Equal Pay Act - Find Out How This Law Protects You

Equal Pay Act - Find Out How This Law Protects YouEqual Pay Act - Find Out How This Law Protects YouThe Equal Pay Act (EPA) became law in 1963 as an amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). It mandates employers pay workers substantially equal pay for performing the same job regardless of their gender. The EPA does not only cover salary. It also includes overtime pay, bonuses, and benefits like stock options, profit sharing, life insurance, health insurance, and vacation and holiday pay. An employer is not allowed to provide different hotel accommodations or reimbursement for travel expenses for their male and female employees. Additional U.S. laws that protect workers from employment discrimination, including compensation discrimination, are Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the Americans With Disabilities Act. Some states may have laws that prohibit pay discrimination. What Is Substantially Equal Work? To better understand the Equal Pay Act, it is helpful to know the definition of substantially equal work. Substantially equal does not mean that two jobs are identical. They must involve a significant number of the same tasks and require comparable skill level in terms of ability, education, experience, and training. When Is Unequal Pay Okay? When the following factors exist, work cannot be considered substantially equal. Therefore the mandate that employers must give equal pay to two workers regardless of gender does not apply in these cases. There can be a pay differential for higher educational attainment even if two workers perform similar job duties. For example, if one worker has a graduate degree, for example, and the other has a bachelors degree, the one with the higher level of education could earn a higher salary.An employer could also give a higher salary to a worker based on their job location. The work would not be considered substantially equal unless the same manager oversees their w ork or they can easily transfer between sites. Employees working in two different cities could receive different salaries. Jobs without similar levels of accountability and responsibility do not have to pay the same. For example, a worker who supervises other employees can get a higher salary than one who does not, even if both individuals have the same job title.If one worker must travel between job sites while another can work in the home office every day, their jobs differ substantially. The one who must go to different locations can earn more.Employers can have a seniority system in place that rewards workers for longevity with the organization. Merit systems reward workers for exceptional job wertzuwachs and are allowed.Employers can also provide an incentive to workers for the quality or quantity of their output without violating the Equal Pay Act.Employees who work during less desirable shifts may also have higher earnings. What to Do If Your Boss Violates the Equal Pay Ac t While it seems only fair that people performing similar work for the same organization should have the same earnings, many employers try to do the complete opposite. If you feel your boss has violated the Equal Pay Act, you can either bring a lawsuit against the company in court or file a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the government agency that oversees the Equal Pay Act. Whether filing a charge with the EEOC or taking the company to court, you must do so within two years of the time the compensation discrimination took place. In 2018, the EEOC received 1,066 complaints about employers violating the EPA. Of these, there were 257 merit resolutions. That means they had outcomes that were favorable to the charging parties. The EEOC may have found there wasnt reasonable cause to pursue the other claims, but that does not mean the charging parties did take their charges to court where they may have won favorable judgments. Source Equal Employment Oppo rtunities Commission.

