Think You Can Spot a Fake Resume?

According to one CareerBuilder survey, 38 percent of employees have embellished their job responsibilities at some point, while 18 percent have lied about their skill sets. Other common lies surrounded information about employees’ start and end dates of employment, academic degrees, previous employers and job titles.

6 Ways to Keep Candidates LegitUse the following tips as you evaluate candidate resumes moving forward:

1. Perform a standard background check on things like work history, residences, dates of employment, etc. Look for discrepancies between what the candidate submitted and what the reports reveal.
2. Check for red flags: Unexplained gaps in employment, a reluctance to explain the reason for leaving, and unusual periods of self-employment can be a tip off to false employment history. Always check references, including clients, for self-employed work history. Because even references can be fake, check the web sites of previous employers and use the phone numbers found online for employment verification. (Can’t find a previous employer’s web site, even after you’ve “Googled” it? The Better Business Bureau or the local Chamber of Commerce are good resources to check, too.)
3. Utilize social networking sites. Social networking profiles contain public information that may help you verify certain information such as a candidate’s work history or education credentials. (Just be aware of the possible legal ramifications of using social media to screen applicants. It’s probably best not to ask candidates for their Facebook passwords, either.)
4. Test their skills. Knowing that employers use keyword searching to find and qualify their resumes, applicants may include keywords for all skills required for the job – regardless of whether they have them or not. Find out if they’re embellishing by asking specific technical questions about the skills they claim to have and actually test their computer skills.
5. Be fair. Remember that mistakes and misunderstandings do happen. If you find a discrepancy, give the candidate an opportunity to explain.
6. Use common sense. Trust your intuition and experience. If something doesn’t seem right, follow up on it.

Do you have an experience with a candidate or employee who lied on his or her resume?
Click here to CareerBuilder's site to view the original article.

WI Insurance Coverage for Adult Children up to Age 27 Change

If you have a young adult in your household, and you did not previously determine them eligible under your health insurance plan, read this information carefully. Based on this information, employees may need to submit enrollment forms before December 31st for their adult children for coverage effective January 1, 2010.

A new state law allows young adults to be able to receive coverage through their parents' health care plan. This week the Governor announced an emergency rule from the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) clarifying how eligibility is determined for adult children up to age 27.

The most notable clarification is how to determine whether or not your adult child, who is working and eligible for health insurance coverage through his/her own employer, can be added to your state insurance plan. To determine eligibility, the amount of the adult child's premium contribution is to be compared to the additional amount you are required to pay for inclusion of the adult child under your policy. (i.e. If you already have the family plan, then the additional premium amount to add a dependent is zero. Therefore, if your adult child's premium contribution is greater than zero, they are eligible to enroll.)


Another notable clarification pertains to the eligibility of an adult child over age 27 that is a full-time student and was called to federal active duty in the National Guard or in a reserve component of the U.S. armed forces. The rule clarifies that if your adult child applies to an institution of higher education as a full-time student within 12 months from the date he/she has fulfilled their active duty obligation then they become an eligible dependent for insurance purposes.

As a result of the enactment of the rule and these noted changes, the Department of Employee Trust Funds (ETF) has updated the "Children to Age 27 Q&A" on its website at: http://etf.wi.gov/publications/dependent_mandate_2010.pdf. Revisions and new information are flagged. As mentioned above, ETF has extended the enrollment period for adult children. Employees need to submit enrollment forms before December 30, 2009 for coverage effective January 1, 2010.

One other consideration that doesn't affect coverage: Tax dependency may be established using several methods including, but not limited to qualifying children and qualifying relative(s). IRS Publication 501 provides the criteria for determining tax dependency. If you have any questions concerning the tax status of any dependent, please review Publication 501 and consult your tax advisor.

If you have a young adult in your household, and you did not previously determine them eligible under your health insurance plan, read this information carefully. Based on this information, employees may need to submit enrollment forms before December 31st for their adult children for coverage effective January 1, 2010.

A new state law allows young adults to be able to receive coverage through their parents' health care plan. This week the Governor announced an emergency rule from the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) clarifying how eligibility is determined for adult children up to age 27.

The most notable clarification is how to determine whether or not your adult child, who is working and eligible for health insurance coverage through his/her own employer, can be added to your state insurance plan. To determine eligibility, the amount of the adult child's premium contribution is to be compared to the additional amount you are required to pay for inclusion of the adult child under your policy. (i.e. If you already have the family plan, then the additional premium amount to add a dependent is zero. Therefore, if your adult child's premium contribution is greater than zero, they are eligible to enroll.)

