May 2024 TogetHR Times
Best Employee Qualities
by Kim Keene
In today’s competitive business environment, having the right team can make all the difference. But what makes a great employee? Here are some key qualities that employers often look for:
Ambitious: Ambitious employees set high goals for themselves and work hard to achieve them. They’re often willing to take on challenging assignments and learn new things.
Autonomous: Autonomous employees can work independently and take the initiative when necessary. They’re self-starters who don’t need constant supervision.
Collaborative: Collaboration is key in most workplaces. Employees who work well with others can help foster a positive and productive work environment.
Committed: Committed employees show a strong sense of support and loyalty to the business or career role. They are often more purpose-driven in both their personal lives and their careers.
Communicative: Good communication is essential in the workplace. Employees who can effectively share ideas and information are highly valued.
Confident: Confidence can lead to increased productivity. Confident employees believe in their abilities and are more likely to convince others of their capabilities.
Creative: Creative employees can think outside the box and come up with innovative solutions to problems.
Detail-oriented: Employees who pay attention to detail can help ensure tasks are completed accurately and thoroughly.
Enthusiastic: Enthusiasm can be contagious. Employees who are passionate about their work can help create a positive work environment.
Hard-working: Hard-working employees are willing to put in the time and effort necessary to get the job done.
Honest: Honesty is a crucial quality in an employee. Honest employees build trust with their employers and colleagues.
Reliable: A reliable employee is a trusted one. They prove that they can finish their tasks without much supervision.
Remember, the best employees often possess a mix of hard and soft skills, all of which can be strengthened with regular use and practice. These traits are not only attractive to employers, but they can also lead to advancement opportunities.
While skills and experience are important, the qualities mentioned are often what truly set great employees apart.
So, how do you find employees with these qualities?
Referral from a great employee: ask your great employees if they have someone they could recommend for any open positions
Behavioral based interviews: asking the right questions during interviews can assist with finding the right employee with the right qualities. What someone has done in their past, dictates how they will preform in the future. Ask them how they have handled something, tell me about a time, … those types of questions.
References: check those references, find out all you can.
Ensure that you ask all of the questions BEFORE you hire the person. Need assistance, let your HR Rep know.
Interviewing 101
by Christine Muller
Preparing for the Interview
5 C’s of Interviewing-Prepare ahead of time for the interview by developing questions based on job related requirements:
Competency-having the requisite technical skills in performing the task is essential.
Character-Skill can be trained but not attitude.
Communication Skills-asking open-ended questions and observing how articulate the candidate is in elaborating his/her thoughts.
Culture Fit-how will the candidate fit into the work culture and participate as a member of your team?
Career Direction-does the position align with his/her career direction?
Interviewing techniques can be either structured or unstructured. The main purpose of structured interviewing is to pinpoint job skills that are essential to the position. The interviewer asks a specific set of questions of all applicants for the particular position. This straightforward approach makes it easier for the interviewer to evaluate and compare applicants fairly. Some interviewers ask the questions in a predetermined order, while others may not adhere to a strict order but still make certain they address all the planned questions.
Structured interviewing generally provides the interviewer with the information needed to make the hiring decision. It also can be crucial in defending against allegations of discrimination in hiring and selection, because all applicants are asked the same questions.
In an unstructured interview, the interviewer does not have a strict agenda but rather allows the applicant to set the pace of the interview. Questions tend to be open-ended, which can enable the candidate to disclose more than he or she might if asked closed-ended questions requiring only a brief answer. In addition, questions in an unstructured interview can be tailored according to an applicant's skills and experience levels. However, the absence of structure may make it difficult to compare and rank applicants because they are not asked the same set of questions.
The most widely used types of interviewing are:
The telephone prescreen interview.
The direct one-on-one interview, which can take a behavioral, competency-based or situational approach.
The panel interview.
Behavioral and competency-based approaches. Behavioral and competency-based interviewing both aim to discover how the interviewee performed in specific situations. The logic is based on the principle that past performance predicts future behavior; how the applicant behaved in the past indicates how he or she will behave in the future.
