Leadership & Employee Development

Waukesha, WI

Mon - Fri: 9am to 4:30pm

Some Faqs

faqs

Why should my business hire a Human Resources consulting firm?

We are highly knowledgeable and experienced in Human Resources Management (HRM). We have over 40+ years of combined HRM experience.  We have the depth and knowledge to partner with employers and employees as a valuable resource.  In many businesses HR duties are the responsibility of the owner, which is not the best use of their valuable executive business time.

Hiring HCSC will offer an organization consistency in HR policies and procedures which reduces employer liability, improves culture/morale and overall communication within the organization.

What services do you offer?

At Howard Communication Strategy Consultants, LLC (HCSC), we take a holistic approach to helping employers manage their business and their most important investment – employees. We offer flexible solutions because the one-size-fits-all method will not ensure successful results. A few of the services we provide include:  development of human resource policies, and employee handbooks, gap analysis, customized training, strategic planning, succession plans, and more.

What should be kept in an employee file?

The basic information to keep are: employee application and new hire documents, training records, any required certifications or licenses, employee performance reviews and merit increases, disciplinary records, status changes, and promotions.  Access should be confidential and kept on a “need to know” basis. Medical information should NOT be included in the Employee file, there should be a separate file for medical information.

What interview techniques do you recommend for employers?

All interview candidates will be different, and many are nervous during an interview.  We recommend that employers use a conversational tone rather than confrontational.  Keep in mind there are certain illegal questions which may not be asked. Also, remember it is important to ask each candidate the same questions.  While there are several techniques to obtain answers, we prefer to ask questions that will allow the candidate to provide examples of how they have handled or will handle a situation. The technique we recommend most often is a combination of Behavioral and Competency-Based interview questions.

Behavioral interviewing is a technique for assessing a candidate’s suitability for a position. The employer asks the applicant how he or she handled a particular situation in the past to get an idea of how the candidate will handle future situations. Below are two examples of Behavioral Interview questions.

  • Describe a time when you were faced with a stressful situation that demonstrated your coping skills.
  • Give me a specific example of a time when you had to conform to a policy with which you did not agree.

Competency-based interviewing can give the employer a sense of a candidate’s job performance and attitude toward work. Following are two examples of Competency-Based questions:

  • Tell me about a time when you had to encourage others to contribute ideas or opinions. How did you get everyone to contribute? What was the result?
  • Tell me about a situation in which your spoken communication skills made a difference in the outcome. How did you feel? What did you learn?