.  Provide a form interviewers can use to summarize each candidate’s interpersonal skills, cultural fit, competency evaluation and technical knowledge.  Give each interviewer equal time to share feedback and make recommendations.  The primary decision maker/hiring manager should give the last report, after which you can begin open discussions about a hiring decision.

Incorporate these suggestions with the tips in my last post, and you’ll be well on your way to better hires in 2012.

Ensure Great Hires with Wood Personnel

If you lack the time, resources or desire to hire on your own, Wood Personnel is here to listen and help.  Our direct placement service quickly and cost-effectively delivers candidates with skills, experience and behavioral traits to succeed in your organization.

Wood’s direct placement service is offered to client companies on a contingency-fee basis; in other words, you will not be charged until you hire the right person for your company.  Contact us today to ensure your next hire is a great one.

That’s the question countless Middle Tennessee employers are forced to ask themselves.  But sometimes the answer is not clear-cut, because the rules governing worker classification are notoriously complex.

As a responsible employer, however, it’s still your job to follow a proper vetting process and ensure you are correctly classifying independent contractors.  If one or more of these criteria applies to your contractors, they may actually be improperly classified (according to IRS guidelines):

• the employer has control over the means and/or methods of accomplishing work;
• the employer furnishes tools, equipment and/or materials for the worker;
• the worker is not allowed to work for other employers;
• the worker has agreed to work for the employer for an indefinite length of time.

These general criteria are no substitute for professional legal advice.  If you suspect you may be misclassifying workers, be safe and consult your attorney – there’s no mercy if you’re doing it incorrectly.

More and more, federal government agencies are cracking down on companies that violate worker classification guidelines.  The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has strict regulations about employment classification – specifically, how much control the employer has over the way work is performed.  To ensure compliance, the IRS is increasing on-site audits.

At the state level, lawmakers are also drawing a line in the sand.  Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and California are among those that have enacted worker misclassification laws, imposing severe penalties on violating employers.

Given the risks, why would an employer classify a true employee as an independent contractor?  One word – money.  Classifying workers as independent contractors helps a business significantly reduce employment-related expenses by:

• eliminating Social Security, Medicare and unemployment taxes;
• working around overtime and anti-discrimination regulations, as well as minimum wage levels;
• avoiding costly fringe benefits, such as health insurance, vacation pay and sick pay.

But while it may be tempting to save money this way, it’s also dangerous.  If a business owner is found to have misclassified employees, the IRS will collect delinquent employment taxes and may also impose severe financial penalties.  Misclassification can also lead to a host of other unpleasant consequences, including problems with benefits eligibility, work authorization and ultimately the company’s reputation.

Temporary and Contract Staffing Services – A Smart Way to Prevent Worker Misclassification

If you have work to be performed which is temporary, project-based or otherwise outside of your core business, consider using temporary or contract staff – as opposed to independent contractors.  Wood Personnel’s temporary and contract employees can help you complete critical projects, access specialized expertise and avoid the pitfalls of worker misclassification.  Contact Wood Personnel today to learn more.

Sound familiar?

While you may not relish the idea of firing an employee, it’s part of the job and is sometimes necessary to ensure the continued success of your business.  Thankfully, there are things you can do to make the process respectful and compassionate.  These suggestions will help you spare the employee’s ego, minimize conflict and protect your business:

Never act in the “heat of the moment.”  If you fire someone out of frustration, fear or anger, you’re setting yourself up for a lawsuit.  Instead, take a step back and conduct a thorough investigation, obtaining information from all parties involved.  If your only option is to terminate an employee, get advice first from a human resources professional or employment lawyer.  These experts can help ensure you abide by state and federal laws, as well as your company’s unique employment policies.

Get your ducks in a row.  Simplify the employee’s transition by handling termination logistics before calling the employee in.  Create a clear plan for the employee to return company property, clean out his desk/office and consult with HR on pay/benefits to expedite the separation.

Pick a neutral site.  A conference or meeting room is best for holding your termination meeting.  If possible, avoid holding the meeting in your office.  If the employee gets too upset, he might not want to leave your office, putting you both in an awkward position.

Skip the small talk.  Don’t bother trying to warm the mood or to pretend it’s an ordinary exchange – you’re only delaying the inevitable.  Save the platitudes and limit the meeting to 10 minutes or less.

