Author: Sarah Greenberg

3 Skills That a Front Desk Employee Must Have

Applying to jobs that require you to run a front desk this year? Maybe you’re interested in being a receptionist, office manager, customer service rep, administrative assistant, or something similar. Regardless of your specific job title, if you’re going to work a front desk, there are several skills that you need to have in order to stand out to hiring managers amidst a sea of applicants, get your desired position, and provide continuous value to the company.

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Top Job Market Trends for 2019 & Beyond

Whether you’re a job seeker or a hiring manager looking for the talent you need to grow your business, a clear-eyed understanding of today’s job market can help you get what you want in 2019.

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For Employers: 7 Ways to Attract and Engage Top Talent

You can’t afford to lose your top employees, and that means keeping them happy and engaged. They’ll respond when you offer them opportunities for growth, from greater control of their projects and career path to training and other educational enrichment.

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For Employers: 3 Ways To Improve Your Glassdoor Ratings

Not sure what employees are saying about you review sites like Glassdoor, or if employees are talking about you at all? We have news for you. Past and current employees are not only talking about you, but their reviews are influencing prospective employees decisions to apply to your company and work for you.

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For Jobseekers: 5 Ways to Be Productive During The Holidays

As we mentioned in a past blog, there are plenty of ways to continue your job search during the holidays, even though hiring managers may not be responding as quickly to you. Here are a few more tips you can use to stay active and engaged in your job search during holiday down time:

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For Employers: 4 Ways to Improve Communication With Your Employees

 

“We need to talk.” If those words provoke anxiety, you’re not alone. Many managers avoid regularly communicating with staff members’ about their job performance, instead waiting until the annual review.

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For Jobseekers: 6 Ways Millennials Can Thrive in the Workplace

While Millennials (generally within the 18-32 age range) get a bad rap sometimes, they bring their own unique skills, characteristics, and passion to any job. If you identify as a Millennial, our tips will help you harness your uniqueness to provide value to your company, impress your boss, and advance in your career.

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For Employers: 7 Questions That Are ILLEGAL To Ask During A Job Interview

As an employer, a fair amount of your time probably goes to conducting job interviews when hiring staff. While it’s crucial to ask questions about your candidates’ goals, personality, and skills, there are certain questions that are illegal to ask candidates during an interview.

Part of your job is to know with U.S. hiring laws and and maintain compliance with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Not knowing which questions are illegal to ask during an interview could cause you to violate your candidates’ rights and put you at risk of lawsuits.

Below is a list of questions you legally cannot ask during an interview. If you need to know the answers to some or all of these questions, don’t worry. They’ll be answered organically after the candidate has been hired. But during the interview phase, you are not allowed to ask them.

Illegal Interview Questions:

  1. What is your national origin?
  2. Are you pregnant?
  3. How old are you?
  4. Do you have children?
  5. Have you ever been arrested?
  6. Are you married?
  7. Do you have any handicaps?

 

Legal Interview Questions

If you’re stumped on what you can ask your candidates, we have your back. Below is our list of suggested interview questions that will help you focus on the most crucial aspects of your candidates’ lives: their professional background, skills, passions, and more. Focusing on these aspects instead of your candidates personal lives and choices is a much more accurate way to determine the best candidate for the job.

  1. Tell me about yourself.
  2. Tell me about a time when you had to overcome a major obstacle at work.  What were the circumstances?  What did you do?  What was the result?
  3. How do you stay up to date with industry trends and regulations?
  4. When I contact your previous managers, what will they tell me about you?
  5. Tell me about a time you worked with others to achieve a result.
  6. What is the toughest feedback you received?  How did you react?  What changes did you make as a result?
  7. What was your most recent failure at work?  What did you learn?
  8. Why did you choose this career?

For Jobseekers: Beware of These Illegal Job Interview Questions

 

When you’re in the middle of a job interview, nervousness and a desire to make the best impression possible can take over. While feeling nervous and wanting to please your interviewer are completely normal and even productive during an interview, they can sometimes blind you from questions you may be asked that are not only inappropriate, but illegal.

Employers are supposed to stay updated on U.S. hiring laws and maintain compliance with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Unfortunately, some employers fail to educate themselves on their legal responsibilities or know that asking certain questions during an interview is illegal, but do it anyway.

Below are the questions that are illegal to ask during an interview. Do not answer these. Most of these will be answered after a candidate is hired, anyway. There’s no need for employers to know these answers in the interview phase. But regardless of whether they need to know this information and at what point they need to know it, employers who ask you these questions during your interview are violating your rights.

Illegal Interview Questions:

  1. What is your national origin?
  2. Are you pregnant?
  3. How old are you?
  4. Do you have children?
  5. Have you ever been arrested?
  6. Are you married?
  7. Do you have any handicaps?

 

Legal Interview Questions:

Here are the legal interview questions that employers can ask you, and that you should answer:

  1. Tell me about yourself.
  2. Tell me about a time when you had to overcome a major obstacle at work.  What were the circumstances?  What did you do?  What was the result?
  3. How do you stay up to date with industry trends and regulations?
  4. When I contact your previous managers, what will they tell me about you?
  5. Tell me about a time you worked with others to achieve a result.
  6. What is the toughest feedback you received?  How did you react?  What changes did you make as a result?
  7. What was your most recent failure at work?  What did you learn?
  8. Why did you choose this career?

 

When you’re interviewing for a job, it’s crucial that you not only make the best impression possible on your interviewer, but also that you know your rights as a candidate. Stay alert for any questions that are illegal for interviewers to ask you.

For Employers: How to Train, Coach, and Get the Most Out of Millennials

They get a bad rap—sometimes unfairly—but what do you really know about this generation? Millennials have their quirks, just like every other generation. But the difference is that they’re making up a growing proportion of your staff, and as an employer, you need to develop them.

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