Recruiting

Image: Man over worked Finding the right person for the job can be quite time-consuming. Finding multiple people to fill a large contract or seasonal upswing is daunting. This is when you make your job easy and simply call Continental. We have over two decades of experience recruiting professionals, technicians and temporary workers. We specialize in finding you the right person for the job.

Personnel Searches

Continental has a large computerized database of candidates as well as numerous personal contacts developed over two decades. Additionally we have access to top Job Boards and utilize them in the search for your candidates as part of our overall recruiting service. For hard-to-find specialists we will advertise in strategic publications as well as utilizing traditional head-hunting techniques such as mining pat contacts for referrals.

Resume Screening

Image: mailbag of Resumes If you’ve ever done any recruiting, you know the old adage “You have to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince” definitely applies to recruiting. When the word gets out that you are looking for one or more employees, you often get stacks of resumes and applications from “Stan’s cousin who just got out of prison and needs a job” to “the Cleaning Lady who heard about the opening in the Cost Accounting Department.” Sorting through all of these can take days!

Continental provides this service as part of our overall recruiting services. We start with helping you develop a comprehensive job description. Utilizing this, we use our computerized HR tools to match applicants with your job requirements. We weed out the “frogs” and concentrate on the “princes”. We then check availability and verify that the candidate’s salary requirement fits within your salary range. The resulting short list of candidates is forwarded to you for your review and selection.

Skills Testing, IQ Testing and Personality Profiles

Some clients have specific skills required for their position. Continental will administer any skills test you require and can help you create one if needed. In addition, Continental has a battery of tests to give you a better understanding of your candidate’s skills and personality. These include IQ, personality profile, aptitude and mechanical skills testing. This testing is usually done after the candidate has been placed on your “short list” and before the interviewing process. However some clients prefer to test after the first interview.

Interviewing and Hiring

Interviewing

It’s both a skill and an art to uncover a person’s true character in an hour’s interview. You need to understand their skills as they relate to the job and then you must determine if the candidate would fit in with your organization. The last is often the most difficult. Continental’s Recruiting Professionals guide you through this process and will even conduct the interview if you desire. We will help you employ cutting edge recruiting techniques to ensure you really have found your prince!

Salary Negotiations

Once you have selected your candidate, you need to come to an agreement with him or her as to salary and benefits. This can be a tense process. Continental smoothes this process by acting as the go-between, much as a Real Estate Agent does in selling property. This back and forth process may take several days and involves give-and-take.

Key to this process is understanding the going rates of salaries in the area. If your competitors are paying a payroll clerk $30,000/year, you will be hard pressed to hire and retain a payroll clerk for much less than that amount. Conversely, if you pay much higher than the going rate, you are wasting your financial resources. Continental does regular salary surveys and can help guide you in negotiating a fair salary.

One hurdle to overcome in the negotiating process is the counter-offer from the candidate’s existing employer. For a really good candidate, this is to be expected and is actually an indication that you have selected a quality individual. If you are inexperienced in hiring, this counter-offer can take that candidate out of the running. However, there are tried and true techniques to mitigate this situation and neutralize the counter. Continental is trained in these techniques and can assist you in overcoming this hurdle.

Background Screening and Drug Testing

Image: drug screening Once you have selected your candidate and negotiated a salary and benefits package, you still need to make sure he or she has honestly represented themselves. This is verified with background screening. In today’s world, we recommend that you include Drug Testing with your Screening process.

Continental has a menu of screening services to fit your needs. Each customer has different needs and each position has different responsibilities. We suggest that you minimally do a local criminal check and a simple saliva drug test on every candidate, even for general labor positions. For executive positions we recommend a Credit Check, Motor Vehicle Record Check, and Criminal Background Check in any area they have lived in during the last five years. Additionally a verification of employment and education is standard for most positions.

However, there are fees for these checks and the more extensive the check, the more expensive the fee. Continental’s recruiting professionals will assist you in choosing the appropriate level of background screening for your position. We order and administer these screens and give you the results.

Our menu of Screening Services include:

Criminal Background Check

County Level

State Level

National Level

Credit Check

Motor Vehicle Record Check (driving record)

Drug Screening

Saliva Test

Urinalysis (done at a Medical Center)

Hair Analysis (this is the most comprehensive test)

Prior Employment Verification

Education Verification

Reference Checks

Skills Testing (often done earlier in the hiring process

Hiring

If you have selected Continental’s “Zero Hassle” Contract Staffing Services. We will handle the employee sign-up process for you. This includes the tax forms, Health Insurance forms and all employee benefits Sign-up. We will give the employee a brief orientation to our services as well as to your company.

The employee is introduced to the Continental employees he or she will interface with and if they will be traveling, they are signed up for a Continental Credit Card. The employee is instructed when and where to show up for their first day of work. You take it from there!

Image: Dick Wohlberg, Muhlen Son Inc. “Continental has always provided a viable candidate and never wasted our time with a dead end interview.” --Dick Wohlberg, General Manager, Muhlen Sohn Inc.

Did You Know?

The US Department of Labor estimates that drug use in the workplace costs employers $75 to $100 billion dollars annually in lost time, accidents, health care and workers compensation costs. 65% of all accidents on the job are related to drug or alcohol, and substance abusers utilize 16 times as many health care benefits and are six times more likely to file workers compensation claims then non-abusers.