In the behavioral approach—a traditional technique for assessing a candidate's suitability for a position—the purpose is to review the candidate's experience, personal attributes, and job-related skills. The competency-based approach focuses specifically on skills needed for the position; job-related skills constitute the criteria against which applicants are measured.
In a behavioral or a competency-based interview, the interviewer's questions are designed to determine if the applicant possesses certain attributes or skills. Instead of asking how the applicant would handle a hypothetical situation, the interviewer asks the applicant how he or she did, in fact, handle a particular situation in the past. Behavioral and competency-based interview questions tend to be pointed, probing and specific.
Situational approach. The situational approach is an interview technique that gives the candidate a hypothetical scenario or event and focuses on his or her past experiences, behaviors, knowledge, skills, and abilities by asking the candidate to provide specific examples of how the candidate would respond given the situation described. This type of interview reveals how an applicant thinks and how he or she would react in a particular situation. The following are examples of situational interview questions:
You should avoid asking questions that could be viewed as discriminatory or that infringe on a candidate’s privacy. Essentially, you want to avoid any questions that are not directly related to the candidate’s ability to perform the job. These would include questions about race, national origin, citizenship status, religious affiliation, disabilities, pregnancy (or desire to become pregnant in the future), sexual orientation or gender identity, past illnesses (including use of sick leave or filing of workers’ comp claims), age, genetic information, or military service. You should also consider state laws that might apply, like prohibitions on asking for salary history or requesting that a candidate connect with you on social media so you can see what they post.
Asking these types of questions could result in rejected candidates claiming that the decision not to hire was based on their inclusion in these protected classes rather than job-related considerations. If you need information that might be related to a protected class, ask for it in a way that focuses on business needs. (church example, if you need someone who can work Sunday mornings, don’t ask candidates if or when they go to church); instead, provide them with the position’s schedule and verify that they’re available to work those hours. If you need to ensure that a candidate can do a physical aspect of the job, ask them if they’re able to do that task with or without accommodation, not if they have a disability that might interfere with their ability to do it.
Keep your questions and conversation focused on the job duties and the candidate’s skills and abilities, and you’ll be less likely to stumble into questions that could be discriminatory. If a candidate brings up their inclusion in a protected class, don’t worry, but be sure to steer the conversation back to the job.
Even if a particular question would not be barred under federal or state law, it should be omitted if it is not essential. Asking irrelevant questions may offend an applicant or damage the organization's reputation. Following are examples of questions not to ask during an employment interview:
Are you a U.S. citizen?
Were you born here?
Where are you from?
What is your ethnic heritage?
What is that accent you have?
How old are you?
When were you born?
Are you married?
Do you have any children? What are your child care arrangements? (Questions about family status are not job-related and should not be asked.)
When did you graduate from high school?
What church do you go to?
What clubs or organizations do you belong to?
Have you ever filed a worker's compensation claim? (You may not ask this question or any related question during the pre-offer stage.)
What disabilities do you have?
Do you have AIDS, or are you HIV-positive? (There is no acceptable way to inquire about this or any other medical condition.)
In addition, the interviewer should not ask questions about arrests that did not result in a conviction. Some states also prohibit employers from asking candidates about marijuana-related convictions that are two or more years old. And employers should never ask an applicant to submit a photograph—even if the request makes clear that providing a photo is optional, not mandatory.
Conducting the Interview
The manner in which human resource professionals and hiring managers interview applicants can be pivotal in identifying the top candidates for a job. A successful and effective interview is one in which both the interviewer and the interviewee receive accurate information and can make informed decisions about the applicant's suitability for the job.
The interview process can be stressful for both the interviewer and the interviewee. It is normal for an applicant to be nervous, so interviewers should try to put the person at ease from the moment he or she enters the room. By helping the interviewee feel relaxed and comfortable, the interviewer stands a better chance of obtaining a clear idea of the applicant's abilities and personality.
Before commencing with prepared questions, the interviewer could ease tensions by encouraging the applicant to talk about a particular interest—perhaps something on the person's resume. At this point the interviewer might also want to recap the position and what it entails. This can help the applicant answer questions more knowledgeably and consider again whether he or she is genuinely interested in the job.
