Pre-Employment: The Interview and Drug Screening

To meet demands of the holiday season, many companies – retail and otherwise – are bringing on extra crew. Obtaining comprehensive criminal screens for seasonal and holiday employees has grown in importance in recent years, as employers are still responsible for the safety of their staff amid stricter hiring regulations.

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Pre-Employment Drug Screening: Why should I?

Drug screening in the workforce continues to be a critical aspect in the proper hiring and overall maintenance of company staff. A drug-free work environment helps to keep everyone safe – at the same time, enforcing drug-free policies and procedures helps to keep drug-related drops in performance from being a possibility. When an employer accepts responsibility for their staff’s safety and overall productivity through consistent implementation of drug testing, there are benefits to the company as a whole. As stated by the National Drug Free Workplace Alliance (NDWA): “Employers have seen a decrease in workplace accidents, employee mistakes, absenteeism, and employee turnover and in their worker’s compensation claims. Other benefits are less tangible, such as improved workplace environment, employee morale and customer satisfaction.”*

Companies cannot lose when screening their employees for drug use.
Some states even offer companies a discount on worker’s compensation premiums if drug screening procedures are utilized in the workforce. NationSearch offers Instant E-Cup, 5-Panel, and 10-Panel drug screening package options for our clients. Because choosing the best staff for your company is essential, get in contact with us today if you are interested in learning more.

Interviewing: Take a Close Look at Objectives

Interviewing is a critical first step in creating the ideal workforce. What is more important in selecting the best candidate for the job: hiring a person with an extensive skillset and overall experience in the necessary field, or selecting an individual who is ambitious and motivated? There are always applicants that exhibit all of these traits in an interview, but this situation is not always the case: in the event that HR and hiring personnel would have to choose between the two facets, which would be preferred? We asked our recruiting department what they look for most in a potential new hire:

“When interviewing candidates, I seek to understand their level of motivation. I believe that an applicant’s ambition and their intentions are at the heart of getting great results from an employee –
all the rest can be trainedand built on.” – Olivia, Client Communications.
“Depending on the position, it’s good to go over job specifics in order to get a clear understanding of an applicant’s abilities – experience is crucial to me: how well can they perform on their own after training? When I’m interviewing, I’m looking closely at their demeanor, especially when choosing candidates for a leadership position versus jobs that will need a person who can take instruction.”
– Andrew, Compliance.

In all interviews, it is imperative to craft questions that assist in gathering understanding of the lengths and limits of a person as a potential part of your company. Get creative with your questions in order to get the clearest picture possible of what a person may bring to the table as a prospect for future employment.

DRUG SCREENING SERVICES

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*National Drug Free Workplace Alliance: http://www.ndwa.org/faq.php (retrieved 12/23/2013)

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