Employment reference checking and background screening should win recognition as the weakest of all corporate HR processes. A validity meta-analysis study conducted by Aamodt & Williams in 2005 found that the corrected validity coefficient for reference recommendations and actual job performance was a staggeringly low .29. Despite the facts, 96% of …

The World Series is over and the San Francisco Giants won. Whether you are happy or upset with the outcome, you should analyze what it took for them to win and determine what talent management lessons can be learned. Major league baseball has always been a leader in measuring employee …

Many corporate practitioners and HR consultants talk about being more strategic, but then turn around and focus on incremental improvements to strategies, models and practices decades old. When most, if not all, of the practices that form the foundation of the typical HR function today were conceived, times were different. …

You may think that the title of this article is a little unprofessional because it includes the word “crap.” If you think an alternate title like “increasing the readability of corporate messaging” would be more appropriate, you probably don’t fully buy into the concept of “authenticity.” Allowing frank language on …

Quality of hire is always a subject of much debate.  Some argue that most of the measures in use actually measure the quality of the hiring process versus the quality of the actual hires made.  We agree that some of these  hire-quality measures are more process oriented, but one thing …

A common question raised these days by senior HR leaders and business journalists pertains to the reality of social media empowered recruiting.  By asking if it is “real,” I presume they want to know if it is a fad or something that will dominate recruiting in five years. My answer …

The current lull in college recruiting is an opportune time to evaluate new strategies and tools. It is no secret that the vast majority of organizations that recruit from college campuses globally do so tactically, employing little or no strategy.  To even the casual observer, the approaches used are predictable, …

  Five Differentiators of Great Metrics Initiatives Most metrics initiatives kill the design phase upon selecting a final short list of “easy-to-provide” metrics. Unfortunately this approach assures mediocre results! Delivering “easy to provide” metrics is like writing a free newspaper to be delivered via those plastic cubes alongside major streets …

Most organizations do a weak job at succession planning, but as recent events highlight, Hewlett-Packard deserves some sort of award for completely blowing it! While the “entire story” behind the departure of CEO Mark Hurd has yet to be uncovered, it is clear the issues leading up to it were …

I have a suggestion for you . . . dedicate your summer to re-building your employee referral program. Now is an ideal time to invest in program design and rejuvenation, as in most cases, chaos surrounding the new year and year end is a fading memory and distant nightmare. It’s …