Here is a scenario that any business owner or human resources director would love: You need a new employee and, without even advertising, a young person walks in, not only able to do the job, but willing to take on additional tasks. They go on to retire from the company after 35 happy years of exemplary service. Happens every day, right?

Every outfit, from a residential contractor to a restaurant to manufacturing plant, knows that their success and stability lies within their employees. Yet there are still businesses, usually small to mid-sized, that set themselves up to fail because of their hiring practices. 

Excuses include: "I don't have time," "We are too small," and "I know a good man (or woman) when I see one." If you don't take the time on the front end, you may pay the price in many ways. And how can you be too small? A $20,000 back injury is a $20,000 back injury no matter what your size. In fact, who takes a more painful hit—the residential contractor or the shipyard? And if a small retailer with five employees is missing a person with an injury (or even perhaps a purported injury), isn’t it more of a problem than a 50-employee shop?

Bringing on new employees always has a degree of risk.  Fortunately, there are proven methods to minimize and in many cases eliminate the hiring of "trouble."

MEMIC has written a guide to better hiring practices that has saved many organizations the negative costs that may come with a new employee.

Some of the fair and legal hiring practices it covers include:

• Six ways to publicize a job opening along with the advantages and disadvantages of each method,
• tips on using application forms, and
• what questions you should ask on a job interview and which to avoid.

For the complete guide, download “Five Steps to an Effective Hiring Practice.”