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Hiring

Should you create an ‘alumni’ Web site for former staff?

03/01/2005
Issue: Establishing a Web site that acts as an online home for your organization’s former employees.
Benefit: Such alumni sites help you recruit former employees (boomerangs), generate referrals and build …

Hair samples are a legitimate method of drug tests.

03/01/2005
A police department ordered one if its officers to provide a hair sample for a drug test after it suspected him of using cocaine. The test, which involved shaving a patch …

Keep applications clean; jotting notes may trigger hiring-bias claims

03/01/2005
Don’t track applicants’ race, sex, religion, age or national origin information on their applications or any other pre-offer documents unless you’re required to do so under certain affirmative-action laws. And if …

Cite Return-to-Work Tests in Drug/Alcohol Policy

03/01/2005

Q. One of our employees was recently in jail for traffic and drug violations. Before he returns to work, what guidelines can we follow to ensure that he’s drug-free? Will we be discriminating if we require a drug test before allowing him back on site, even though we didn’t require this test when he was hired? —M.Z., Washington

The new risks of premature job offers

02/01/2005
Rescinding job offers just got more legally dangerous. As incredible as it sounds, if you pull the rug out from a candidate’s job offer, the person may be able to sue …

Focus on concrete qualifications in hiring, not esoteric ‘chemistry’

02/01/2005
Employers “hire for fit” all the time. But sometimes, a fine line exists between basing decisions on job-related qualifications and the employer’s “gut feelings” about the applicant. The problem: That gut …

Employ teens? Review new list
of ‘too dangerous’ positions

02/01/2005
The U.S. Labor Department unveiled new limitations on the type of responsibilities you can hand teen employees in certain industries. The new regulations, which take effect Feb. 14, revise child-labor rules …

Turn to temporary managers to fill gaps and cut costs

02/01/2005
Issue: Temporary managers and executives can fill a short-term void and save money in the long run.
Benefit: Filling the right positions with interim replacements can enhance your reputation as …

Keep rejected applications for three years

02/01/2005

Q. I read in your publication that if an applicant isn’t hired, we should retain the application for at least three years. I’ve heard elsewhere that applications should be kept for only one year beyond the date the position is filled. Have the rules changed? —S.C., Washington

Employ teens? See new list of ‘too dangerous’ jobs

02/01/2005
The U.S. Labor Department unveiled new limits on the type of responsibilities you can give teen employees in certain industries. The key changes, which take effect Feb. 14: new limits on …