Parallel HR » interview questions

Criminal Past, Salary, and More: #cbjobchat Gets Tough On Interviews

Amy Chulik — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 10:30:58 +0000

CareerBuilder continued our monthly #cbjobchat Twitter chat last Monday night (quick plug: It's the first Monday of every month at 7 p.m. CST)-- so if you skipped the trainwreck that was the Real Housewives of New York Reunion Part II, you might have caught it! If you didn't, do not fear -- we've recapped the best bits of the chat for you. This month's chat was all about tough interview questions. Candidates aren't strangers to them -- those questions that seem to flow effortlessly from an interviewer's mouth, but that leave candidates themselves speechless, or trailing off into a long, random story about sixth grade camp and s'mores and that cute girl with the pigtails and the camp counselor who told them to never be afraid. Never. Be. Afraid! Wait, now where was I? Ah, yes. Tough or scary interview questions -- employers have to deal with them too (just on the other, less scary side). So this past Monday night was the perfect opportunity to merge the two worlds together, to share advice and give everyone the opportunity to learn a little more about the other side's experience. For those who aren't familiar with #cbjobchat, we aim to bring together both job seekers and career experts to discuss today's most pressing recruitment process questions.When job seekers had questions, you all didn't hide your feelings. But job seekers had some opinions to share with you as well. Let's dig in:

The Perfect Fit: Recruitment and Retention Strategies from John Thedford, CEO of La Familia Pawn and Jewelry

Guest Contributor — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 14:00:22 +0000

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR: Authored by John Thedford. Thedford is CEO of La Familia Pawn and Jewelry, a chain of high-end pawnbroker shops with locations throughout Central and South Florida, and he is the author of Smart Moves Management: Cultivating World-Class People and Profits. For more information, visit www.lafamiliapawn.com.

A company without good employees is like a shark without teeth … very ineffective and bound for extinction. Here are some strategies that can help you hire and promote the best people for your business. Being a business owner requires a strong commitment to success and attention to detail. Tasked with many responsibilities, entrepreneurs have to maintain a vigilant focus on the key processes that drive their operations. Based on my own experiences, I believe the trickiest part of running a company is the hiring process. Why? Because people are complex creatures with unique attributes, and hiring the right employees is imperative to the success of your endeavor. In other words, when it comes to hiring, the stakes are high. The “right” people are the core of your strength. Inversely, the “wrong” people will make you weaker and less effective. In the end, you’ve worked hard to start your business, and you need to create an environment where everyone functions on the same page and works toward the same goals. How do you accomplish this? Take hiring — and the development of superior talent — very seriously, and have a process in place that gives you the best chance of hiring and retaining employees who will help you realize success.

A Strategic Path to Success

Through trial and error, I’ve learned that business success isn’t a model; it’s an equation of compatibility and chemistry among employees, customers and investors. Creating a strategic path based on this philosophy will pay major dividends because an engaged employee will provide exceptional customer service and make so much money for themselves and for the company that your shareholders will marvel at the outcome.

“What Happens if the Owner Dies?” True Tales of Interview Questions That Stumped Hiring Managers

Mary Lorenz — Wed, 05 May 2010 14:00:48 +0000

Last week, I challenged readers to share the most difficult interview questions they’ve ever gotten – as interviewers. From the blunt (“What don’t you like about working for your company?”) to the bizarre (“If you walked into a room filled with jars and I was one of the jars, what would I have to contain to stand [...]

Introducing CareerBuilder’s Ultimate Recruitment Guide (Free Download)

Stephanie Gaspary — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 20:55:14 +0000

We at CareerBuilder have created this e-book for you, the employer.

For the small bait and tackle shop owner, as well as the restaurant franchise owner.
For the small tech firm, as well as the Fortune 500 corporation.

Because while your recruitment needs may be vastly different from every other business, you still do have recruitment needs. And whether you are concerned with getting less application drop-off, building a stronger employment brand, delving into the world of social media, providing more training opportunities for your employees, or a myriad of other challenges, CareerBuilder’s team of experts can help you isolate and tackle the specific areas of concern in your recruitment process and move forward to meet your next challenge with confidence and ease.

Use this e-book to discover our best tips around:

Recruitment benchmarking
Talent intelligence
Compensation strategy
Employment branding
Social media recruitment
Employee engagement and retention
Candidate attraction
Recruitment process optimization
Employee training
Succession management
Employee onboarding
Interview questions
...and more!

Download CareerBuilder’s Ultimate Recruitment Guide e-Book, our brand new how-to-hire guide stocked with the latest tips and advice – and designed to address your unique recruitment needs today.

What’s Ahead for College Grads? Let’s Take a Peek at the Job Outlook

Amy Chulik — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 17:58:42 +0000

The outlook for college grads is not the same as it has been in the past — like, say, in 2007, when 79 percent of employers indicated in a CareerBuilder survey that they planned to hire recent college grads. Still, although it appears the overall job market for 2010 college graduates will remain highly competitive, [...]