Another notable clarification pertains to the eligibility of an adult child over age 27 that is a full-time student and was called to federal active duty in the National Guard or in a reserve component of the U.S. armed forces. The rule clarifies that if your adult child applies to an institution of higher education as a full-time student within 12 months from the date he/she has fulfilled their active duty obligation then they become an eligible dependent for insurance purposes.
As a result of the enactment of the rule and these noted changes, the Department of Employee Trust Funds (ETF) has updated the "Children to Age 27 Q&A" on its website at:http://etf.wi.gov/publications/dependent_mandate_2010.pdf
Revisions and new information are flagged. As mentioned above, ETF has extended the enrollment period for adult children. Employees need to submit enrollment forms before December 30, 2009 for coverage effective January 1, 2010.

One other consideration that doesn't affect coverage: Tax dependency may be established using several methods including, but not limited to qualifying children and qualifying relative(s).
IRS Publication 501 provides the criteria for determining tax dependency. If you have any questions concerning the tax status of any dependent, please review Publication 501 and consult your tax advisor.

Illinois Photo Radar in Work Zones

Illinois will begin using photo radar in freeway work zones in July. One mile per hour over the speed limit and the machine will get you a nice $375.00 ticket in the mail.

Beginning July 1, the State of Illinois will begin using the speed cameras in areas designated as "Work Zones" on major freeways. Anyone caught by these devices will be mailed a $375.00 ticket for the FIRST offense. The SECOND offense will cost $1,000.00 and comes with a 90-Day suspension. Drivers will also receive demerit points against their license, which allow insurance companies to raise insurance rates.This is the harshest penalty structure ever set for a governmental unit involving PHOTO speed enforcement. The State already has two camera vans on line issuing tickets 24/7 in work zones with speed limits lowered to 45 MPH. Photos of both the Driver's face and License plate are taken. Pass this on to everyone you know who might be affected!!!

Job Seekers: Questions to Ask During an Interview

Questions to Ask during an Interview (Job Seekers)

The end of an interview is usually reserved for you to ask questions. While I am sure you have already searched the internet to learn a little about the company and who their competition is, now is the time to gather any additional information you need to determine whether or not this is the job for you.

• Is this a new position? (this helps you determine if the company is growing, has someone been promoted, or if there is turnover…so follow up with the next 2 questions…)
• What happened to the last person who had this job? How long did they hold this job? (the company may be a bit vague if the individual was terminated but inquire as to what aspect of the job description they did not fulfill to expectations)
• Would you describe the duties of the job? (this may have been reviewed during the interview, don’t ask if it was unless you need more specifics)
• Will I work alone or with other people?
• Why have you gone outside the company to fill this position? (will give you good insight to how they hire and what their approach is to promotion from within)
• What are the greatest problems you think I might face in this company?
• Is there anything I can do or study to get a head start on learning this job?
• Why is this company a good place to work?
• How does your company plan to grow or expand in the next few years?
• What can you tell me about new products or services that the company is planning to introduce?
• Is there any probation period? (many companies have an evaluation period up to 1 year where there is no legal, moral or ethical commitment)
• How will my performance be evaluated? (obviously you read the news and there is a lot of talk about ‘pay for performance’…this is my favorite type of set up because it is not based on an employee’s tenure but more on ability and success rate on the job…will you be evaluated every 6 months, annually? If you are offered the job, then you may want to ask if you are eligible for pay increases during the performance evaluation. Best to leave this till after the job offer is extended.)
• How would you characterize the leadership style of the person who supervises this position? (this is the person you are going to have to work with every day…make sure they have they a style that is going to help you be successful in the role.)
• Who will I report to? Will I be meeting with them?
• Can you describe how this job relates to the overall goals of the department and the company?
• What are some of the most important objectives that you would like to see accomplished on this job?
• What is the growth potential within your company starting from this position? (you may have already figured this out based on previous answers…if not a good question to ask)
• Will I be cross-trained for other positions?

Alrighty, the interview is over. You shake hands with the interviewer and thank him/her for the time they spent with you. Keep eye contact. If it has not already been offered to you, ask for their business card.

You may now choose to ask 2 additional questions.

• Am I a serious contender for this position?
• When do you expect to make a hiring decision?

Don’t forget to send a hand written thank you note the same day of the interview. Be professional. If you interviewed with multiple individuals, send a hand written note to each.

Machine Operator - Shop Assistant (Freeport, IL)

Excellent Furst-to-Hire opportunity for a flexible first shift schedule. Working between 30 and 40 hours per week. Opportunities to advance as a machine operator. Industrial sewer and helping with material cutting/shop assistant. Will cut material and run it through an automated machine to make industrial harnesses.

