Frank’s Employment

Several people have commented on the fun introduction Elyse gave for our raffle prize at a recent Women’s Business Council luncheon.  The process for the WBC is that any company sponsoring a prize gives a brief presentation about their business, by way of introducing their gift for the monthly event.

By popular demand, here’s the text of her intro:

“I’m Elyse with Frank’s Employment.  And I’d like to talk about our business by talking about the basket I’ve brought as a raffle prize today.

It’s a Halloween basket.  It contains assorted candies: Mounds; Double Bubble gum; Payday; and Milk Duds.  And in the middle is a $35 gift certificate for Town House Books and Café.

So how is that related to my work in staffing?

Well, most people think about hiring a new employee as a pretty scary process!  Not fun.  Certainly not a treat.

We’ve got Mounds bars because you may be worried that you’ll be buried in a mound of résumés when you advertise.

We’ve got Double Bubble gum because you might find that the search doubles your already-heavy workload.

We’ve got Payday bars because you’re likely afraid of what you’ll pay in time, energy, and lost productivity while looking for your ideal candidate.

And you’ve probably already guessed that the Milk Duds represent your concern of making a big mistake in your hiring — a dud.

There’s a simple way to let go of your fears: trust the professionals at Frank’s Employment.  We handle temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct-hire approaches.  We have microstaffing solutions if you need help with just one aspect of the hiring process, as well as full service staffing from start to finish backed by our guarantee.

When you turnover those fears to a Frank’s staffing professional, you will find more time and energy for what you most value.  Maybe even the chance to relax with a good novel and a great sandwich at Town House Books and Café.

When you’re ready to focus on the treats of hiring a great employee, call Frank’s Employment!”

Congratulations to our basket winner.  And thanks to the October luncheon participants, who gave the first-ever big round of applause for Elyse’s creative presentation!

I have the sad task of telling you that Ruby Frank passed away on Saturday, April 11, 2009.  She was a very active lady and touched a lot of people in her 88 years on this earth.  We will miss her greatly.

Ruby founded Frank’s Employment in 1957, at a time when women in business were rare and temporary employment agencies didn’t exist in the area.  Throughout her leadership of the company, she loved helping workers find the jobs they needed and assisting businesses in hiring great employees.

She worked steadily in her business for 46 years, entrusting it to the second generation of family leadership when she retired to Florida in 2003.

Ruby set the standard for compassion and understanding in helping people at Frank’s Employment.  We plan to continue her fine tradition through our next half-century.

Best regards,

Craig Frank, President of Frank’s Employment

What questions can and can’t I ask in an interview?

Perhaps the one thing that makes a hiring manager the most nervous about an interview is the fear that they may be asking “illegal” questions.  Those who don’t interview on a regular basis are often afraid to carry on a normal conversation with an applicant for fear that they are going to cross that line and get themselves in trouble.

For the record, it is illegal to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status (with regard to employment), age 40 and over, marital status, physical or mental handicap, military service, unfavorable military discharge, and sexual orientation.  For more details, you can access this link - http://www.state.il.us/dhr/.  

You cannot ask questions that might lead to discrimination in hiring.  What you can do is ask questions related to the skills needed for the job.

Can they perform the functions of the job?

The key to the legality of your interviewing questions is this - can the applicant perform the functions of the job?  Your first line of defense is to have a detailed job description for the position you are looking to fill.   With that in hand, a question might go like this:  “This job requires that you stand on your feet for up to 8 hours each day.  You will be filling and lifting boxes that weigh up to 30 lbs each from a conveyor and stacking them on a pallet, and repeating this up to 50 times each day.  Can you do that?”  Or another; “This job requires that you be proficient using Excel and able to set up spreadsheets from scratch, including formulas and macros.  Can you do that?”  “Can you give me examples of projects where you did that?”

Having a list of specific questions will accomplish two purposes.  One, you can address all of the requirements in an effort to determine the applicant’s fit for the job.  Second, you will keep yourself out of trouble by not straying into subjects that are inappropriate.

Phone Interviews

Under most circumstances, a face-to-face interview is preferred.  However, if you need to hire a receptionist or a customer service person, someone who will be regularly talking to customers on the phone, then first conduct a phone interview.  Call them at their home and talk to them over the phone before you meet them in person.  This will simulate the experience that your customers will have when they make contact with your company. 

Structured vs. unstructured

You are likely to learn more about the applicant if you don’t hold to a highly structured interview format.  Make your list of necessary questions, but avoid merely reading one after the other.  Make some small talk, ask them how the drive was from their home to your office, chit-chat about the weather or sports, etc.  Be pleasant and help them relax.  You will learn more about their personal side while avoiding the “wrong” questions.

Like meeting a new friend

When they are more relaxed with you, they will talk more freely and you will find out more about them.  Treat them like you are meeting a new friend.  Even if you don’t hire them, they will say good things about you and your company to others and make it easier to recruit the right candidate.