Human Resources Blog - Spark Hire

Top Spark Hire HR Posts of 2012

The new year is upon us today and to that we say: Happy New Year! Last year was a great one all around, but this upcoming year is a chance to do even more good for the world of HR. However, before we move on to this new year let’s first take a look at some of the most shared articles we posted here on the Human Resource blog. Not only were these articles shared the most, but they were shared many times on all social media outlets including LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Stumble, etc. So without further ado, let’s take a look at the most shared articles on our Human Resources Spark Hire blog from 2012.

Can Cutting Out Meetings Improve Employee Engagement?
Does your company conduct more than one meeting a week? Do meetings take over your employee’s productivity? If so, then you may be inadvertently hurting your company’s employee engagement. Not only that, but most of the time company or department meetings can be very unproductive. If you didn’t read this last year, take a minute and read it now to see if you can cut out some meetings to improve your company’s employee engagement.

Illegal Interview Questions
Do you know what interview questions are off limits in a job interview? It seems as though many HR readers took a liking to this post last year. Perhaps it’s because if hiring managers ask job seekers the wrong questions, they could face legal issues. Certain things like religion, race, gender, and health have no place in the interview process. Read up on what questions are illegal and make sure you avoid asking them in your hiring process.

The Top 5 Job Skills Employers Want #INFOGRAPHIC
Do you know what job skills you look for most in a job seeker? According to one of our most shared articles from 2012, at the top of the list is collaboration and team work skills. However, the most desired job skills differ by region. What employers want on the east coast is a bit different than what employers value most in the Midwest. Take a quick look at this infographic we posted back in December and see if what you desire most from job seekers matches up with the majority of employers in your region.

What is Candidate Experience?
We weren’t very surprised that this article made it on the most shared list of blog posts. It’s crazy how many employers are unaware of what the candidate experience is. On top of that, candidate experience is so important in the hiring process as well as overall employee retention. If you aren’t quite sure what the candidate experience is yet, then be sure to read this post before you decide to stop into the new year.

How to Create a Great Candidate Experience
Now that you know what the candidate experience is, start working on creating a great one for your job seekers and top talent! Supplying a poor candidate experience can send top talent running the other way. Not only that, it can send your current employees running for the door as well. A poor candidate experience leads to poor hiring and poor employee retention. Be on the ball this year and start working on creating a great candidate experience for your candidates and employees.

Common Interview Questions Job Seekers Will Ask
Seasoned employers and hiring managers are likely ready for any questions job seekers throw at them. Or are they? With the job market picking up slightly, job seekers have more room to be picky in the company they choose to work for. A job interview is a chance for you to learn about the candidate, but it’s also their chance to learn about your company. Savvy job seekers will have some great questions for you, so be sure you are ready with some answers. (And not generic ones!)

Staying Engaged With Your Job
As another year starts, are you asking yourself why you are still working in this job? You’re not alone. However, instead of running to the job boards (Spark Hire first, of course) try and re-engage with your current position. It’s easy to get bored, but it may also be easy to remember why you loved this job in the first place. Take a look at how you can stay engaged with your job before you walk into the new year bored.

5 Best Interview Questions to Ask Your Candidate
You may have your interview process down to a science by now. However, some hiring managers may be starting the new year with a new job. Is recruiting new to year this year? Are you looking for some new questions to pose towards job seekers? Then take a look at these 5 interview questions you should be asking job seekers in the job interview.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Managers
Every manager wants to be a good manager- or at least they should! The thing is, good managers seem to have some things in common with each other. If one of your new year’s resolutions is to be a stellar manager, then take a look at these 7 habits that great managers share. If you don’t already possess these habits, then get to them!

4 Tips for Hiring Long-Term Employees
It’s no secret that when companies hire, they want to hire for the long-haul. In other words, you want to hire long-term employees that are going to stay with the company for at least a couple years. Otherwise you’ll have to jump on the hiring bandwagon countless amounts of times. That’s why we came up with these four great tips hiring managers can use to hire long-term employees. Take a look and start implementing them into your own hiring process.

Importance of Employee Appreciation #Infographic
Lastly, it should be no surprise that this was our most shared post of the year 2012. If you kept up with our posts in 2012, then you may have gathered that employee appreciation is important. In fact, it’s one of the most important aspects within a company. More than anything employees want to feel as though their work is appreciated. Take a look at this infographic from last year to see just how important it really is.

So there you have it hr pros, our most shared blog articles of 2012! If you thought those articles were helpful, then be sure to stick with us through 2013 as well. We can assure you that our tips won’t stop! Happy New Years!

IMAGE: Courtesy of Flickr by Lel4nd

Nicole Nicholson

Nicole is the Content Editor for Spark Hire and mainly writes for and edits the work for the Spark News blog. She graduated in 2010 with a BA in Journalism from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. She has a passion for writing, editing, and pretty much anything to do with content. In her free time she frequents the Chicago music scene and writes reviews on shows for her own personal blog. Connect with Nicole and Spark Hire on Facebook and Twitter

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