Hiring Procedures - Seven Personnel Practices To Avoid

Good personnel practice begins with the hiring process. Often there are many people involved in the screening, interviewing and decision-making regarding job applicants. If this is true for your organization, it is wise to periodically review your policies and procedures with those individuals involved.

Part of that discussion should be on hiring practices that should be avoided. It's surprising how the untrained can make hiring mistakes. Here is a short list of hiring procedures to avoid.

1. Don't give oral assurances of job security.
2. Don't allow recruiters to speak for or make promises on behalf of your company.
3. Don't promise annual or periodic performance evaluations.
4. Don't overstate the significance of the completion of a "probationary" period.
5. Don't allow recruiters or interviews to verbally discount or discredit company "at will" statements with such remarks as: "Don't worry about it. It's just a form everyone signs."
6. Don't state on any document, or at any time, that discharge will only occur for "cause" or "just cause."
7. Don't list in an employee handbook or company manual the reasons or grounds for termination, or if you do, make it clear that it is an illustrative list and not an exclusive list.

Periodic review of all of your hiring procedures with supervisors and firms that recruit for you is a good idea - and it can greatly reduce the risk of confusion, miscommunication and a possible adverse employment situation down the road.