CPO Newsletter - December 2007

Should I change how I hire employees?

There are two steps to complying with new federal and Arizona requirements for hiring new employees, identification and employment eligibility.  You should be ready to meet them for new hires by January 1, 2008.

Identification

For proper identification of new employees you need to complete the new I-9 Form on their first day of employment.  The revised I-9 Form was released on November 7, 2007 by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.  The significant revision to the Form I-9 is the removal of several "List A" documents which previously could be used for proof of both identity and employment eligibility.  The documents removed as proof of identity include: Certificate of U.S. Citizenship (Form N-560 or N-570); Certificate of Naturalization (Form N-550 or N-570); the Alien Registration Receipt Card (Form I-151); the Reentry Permit (Form I-327); and the Refugee Travel Document (Form I-571).  Although USCIS is encouraging the use of the new I-9 immediately, it is not required until notice is published in the Federal Register. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Website states that the former form will be accepted until 12/31/07.  It is a good practice to make copies of the identifying documents you used when filling out the I-9 form to protect your firm from complaints.  If you do make copies, make them of all new employees’ identification to avoid discriminating.

The new Form I-9 can be accessed at http://www.uscis.gov/i-9

For more information on the identification of new employees, the revised M-274, Handbook for Employers, can be found at http://www.uscis.gov/files/nativedocuments/m-274.pdf

Employment Eligibility

Yes, there are new requirements that Arizona employers check employment eligibility through E-Verify, a free federal database to determine employment authorization.  E-Verify is an Internet-based system operated by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA).  Every Arizona employer must begin to use E-Verify for the hiring of new employees effective January 1^st, 2008 according to the Legal Arizona Workers Act.  Using the database gives employers a defense against complaints of illegal hiring of new employees.  To sign up to use the database employers must sign up at https:/www.vis-dhs.com/EmployerRegistration.  An online resource for using the E-Verify database from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is available in the form of Questions and Answers at www.uscis.gov/files/nativedocuments/E4_english.pdf.

The earliest the employer may initiate a query is after an individual accepts an offer of employment and after the employee and employer complete the Form I-9. The employer must initiate the query no later than the end of 3 business days after the new hire’s actual start date. An employer may initiate the query before a new hire’s actual start date; however, it may not pre-screen applicants and may not delay training or an actual start date based upon a tentative non-confirmation or a delay in the receipt of a confirmation of employment authorization. An employee should not face any adverse employment consequences based upon an employer’s use of E-Verify unless a query results in a final non-confirmation.

Focus: Engineers

Are you in need of any of the following engineers?
 

Participate in a reduced rate campaign which will run through the 1st Quarter of 2008.

All positions filled during 2007 and 1st Quarter of 2008 will be at a low flat rate.

See the results, realize the value.

·        ·        We have the team to get you staffed, correctly and on-time.

·        ·        Reduce your time to hire. The average time to fill an engineering position can be 4-6 months.

·        ·        Receive the benefits of a dedicated search at a fraction of the typical retained search cost.

·        ·        National and regional recruiting campaign – access talent from new college graduates to industry veterans.

·        ·        Recruits from diverse sources including universities and all branches of government.

 Strategic Planning Upgrade

It’s the time of year for organizations to develop and begin to implement strategic plans for the New Year.  Chief People Officer has released a new version of People Assistant with upgraded capabilities to strengthen accountabilities for organization’s strategic plans.  Firms can now see at a glance which of their strategic planning tactics aren’t on track as well as add e-mail, notes, and files specific to each.  Contact us and we would be happy to review the new capabilities with you and show you how they could improve your firm's performance.

Welcome to the CPO team:

Kate Davis, Senior Recruiter

Kate is a highly capable senior recruiting professional  who joins us after leading a recruiting team with the Phelps Dodge corporation.  She is experienced in strategies to recruit engineers and other technical professionals.  She has significant experience in high volume recruiting and innovative sourcing techniques.  We are excited to have Kate on our team.

Changes At Our Clients

In this issue

·        New Federal and Arizona Hiring Requirements

·        Focus: Engineers

·        Strategic Planning Tool Upgrade

·        Senior Recruiting Professional Joins CPO

·        Changes at Our Clients

 SUCCESSES

"Bringing CPO in to Goodwill was the most effective thing that I have done to develop and align our leadership team for the future."

Suzanne Lawder, CEO
Goodwill Industries of Southern Arizona

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