Location: Freeport, IL

Hours: Hours can be flexible from 7am to 9am start time and 3:30pm to 5:00pm end time. 30-40 hours per week.

Pay: $8.75/hr.

Type of Placement: This is a Furst-to-Hire opportunity.

• Pre-employment Drug Test & Background Check, random DT.
• Must be able to follow directions
• Take initiative.
• Have flexibility to schedule and duties assigned to them
• Ability to stand for duration of shift.
• Good math skills.
• Reliable transportation
  

Please submit your resume to: christine.kempel@furststaff.com or apply on-line @ http://www.furststaff.com/

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FurstStaffing provides comprehensive staffing solutions for industrial, administrative and office support, engineering and technical positions. Furst Staffing provides temporary, Furst-to-Hire and direct hire services, as well as exclusive on-site programs in Northern Illinois, Southern Wisconsin and the Chicagoland area.

We are staffing specialists committed to enhancing the productivity of our customers and improving the employability of our workforce for the benefit of the community. We remain determined to exceed expectations and deliver what we promise.

How to Successfully Prepare & Implement a Reduction in Force or Plant Closing In these harsh economic times, employers face difficult challenges. Maintaining appropriate workforce levels is now more essential than ever. However, reductions in force (RIF) or downsizing provide fertile ground for litigation. Plant closings have enormous legal risks as well. RIFs and Plant Closings may affect one employee or hundreds of employees depending on the size of the business. These decisions and the method of implementation requires careful planning to avoid (or to defend) litigation. Click here to read more.
By: Jeffrey A. Risch, Esq. Wessels Sherman jerisch@wesselssherman.com

4 Stimulus Plan Tax Perks for Business
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (better known as the Stimulus Act) includes a laundry list of tax changes, including four provisions that will be very helpful for many small to medium-sized businesses. Here’s the scoop.
Extension of the Generous “Section 179” First-Year Depreciation Deduction
Under the Section 179 deduction privilege, many small and medium-sized businesses can write off most or all of the cost of qualifying new and used assets in the year when they are first put to use. Click here to read more.
By: The Tax Guy, Bill Bischoff

Minimizing Your Social Security Payroll Tax/Self-Employment Tax Like many people, you might get more back in benefits than you pay in Social Security taxes, but not necessarily. For example, you may never need to use all of the benefits you’re entitled to, or you may be entitled to a greater benefit based on someone else’s earnings record. Jacob Fitzgerald, VP with Ameriprise Advisor Services, offers insight into understanding how Social Security payroll taxes and self-employment taxes finance your benefits, who may & may not benefit from minimizing SS payroll taxes, strategies that may be used to minimize payroll taxes, tax considerations and more. Click here to read more.

Healthcare sees job gains despite losses elsewhere Healthcare continued to add jobs in February while the rest of the American job market remained in a free-fall. Click here to read more. By: Joe Carlson

Study: Few U.S. Hospitals Use Digital Records U.S. hospitals have a long way to go to join the digital age. Fewer than 2 percent have abandoned paper medical charts and completely switched to electronic health records, a new national study found. Click here to read more. By Kay Campbell

Should Employers Use Search Engines to Screen Candidates? You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have the Internet. Hiring Managers take great caution when conducting interviews face-to-face to protect themselves and their company by avoiding questions generally related to nationality, religion, age, marital or family status, gender, and health and medical situations. And yet with the click of the mouse, all of that information (digital dirt) is available immediately. Most likely, more information than they care to have accessed. Click here to read more.
By: FurstStaffing

Get the Monozukuri In the 1950s and 60s, the pursuit of quality production in Japan was catalyzed in part by the teachings of W. Edwards Deming and the best practices of American companies. Dr. Deming’s expertise in developing qualitative methods to improve productivity while lowering costs was internalized by many engineers in Japan’s manufacturing sector. Click here to read more. By: Ralph Inforzato is Director, Business Development, Japan External Trade Org

The Power of Cinnamon Smelling cinnamon boosts cognitive function & memory. Cinnamon has an anti clotting effect on blood. It can reduce the proliferation of leukemia and lymphoma cancer cells. A study at Copenhagen University showed patients given a half teaspoon of cinnamon powder combined with a tablespoon of honey every morning before breakfast had significant relief in arthritis pain after one week and could walk without pain after one month. It fights e-coli bacteria in unpasteurized juices.

Exercise & Nutrition Tips Functional Twist - Straddle stand with Medicine ball in hand. Pivot your left foot and bend the knee toward to floor bring the medicine ball down to the outside of your right ankle. Your right foot stays stable on the floor but your knee bends and your hips follow. Now swing the ball up towards your left shoulder pivoting your left foot back straddle stand. Do ten repetition to the right and ten more to the left.

