The Behavioral Interviewing Skills course was designed to help participants learn how to develop and ask questions, probe for details, and respond appropriately and professionally when interviewing applicants.

Employee learning and development initiatives are on the rise in the US as more companies focus on developing strong leadership, motivated teams and skilled employees as important factors for long term success. As the economy slowly recovers and the need for a highly skilled and adaptable workforce becomes increasingly apparent, more companies are recognizing the correlation between greater investment in training and higher productivity and employee retention.

An increased focus on employee learning and development as an important strategy for organizational success is reflected in some of the current US trends, including:

• A growing interest in leadership development

  As more organizations recognize that all levels of management need to be innovative, collaborative and strategic, the need for leadership development programs becomes more crucial.  Managers need excellent communication skills to help their teams achieve goals and create measurable results in increasingly challenging work environments.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires federal agencies to provide training for collateral duty safety and health personnel and all members of certified occupational safety and health committees commensurate with the scope of their assigned responsibilities. Since collateral assignments and committee appointments entail safety and health duties and responsibilities over and above their primary job responsibilities, it is critically important that these collateral duty employees and committee members receive adequate training to prepare them for their additional safety and health responsibilities.

OSHA developed Collateral Duty Course for Other Federal Agencies (OSHA 6000) to address the specific needs and requirements of collateral duty safety and health personnel and certified occupational safety and health committee members. The course is designed to help participants understand general industry terms and identify hazards that occur in general industry; determine appropriate standards and regulations for federal agencies; locate OSHA General Industry Standards, policies and procedures; and describe the use of OSHA General Industry Standards and regulations to effectively assist agency safety and health officers with inspection and abatement efforts. The course covers such key topics as hazard communication, accident investigation, office safety, personal protective equipment and an introduction to industrial hygiene.

Active listening is a way of paying attention and responding to another person that improves mutual understanding by creating and maintaining an effective channel of communication.  Active listening can be especially helpful in achieving better communication in the often stressful environment of the hiring interview.