Hiring

Can job description call for ‘high energy’ worker?

07/18/2011

Q. I am updating job descriptions. We sometimes use the term “high energy” as a qualification. Does this violate the ADA or other laws?

Green onboarding: Plant a tree for each new worker

07/18/2011

Whenever Las Vegas-based Global Sky fills a seat in one of its call centers, it plants a tree in Latin America or Africa. The practice helps to attract eco-friendly applicants.

Chicago firefighter bias case: $30 million settlement on table

07/13/2011

The controversy over a 1995 Chicago firefighter hiring test may finally be headed toward closure now that a federal appeals court has ruled the city must hire 111 black applicants who passed the test. In addition to hiring the firefighters, the city has offered to pay approximately 6,000 applicants who passed the test a portion of an estimated $30 million.

7th Circuit clamps down on deadbeat serial litigant

07/13/2011

The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has barred a woman from filing any new civil lawsuits or renewing old ones anywhere in the circuit until she pays fines various courts have already levied.

Manufacturing jobs on the rebound

07/08/2011

Good news for the beleaguered Rust Belt: Manufacturing output grew at a 9.1% rate in the first quarter of 2011, far outpacing the overall U.S. economic growth rate of 1.8%. In all, manufacturers have added more than 250,000 jobs since the beginning of 2010—the first sustained increase since 1997.

New limits on use of credit reports take effect in July

07/07/2011

On July 21, a new amendment to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) kicks in that affects employers using consumer reports that include credit scores to make employment decisions.

Having a hard time hiring? Blame today’s skills mismatch

07/05/2011

Just because your organization is ready to hire again doesn’t mean it will be easy to find the right people to fill your available jobs. Here are four realities you’re almost certain to face as you try to fill the vacancies in your organization.

Sports apparel firm pushes fitness, team spirit

07/05/2011

Baltimore-based sports apparel company Under Armour doesn’t require its 3,363 employees to be athletes, but it does look for new hires with a love of sports and fitness. Reason: Team spirit is core to the company’s culture.

What’s in a name? Maybe discrimination

07/01/2011

Résumés with common names are more likely to receive callbacks than those with Russian and African-American names, according to a study in the Journal of Managerial Psychology. Evaluating candidates based on name could trigger claims of race bias or national-origin discrimination.

Court lets employer ask EEOC about credit checks

06/30/2011

In an unusual twist, a federal trial court considering an Ohio case has permitted an employer being sued by the EEOC to ask pointed questions about the EEOC’s own hiring practices.