b'THE EMPLOYERS TOOLBUCKETby Steve Watring, Auman, Mahan & Furry F or your workers, having the correct toolsthink of a single good reason why you should not make everyone in their tool bucket helps them get the taskcomplete an employment application.And I do mean everyonedone efficiently and professionally.Offrom custodian to CEO.My law firm requires that even attorneys course, the worker also needs to know whichcomplete employment applications!tool to use when.It is no different for you, asNowthatI(hopefully)haveconvincedyouthatyouneedan an employer, when the task is dealing with yourapplication, the next question is where do you get one?There are employees. You need to fill your Employers Toolmany good resources out there for form applications.Our website Bucket with the tools that you need, and know when and how to use(www.amfdayton.com) includes a generic form, which we review them.This is just one in a series discussing different tools to considerand revise periodically.Some good (and bad) application forms for your Employers Tool Bucket.are available online from various sources.You may get a good form Tool #1The Employment Application through business networking or a business association.While many Should I have one in my Tool Bucket?Yes freeresourcesareavailable,theyalsoareavailablefromvarious vendors for a fee.When should I use it? When you are considering hiring someone Most of these sources are good, and it is usually okay to use them Where do I get one?Many sources available as an off the shelf tool.But it is impossible to draft a perfect What should it include?Depends employment application that is best for all employers.You can This is the first tool I recommend for your Employers Tool Bucket.only get the best application for you by taking a good form as a SometoolsarenotanessentialtoolforeveryEmployers Toolfoundation, and customizing it to make it your own.Again, that is Bucket. This one is.While it is dangerous to say always I cannotnot essential, but it is best.think of a single valid reason why any employer should not have anEspecially if you customize your form, understand that there are employment application in their Tool Bucket.It is the tape measurecertain questions that most employers cannot ask on an application. that you use to initially size up your applicants. You cannot ask questions about someones protected class (race, color, There are various ways that an applicant can express interest innational origin, religion, sex, age, disability) status.This extends to employment with your company. certain related questions (examples-questions about family, marital status or pregnancy), or questions that would normally lead to this But ultimately, you want all applicants for the same position totype information (example-date graduated from high school).You answer the same questions on the same form.The application shouldcan ask about the applicants ability to do the job with or without be considered the formal start of the application process.Do not letaccommodation, but nothing else health or medical related.You someone apply with just a resume or an online response.You wantnormally cant ask about union membership.While you can ask if them to answer the questions that you want answered rather thansomeone can legally work in the United States, you cant ask about just telling you what they want you to know.Otherwise, it is tootheir citizenship status.easy for the applicant to hide unsightly blemishes in their record.Questions about criminal records should be carefully written to Whileanemploymentapplicationdoesnotexposeeverything,comply with the law, and may be prohibited in some ban the box it is still a good start.The simple truth is that some bad actorsjurisdictions. But this is one of the areas where your employment will do everything they can to avoid completing an employmentattorney and/or human resources professional come in.I have had application.That may be your strongest reason for wanting one. clients remove these inquiries (and thus hire someone that they Legally, you want there to be no question as to what is necessary toshould not have), just to be safe and avoid possibly violating the apply for a position with your company.In a discriminatory hirelaw.Under the circumstances, the safe thing to do is find out case, an applicant normally must show that they in fact applied.what you can ask and ask it. If you do not always require a completed application, then it willMost good forms will cover the main questions.But you actually be much more difficult for you to argue that someone did not applyhave broad discretion in what you can ask in your employment by an informal inquirymaybe even an inquiry that you knewapplication.With limited exceptions such as those discussed above, nothing about or had no record of. you can ask about anything.The best rule to live by is to only ask Otherthanperhapsinaunionhiringhallsituation,Icannotthings that are job related and that you want to know to evaluate 40 www.mrca.orgMidwest Roofer'