Controlling the Interview
For an interview to be as useful as possible in the employment-decision process, the interviewer must maintain complete control over the interview at all times. Establishing and maintaining control requires, in addition to good questioning techniques, effective listening skills.
Effective listening is challenging, partly because people are often more focused on what they're saying than on what they're hearing. The key for the interviewer is to speak as little as possible. One approach to effective listening is a paraphrase of the golden rule: Listen to others as you would have them listen to you. Here are some tips for listening effectively:
Minimize internal and external distractions; focus only on what the applicant is saying.
Listen to the full answer before asking the next question.
Clarify the candidate's answers if necessary and ask if more information is needed. Occasionally it may be useful for interviewers to restate an applicant's reply in their own words.
Watch the interviewee's facial expressions and body language.
Encouraging Communication
To gain as much information as possible from an applicant, the interviewer should create an atmosphere that promotes communication. Following are suggestions for building rapport and fostering discussion:
Set aside a quiet place for the interview.
Schedule enough time so that the interview will not be rushed.
Inform the candidate well in advance about the location and time of the interview.
Greet the candidate with a pleasant smile and a firm handshake. Introduce yourself and anyone else who will be involved in the interview.
Ask for permission to record the interview or take notes.
Begin in a manner that provides a comfortable atmosphere for the candidate.
Outline the interview objectives and structure.
Try to ask questions that will facilitate discussion. Avoid questions requiring only a yes or no answer. Keep the questions open-ended so that the applicant has the opportunity to speak freely.
Ask only job-related questions. Steer clear of personal, private and discriminatory questions.
Start with easier questions and gradually build to more difficult or searching questions.
Ask only one question at a time.
If necessary, repeat the question, but try not to rephrase it.
Do not lead, prompt, interrupt or help the candidate find an answer.
Avoid facial expressions that could lead to an answer.
Listen carefully to the candidate's answers.
Probe for the applicant's ability to manage and work in teams.
Assess whether the candidate would fit with the organization's culture.
Follow-up Questions
Asking follow-up questions—also called probing—can be necessary when the interviewer does not fully understand a response, when answers are vague or ambiguous, or when the interviewer require more specific information from the applicant.
Probing questions inviting more detail often begin with "what" or "how." Questions inviting personal reflection often begin with "do you" or "are you." Questions beginning with "why" may put the respondent on the defensive or result in little useful information and require additional probing.
It is helpful to be familiar with some techniques of probing. Here are a few examples:
Could you please tell me more about . . . ?
I'm not quite sure I understood. Could you tell me more about that?
I'm not certain what you mean by . . . Could you give me some examples?
Could you tell me more about your thinking on that?
You mentioned . . . Could you tell me more about that? What stands out in your mind about that?
This is what I thought I heard . . . Did I understand you correctly?
What I hear you saying is . . .
Can you give me an example of . . . ?
What makes you feel that way?
You just told me about . . . I'd also like to know about . . .
Reflection Questions
Reflection questions are designed to help the interviewer achieve a deeper understanding of the applicant's responses. Such questions rarely evoke defensiveness; applicants want the interviewer to understand their responses. Reflection questions might begin with phrases such as:
Let me say back to you what I thought I heard you say . . .
That made you think (or feel) . . . ?
You mean that . . . ?
The potential pluses of reflection questions are varied. They can:
Demonstrate to the applicant that his or her responses are understood.
Rephrase the applicant's response in clearer or more articulate language.
Let the applicant know the interviewer is paying attention.
Provide the applicant with an additional opportunity to elaborate on his or her responses.
Closing the Interview
A popular method of closing the interview is to say the interview is ending and to offer the candidate the opportunity to ask questions. This will enable the candidate to gain clarification on aspects of the position and on employment conditions such as hours, salary and benefits. The interviewer should answer the candidate's questions as frankly as possible. If it is not an appropriate time to discuss compensation—perhaps others are present—the interviewer can suggest a follow-up discussion. Interviewers should be prepared to provide documents describing the company and its benefits. Ask if the candidate is interested in the job based on the information provided during the interview.