Stay neutral.  Keep it pleasant, but not too friendly.  Let the employee down as easily as you can without being unprofessional.  Remember, you are not this person’s comforter – he can go home to his spouse, friends or family for the support he needs.  Above all else, never lose your temper.  If you become hostile, it’s more likely the employee will file a lawsuit or grievance.

Empathize.  Try to put yourself in the employee’s shoes and understand what he’s going through.  Be patient when you talk to him and keep your cool if he becomes angry, upset or frustrated.  Offer whatever resources your company provides to ease the employee’s transition.

Be decisive.  Make sure that both your tone and wording are resolute.  Giving an employee “wiggle room” or false hope will only encourage him to try and argue to save his job.  If you find yourself getting dragged into a pointless discussion, take charge by saying something like, “I’ll be glad to talk about this as long as you like, but you should know that nothing we discuss will change the decision.”

Be honest.  If you’re downsizing, leave performance out of the picture.  But if performance is the issue, don’t try to hide behind an excuse to make the conversation easier for you.  You’ll be doing the employee a disservice and opening your business to potential problems – especially if you later hire someone to fill the vacant slot.  Be direct about your reason for termination, even if it’s difficult for one or both of you.

One of the benefits of Wood Personnel’s temporary and contract staff is never having to fire them!  As their employer of record, we take care of replacing and/or reassigning workers.  Contact Wood Personnel today to find out more about our staffing and recruiting services for Nashville and Middle Tennessee employers.

You’re not alone.  Despite recent improvements in our unemployment rate, a large portion of the job-hunting population is unemployed – and has been for awhile.  And as if that’s not enough, unemployed job seekers have to face another seemingly unfair obstacle on the path to employment – jobless discrimination.

Unfortunately, despite numerous EEO laws and safeguards, some employers will not consider résumés sent to them by job seekers who aren’t working.  These employers believe that requiring that a candidate be gainfully employed is just “smart business” – helping them control the flood of applications and filter out “damaged goods” before spending valuable time and resources on screening and interviewing.

If you’re unemployed and looking for work, it’s hard to see the logic in these hiring practices.

Now is a time to stay strong.  Here is some sound advice for beating unemployment discrimination – before it beats you:

• Forgive yourself – and move on.  Losing a job is nothing unusual, especially these days.  Mergers, cost-cutting measures and total shutdowns have forced countless people out of their jobs over the past few years.  Whatever your reason for being unemployed, you need a positive mindset to tackle what may be a tough job search.  The best thing you can do is forgive yourself for being out of work, and then move on.
• Ignore the verbiage in job posts that suggests an employer intends to discriminate based on recent employment status.  Just because the discriminatory language is present in a job listing doesn’t mean you have to adhere to the request!  If your job skills and experience are a good fit for the posting, by all means apply for that position – regardless of your employment situation.
• If you’ve only been out of work for a short time (a few weeks or months), invest a lot of time and energy into networking and informational interviews.  This will help you get past the initial human resources screening that would eliminate you from consideration.  Use networking as a tool to demonstrate your willingness to work hard, and your drive to find a job may overcome the bias against you as a person out of work.
• Consider adjusting your résumé.  If you’ve been out of work for awhile, you may want to switch from a chronological to functional résumé format.  This will allow you to lead with your skills and qualifications, outside the context of your employment history.  Additionally, you may want to omit dates from your employment history section.  Once your skills have an employer’s attention, he can inquire about the dates.
• Solidify references from previous employer(s).  When you’re unemployed, a strong endorsement from an employer – even one who let you go – may outweigh the length of your unemployment.

Temporary and Contract Work – Your Best Bet for Beating Jobless Discrimination

Looking for a sure-fire way to overcome your jobless stigma?  Go to work for a staffing service like Wood Personnel – as soon as possible!  It’s easiest to find a job while you’re working, so stack the deck in your favor.  Beyond merely changing your employment status, temporary and contract work can help you:

• Earn valuable income – at a time when you really need it.
• Keep your spirits up – by being productive and engaged.
• Build your résumé and keep your skills sharp – the variety inherent in temporary assignments presents you with new challenges, allowing you to grow and gain experience.
• Find direct employment – if you prove yourself on the job, your temporary or contract position may convert to a direct opportunity.  Additionally, while you’re on assignment, Wood Personnel can actively search for direct positions that match your skills, experience and interests.

Contact your local Wood Personnel office today to learn more about jobs in Nashville, Cool Springs, Murfreesboro and Hendersonville, Tennessee.