How Employers Use Structured Job Interviews

How Employers Use Structured Job InterviewsHow Employers Use Structured Job InterviewsA structured job bewerbungsgesprch is a standardized way of comparing job candidates. The employer creates bewerbungsinterview questions focused on the skills and abilities the company is seeking. Each interviewee is asked the exact same questions, in the exact same order. The employer also creates a standardized scale for evaluating candidates. Every interviewee is ranked on the same scale. Benefits for Employers Employers use this interview format when they want to assess candidates impartially. Because questions are pre-determined, and there is a ranking system, there is little chance for unfair or subjective assessment. This helps interviewers avoid any legal issues related to unfair hiring practices. A structured job interview also allows the employer to focus on the specific skills and abilities required for the position. With questions focused on specific skills, this interview style is o ften considered a more effective way of testing a candidates potential performance on the job. This interview format also allows employers to assess hard-to-measure skills, like interpersonal skills and oral communication. Benefits for Candidates Candidates can also feel confident that they are being judged on their skills, rather than any subjective factors. Because the questions are the same for every candidate and asked in the same order, every candidate knows he or she has an equal opportunity to provide the same information. Types of Questions Asked Questions vary, of course, depending on the job, and all questions relate to the positions requirements. Typically, however, structured job interview questions are open-ended. Often they are behavioral interview questions, which ask about how a candidate has handled a work-related situation in the past. These interviews can also include situational interview questions where the candidate is asked how he or she would handle a hypothetical work situation. Examples of Questions While questions vary based on the skills required for the specific job, here are some common questions for a structured job interview Tell me about yourself.What makes you an ideal candidate for this job?Why are you interested in this job?What are your strengths? Weaknesses?Would you be willing to travel for extended periods of time for this job?Tell me about an incident during the past year in which you were particularly proud of your performance and share it with us.Tell me about a time when you made a mistake at work. How did you handle the situation? What welches the result?Describe a situation in which you had to deal with a conflict among team members. What actions did you take? What was the result? An angry client comes to your desk and complains that she has not received the reimbursement she was told was in the mail. How will you help her?You have an important project with an upcoming deadline, but then you are given a second project to be completed immediately. How would you handle this situation? How Interviewers Rate Candidates The way an interviewer rates candidates in a structured interview can vary. However, there is always a common rating scale for all candidates. Typically, the interviewer rates the candidates skill level in a few key competencies. These competencies might include key hard or soft skills necessary for the job. How to Prepare Make sure you know how your skills and qualifications fit the particular job. Also, look back at the job listing, and underline the job requirements. Then, make a list of your skills and abilities that match those requirements. Make sure you are prepared to explain how you have demonstrated those skills and abilities in the workplace. Also, review some common interview questions, as well as common interview questions for the particular job.

if youre not getting interviews, heres how to fix your resume and cover letter

if youre bedrngnis getting interviews, heres how to fix your resume and titel letter if youre not getting interviews, heres how to fix your resume and cover letter I did a version of this post in 2012, and its become one of the posts that I link people to most frequently, so I figured it welches time to update it.I talk to a lot of people who arent getting interviews and who cant figure out what the problem is. They tell me that they know their resume and cover letter are fine. They often mention that theyve had people look over their materials and that those people agree that their resume and cover letter arent the problem. So they cant figure out what theyre doing wrong.Ill often ask to see their resume and cover letter anyway despite their confidence that those arent the problem. And you know what? Nearly always, those are the problem. The people who told them that they were fine were wrong they didnt have the experience or the insight to know what would make a really great resu me or letter. And as a result, these job-seekers have been continuing to apply with mediocre materials and continuing to not get interviews, and are frustrated because they cant figure out why.This is highly likely to be true for you if (1) your resume mainly lists your job duties rather than talking about the outcomes you achieved at each job, and/or (2) your cover letter basically summarizes the information in your resume (in which case its not adding anything at all to your application).If this sounds like it might be the case for you, stop listening to the people telling you that your materials are fine Instead, read theseResumesthe 1 question your resume should answerhow to rewrite your resume to focus on accomplishments, not just job dutieshow to list accomplishments on your resume when your job doesnt have easy measureshow can my resume demonstrate initiative, problem-solving, work ethic, and other qualities?10 mistakes youre making on your resumestop claiming subjective trai ts on your resumethose big paragraphs of text on your resume are putting people to sleepthis is a resume and cover letter that workhow to create a resume from scratchhow long can your resume be?the whole resumes section of my archives (There are 106posts in there read them.)Cover lettershow to write a cover letter that will get you an interviewwheres the line between necessary self-promotion and overconfidence in cover letters?how do I write a compelling cover letter when I dont have much work experience?heres a real-life example of a great cover letter (with before and after versions)heres another example of a great cover letterthe whole cover letters section of my archives (There are 56posts in there read them.)And yes, thats a lot and it will take time. But the alternative is to continue not getting interviews, and thats not a good alternative. Seriously follow the advice in these posts, and you should have a dramatically better resume and cover letter and if my reader mail is any guide, you should start getting calls for interviews once you do.Want more help finding a job?Get my e-book How To Get a Job / Secrets of a Hiring Manager If youve ever wished that you could look into the brain of a hiring manager to find out what you need to do to get hired, this e-book is for you. Ill give youstep-by-step help through every stage of your job search, explainingat each step what a hiring manager is thinking and what they want to see from you. Learn more here.