Monday, January 27, 2014

Things to Check While Buying a Home

When you are buying a brand new builder house, most potential buyers often think that they can dispense with need for a house inspector. If it is new house, it might be in good shape, but not always true. Here are some clues for determining a home's overall quality before you commit to cost of hiring a house inspector:
  • The structure of the house: Look at the house from a reasonably distant vantage point. Check the walls appear to be flat and plumb. From inside, are not square at corners or any walls bowed, In the middle of the living room floor when you jump, check for, is it flex or feel solid?
  • Water control: Check for, from the base of the house does the ground slope away? Will drainage pipes, downspouts and gutters carry excess water away from the house or into the basement? And look for any evidences of water damages.
  • Roof: Does the roof is look neat and properly applied? Is it new and in good shape?
  • Kitchen and bath fixtures: Are tubs, toilets and sinks quality fixtures and do they work properly? When you turn on faucets and flush toilet, look for the water pressure good or not.
  • Electrical system: Are the number and the receptacles locations adequate to the needs of the home? Make sure that the main circuit breaker marked at least 100 amps.
  • Plumbing and water heater: Is the water heater electric or gas (gas is much more efficient)? From the water heater to fixtures the water supply pipes should be copper.
  • Heating: Where is the heater or furnace located, and what type is it? Are any rooms which are not properly heated? Do the registers look adequate for heating spaces? and is the house air conditioned?
  • Insulation: For insulation look in the attic. In moderate climates R-19 (for example, six inches of fiberglass) is a minimum. In cold climates up to R-38 (Twelve inches of fiberglass) is required. On perimeter wall remove a receptacle cover to check for the wall insulation.
  • Fireplaces: Do the fireplaces have glass doors (doors are more efficient) or screens. What about log lighters and dampers? Is there a combustion vent that draws the air from outside and a spark arrestor at the top of chimney?
New houses can be just as problematic as the old ones. In fact, because they have not been tested from years of use and abuse. They might be filled with problems, especially when the builder used any shoddy practices. A qualified house inspector hiring before you buy the house is a major security against very expensive surprises. Again, a house inspector can be very costly from several hundreds of dollars to a thousand dollars or even more. On the other hand, if the house has some serious drawbacks, you are better off saving the cost of house inspector and moving on to a better one.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Effective Recruitment Strategies

Recruiting is one of the crucial roles of human resource professionals. The organization's level of performance depends on the effectiveness of recruitment. Every organization is developing and also following recruitment strategies for hiring the best candidate. A recruitment strategy should not only be well planned, but also be practical to attract talented candidates. This article discusses some important elements that an effective and successful recruitment strategy should cover.

Effective Recruitment Strategy
Following are elements that should be considered while formulating a successful recruitment strategy:
 
1) Identify and prioritize jobs
In every organization, the need for recruitment arises at different levels. It is a process that never ends. Filling all the positions directly and instantly is not possible. Thus, the need for identifying the positions in the organization arises, which requires immediate action. Further, for maintaining the quality of recruitment process, it is important to prioritize the positions or vacancies required in the organization.

2) Candidates to be targeted
The process of recruitment can be only effective when the organization identifies and understands the type of candidates required and benefit the organization. Following points should be considered when targeting the candidates for the job:
  • Performance: To focus on hiring good and high performers, various recruitment strategies are required.
  • Experience: When formulating an effective recruitment strategy, it should be clear about the experience level required for each job in the organization, because the candidate's experience level range from fresher to an experienced senior.
  • Candidate's category: The recruitment strategy should define clearly the category of the candidate required. A candidate can be categorized as unemployed, from the same industry, different industry, etc.
3) Source of recruitment
The recruitment strategy must define the source of recruitment, whether it is external or internal. It should clearly mention the source that is to be used for the various positions in the organization. The most effective source of recruitment is employee referral.

4) Experienced and trained recruiters
Human resource professionals who conduct the interviews and other activities involved in recruitment, should be experienced and trained for conducting thee activities in order to make recruitment process effective and practical. They should also have knowledge and awareness of the major skills and parameters like technical, behavioral, etc. This has to be focused when interviewing the candidate.

5) Evaluating the candidate
Evaluating the candidate is judging them in various fields. This is done by conducting various steps and rounds of interview like human resource interview, technical interview, tests, etc. and evaluating the result from the same. Based on this, you can select the best candidate.

Recruitment strategy is crucial for a business. This strategy pronounces the objectives, principles, and other aspects that are helpful to the organization. Therefore, it is important to formulate an optimal recruitment strategy.