Armando Valerio, CPT, NCSF, & Julia Valerio, MS RD, from Chicago Core Confidence. On-line personal training with Nutritional Counseling and Weight Loss Programs. http://www.chicagocoreconfidence.com/

We hope you enjoyed this edition of FurstWord.If you have any topics that you would like to see in future FurstWord please submit them to heretohelp@furststaff.com.

Please remember to take some time and visit our Resource Center @ http://www.furststaff.com/. It offers information on best practices, HR tips & advice, tools to help you get exceptional results from your staffing partner, information on important employment laws, best-selling book suggestions on HR, leadership & personnel management issues, and much more.

YOU STOPPED LAUGHING: SHE LIVED HER DREAM, WHAT ABOUT YOU?

The world is a flutter about an unsuspecting stand out performer from the television program, Britain’s Got Talent. Basically, the equivalent to the state’s American Idol. This stand out performer is a forty-eight year old Scot named, Susan Boyle. If you haven’t heard of her, where have you been?

Susan Boyle is unemployed, never been kissed, lives with her 10 year old cat Pebbles, cared for her mother until her passing in 2007 at the age of 91. Susan was starved of oxygen at birth which resulted in a learning disability. Attending church every weekend helped her singing develop, aided by her mother’s constant encouragement.

Simon Cowell , a judge on the show, asked “What is the dream?” The response, “To be a professional singer.” Simon responded, “Why hasn’t it worked for you.” “I’ve never been given the chance before. But here’s to hoping it’ll change.” Boy did it! Ms. Boyle sang “I Dream a Dream” from Les Miserables. The title could not be more appropriate for the performer and her life. Ms. Boyle’s performance is being heard and appreciated around the world. The YouTube video has been viewed over 19 million times. Ms. Boyle’s Facebook page has over 200,000 fans and growing…quickly!

There is so much to learn from the story of Susan Boyle.

• Have we all become too cynical? We all know the saying ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’. Underneath this rather frumpy exterior lies an incredible person with such a positive outlook. Not to mention a pretty fantastic singing talent. From being abused and teased by her schoolmates to the looks and laughs of the audience as Ms. Boyle came out and declared she would like to be like Elaine Page, the first lady of British musical theatre. Who was laughing in the end? Mostly Susan Boyle. She blew the judges and the audience away. They were too gobsmacked to reacted other than clapping their hands together whilst teary eyed. You never know what amazing talents people have, what hardships they have been through and had to overcome. While we all may not have the talent of signing as beautifully as Susan Boyle, hopefully we can all take a look at how we treat each other and show the same respect we ourselves would like to receive. Have you seen the commercial where one person does a good dead and it becomes contagious with each person having witnessed a good dead then paying it forward. That’s how we should approach every day.
• We all need a chance. We hear this quite often in the employment business. A candidate has had schooling or training and now just needs someone to give them an opportunity to use those skills. It may be hard to find that one person to give you that chance. But don’t give up. Keep networking. Keep putting yourself out there. Nothing happens when you are sitting at home on the couch watching television. It is on you to find that chance.
• What is your dream/passion? In a time when unemployment is so high maybe now is the time to identify and follow your dreams and passions. I had the pleasure of meeting a guy named, Armando Pedroso. After 9/11, he lost his sales job which he had for 18 years. Armando has never painted but decided to teach himself and found something that he is truly passionate about. Fortunately, for Armando he has been able to make a living through his art career. Not everyone will be able to make a career out of their passion, but maybe we need to engage in the passion more often and include it in our life. Take a look at our lives and simplify. Enjoy what we do have.
• Attitude….The Right Attitude. The emotion of Ms. Boyle’s performance caught us all. We knew it was either going to be horrible or wonderful. It was not only wonderful it was unbelievably beautiful. It was a story of following a dream and believing in yourself and that dream. Taking chances and not giving up, going for it! A few weeks ago, we posted a blog on Charles Swindell’s poem ‘Attitude’. Susan Boyle’s story is completely about attitude. The poem says, “I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.” As one of the judges put it, the entire audience was against her. I don’t think anyone told Susan Boyle that bit of information. If we could all have the attitude and outlook Ms. Boyle uses in her approach to life we might see some more magical moments in our own lives. After her performance she said she felt “bloody fantastic”…why wouldn’t she. Susan achieved a goal of singing in front of a large audience, fulfilled a promise to her late mom who encouraged her to sing, and found that person who gave her a chance….now over 19 million of them!

If for some reason you have not seen Susan Boyle’s performance, you must check it out.
http://tiny.cc/Q24lp