Ask about availability.
Ask for a list of people who can be contacted for references.
Explain the time frame for the rest of the interviews, the subsequent steps in the process and when a decision is likely to be made.
Explain how to get in touch with the interviewer and when to expect to hear from him or her.
Walk the candidate to the door and thank the person for the interview.
Such steps can ensure the applicant is left with a positive impression of the interviewer and the organization.
SHRM: https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/tools/toolkits/interviewing-candidates-employment
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com>pulse>5cs-interview-skills
Memorial Day Meaning – USMemorialDay.org
by Rhonda Anderson
Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in service of the United States of America. Memorial Day was borne out of the Civil War and a desire to honor our dead. On May 5, 1868, General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the republic, officially proclaimed it in his General Order No. 11. Part of the history of Memorial Day meaning will show that in the Order, the General proclaimed May 30, 1868, is designated for the purpose of laying flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land. Because the day wasn’t the anniversary of any particular battle, the General called it, The date of Decoration Day.
New York was the first state to officially recognize the holiday in 1873. It was recognized by all northern states by 1890. Differently the South refused to acknowledge the day and honored their dead on separate days. This went on until after World War I when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war.
With the Congressional passage of the National Holiday Act of 1971, it is now observed on the last Monday in May by almost every state. This helped ensure a three day weekend (Memorial Day Weekend) for Federal holidays. In addition, several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19th in Texas; April 26th in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi; May 10th in South Carolina; and June 3rd in Louisiana and Tennessee.
In 1915, inspired by the poem “In Flanders Fields”, Moina Michael replied with her own poem:
“We cherish too, the Poppy red That grows on fields where valor led, It seems to signal to the skies That blood of heroes never dies.”
She then conceived of an idea to wear red poppies in honor of those who died serving the nation during war. Later a Madam Guerin from France was visiting the United States and learned of this new custom started by Ms. Michael. When she returned to France she made artificial red poppies to raise money for war orphaned children and widowed women. This tradition spread to other countries. In 1921, the Franco-American Children’s League sold poppies nationally to benefit war orphans of France and Belgium. The League disbanded a year later and Madam Guerin approached the VFW for help. Shortly before Memorial Day in 1922 the VFW became the first veterans’ organization to nationally sell poppies.
The meaning of Memorial Day and history couldn’t be complete without the birth of the “National Moment of Remembrance”, which was a resolution passed on Dec 2000 which asks that at 3p.m. local time, for all Americans “To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to “Taps”.
Many believe Taps is a song, but officially it’s not. Taps is a bugle call which is a signal, not a song so there are no “official” Taps lyrics as well. The signal was also known as the Drum Taps, The Taps, or in solders’ slang: Taps.
The official military Taps is played by a single bugle or trumpet at dusk, during flag ceremonies and at military funerals by the United States Armed Forces. The duration is usually around 59 seconds but can vary at times.
In July 1962, after the Seven Days battles at Harrison’s Landing (near Richmond), Virginia, the wounded Commander of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, V Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, General Daniel Butterfield reworked, with his bugler Oliver Wilcox Norton, another bugle call, “Scott Tattoo”, to create Taps. He thought the regular call for Lights Out was too formal. Military Taps was adopted throughout the Army of the Potomac and finally confirmed by orders. Soon after that other Union units began using Taps. It became so popular that even a few Confederate units began using it as well. Even though there are no “official” lyrics to Taps the most popular lyrics are below
Day is done, gone the sun,
From the hills, from the lake, from the skies.
All is well, safely rest, God is nigh.
Go to sleep, peaceful sleep, may the soldier
or sailor, God keep. On the land or the deep, Safe in sleep.
Love, good night, must thou go,
When the day, and the night need thee so?
All is well. Speedeth all To their rest.
Fades the light;
And afar Goeth day,
And the stars Shineth bright,
Fare thee well;
And afar Goeth day,
And the stars Shineth bright,
Fare thee well;
Day has gone, night is on.
Thanks and praise, for our days,
‘Neath the sun, ‘Neath the stars, ‘Neath the sky,
As we go, this we know, God is nigh.
