Leading Ten Guidelines for Recruiting For the duration of the Recovery

Mistake #1 - The Employer and/or employee fails to sign and date the I-9 forms where indicated on the form.

Mistake #2 - The employee fails to complete section 1 of the I-9 Form on the first date of work.

Mistake #4 - The Employer leaves the start date for work blank in the "certification" block of section 2.

Mistake #6 - The Employer forgets to track the expiration date of work authorization and does not re-verify an employee's employment authorization on or before the expiration date listed on the I-9 form.

Mistake #7 - The Employer over-documents and lists too many documents in section 2.

Mistake #8 - The Employer looks at photocopies rather than original verification documents. The employee must present original documents and the Employer should never accept photocopies of documents for verification.

Mistake #9 - The Employer fails to match the employee's verification documents - the Employer should look for a match and consistency in the employee's name and date of birth on the documents.

Mistake #10 - The Employer fails to consistently apply its photocopying policy. The law does not require Employer to make copies of verification documents; however, if the Employer does make copies, it must make copies for all employees, not just some.

The downturn may have been very hard work, but the recovery shouldn't mean kicking back and living the easy life – especially if you want top-quality talent. Put in the marketing efforts to bring in a large number of candidates. Don't rely on job-boards to do your work for you

Posting jobs on the various boards and then waiting for a miracle – the right candidate – to happen is a recipe for failure. If posting is done at all, it's to add to the pipeline that comes from PROactive recruiting not REactive recruiting."

January is a busy time for job seekers and your competitors will be making plans to increase headcount and resource projects.

"It can be very easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of attention surrounding recruitment market conditions. Many media stories report on changes to employment numbers, the current recruitment climate and focus on stories which resonate with current headlines. It may sound boring, but recruiting in an upturn should be littledifferent from recruiting in a downturn. If you have a strategy that worked before, don't change it just because market conditions are different this time around," says Seb Donovan of Top Employers Publishing.

Manage technology – don't let technology manage you

Organizations may prefer to hire permanent staff in the recovery but they should not be surprised if the most suitable candidates (skills-wise) prefer to remain contracting," warns Robert Richards of Devonshire Communications.

Use your database of old contacts – even if they're happily employed

Sometimes candidates – especially if they come from a job board (another reason I don't rely on them) will ask for a bonus or finders fee for referring someone. Remember: the competition is recruiting too…

"The market is recovering and budgets and headcount are finalized. Ensure your key staff are happy: don't lose them to a competitor who is adapting to the market conditions," warns Ben Wilson of Rethink Recruitment.

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