Recruiting

External hires get paid more -- and perform worse -- than internal staff. Outside hires also have higher exit rates, according to a recent report. It's well known, the researcher says, that the only way to get a significant pay raise is to nail down an outside offer. What's the lesson for HR?

Too often, employers ignore the importance of onboarding and orientation programs, focusing on technical information such as benefits when it's more important to focus on culture and mission. It's a critical, but often overlooked, link to productivity and retention, experts say.

On the first of every April, we take time out of our busy schedules to pay homage to the fools among us: those who cross streets without first looking both ways, gulp hot beverages before first gauging just how hot the liquid is and -- for the purposes of this column -- fail gloriously during job interviews.

There's a definitive link between creativity and dishonesty, according to recent research. But companies are not about to stop seeking out innovative and creative talent, so what lessons are valuable for HR's role in keeping everyone honest in the workplace?

An organization's difficulty in recruiting and retaining top talent may be due to its corporate culture, its absurd job requirements or its faulty recruiting procedures. But it's probably not due to a lack of talent available on the job market.

A new study finds that profiles, status updates and comments on Facebook are valuable in predicting employee performance on the job, at least as they relate to personality characteristics. The potential liability that accompanies the use of social media in recruiting and hiring continues to be an issue, however.

A new report that links effective talent mobility with economic growth notes that organizations may find it necessary to collaborate with external organizations to create a skilled labor force. Experts also note that organizations should expand their definition of talent mobility beyond expat assignments and consider instead job mobility -- moving jobs to where the people are.

These notes are in response to Equalizing Opportunity.

Was it a brilliant idea or a "What were they thinking?" moment when an employer decided to require term-specific contracts for employees, which require them to reapply for the job once the contract is completed?

A survey by CareerBuilder, in conjunction with the American Staffing Association, finds that more than one-third (35 percent) of American companies have smaller staffs than before the recession -- and that many are continuing to turn to temporary workers to fill the gap.

In its beginning, recruitment-process outsourcing was a response to the boom-or-bust mentality of companies that would cycle through large-scale hiring to hiring freezes, sometimes in the same year.

Extreme uncertainty is plaguing employers operating today in the eurozone, as fears of government/bank default, euro breakup, bankruptcies and employee/customer distress continue to percolate.

Chief financial officers are split when asked whether an employee's sense of humor is important for fitting into their company's corporate culture, but workplace experts agree that the ability to find humor on the job is an important job skill -- no matter where you work.

The long-term outlook for employment looks better than the current situation, according to a recent report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, much of the projected growth is for jobs that only require a high-school diploma -- jobs that usually garner lower wages and fewer benefits.