What would be the nicest and easiest way of telling an employee that we do not want to hire her daughter. We have used her daughter for several temp jobs in the past. She was OK, but we never would have hired her for a full-time job. This employee acts like it's our responsibility to keep her daughter employed every time a position becomes available in our admin department.—Tina, Tennessee

We're reviewing tons of applications for the few positions we're seeking to fill. What's the best practice for notifying applicants who aren't hired? How do other employers do it?—Sylvia, NYC

"The recent Forum post about interview questions got me thinking about the question/statement I usually start interviews with: 'So, tell me about yourself.' It seems like a good icebreaker, but I've heard it can trigger some legal problems (learning too much information). Do others use it, or it too cliche?" -- Michelle, California

I need some help coming up with good interview questions. We’re hiring and—because the economy is so slow—we’re getting tons of applicants for every job we post. Many are equally well-qualified, so we have the luxury of looking for people with the intangible qualities we seek: initiative, collaborative skills, entrepreneurial spirit, pride in a job well done. I use the standard “Tell me about a time when you…” questions, but I’d like some fresh questions that really get at what kind of person the applicant is. What questions have you asked that revealed stellar personal traits?—Theresa, Chicagoland

I’m looking to streamline our HR office, and it strikes me that getting rid of old résumés applicants have sent in over the years would help. What guidelines should I follow when deciding which applications and résumés I should keep and which to toss? Specifically, I need to know what to do with applications that didn’t meet the minimum requirements we advertised, arrived too late to be considered or that were unsolicited.—Markie, Oregon

"We're revising some of our policies, and I came across an issue I'd like some perspective on. We don't have an anti-nepotism policy, but it seems like we should. What do other company policies say on hiring employees who live in the same household? Do you reference whether supervisory employees can manage employees if they both live under the same roof?" — Don

"Even as the local economy has tightened up, we're still hiring. But there's good news and bad news: because unemployment is high, we're getting lots of applications from unqualified people. I'd like to start an employee referral program to encourage our workers to recommend candidates. I hope that will give us a better quality applicant pool. How should I go about setting up such a program?"—Pete, Ala.

A recent survey showed that job seekers will go to bizarre lengths to land a plum position. Care for a foot massage? Coming right up. How about breakfast every day? You got it! Surely you've got some stories of your own to add to the odd-applicant chronicles. What's the weirdest thing you've ever seen an eager applicant do to win a job? — John Wilcox, HR Specialist editor

Question: A recent survey showed that job seekers will go to bizarre lengths to land a plum position. Care for a foot massage? Coming right up. How about breakfast every day? You got it! Surely you've got some stories of your own to add to the odd-applicant chronicles. What's the weirdest thing you've ever seen an eager applicant do to win a job? — The HR Specialist editors

Question: “We have a former employee who resigned one week ago. He has now called back and said it was a mistake for him to leave. He left us on good terms, and we are thinking about hiring him back. Does anyone foresee any problems? If we do rehire him, how should we handle issues like seniority, pay, accrued vacation, health benefits, etc?” — Nancy

Question: We’re taking a hard look at our hiring processes, and I need to find a firm to handle our background and criminal-records checks. I’ve found dozens of companies that do this, but I have no idea how to choose the best one. If anyone has gone through this process, I would love to learn how you approached it. What should I look for in a background check firm?—Terry M., Virginia

Question: We’ve shared the results of a survey documenting rude behavior job applicants sometimes display during interviews. Now it’s your turn to dish! What’s the weirdest, rudest, grossest thing a candidate has ever done while you were conducting an interview? (Don’t be shy about spilling about inappropriate interviewer behavior either!)—HR Specialist Editors

Question: "We have begun running background checks on prospective new hires. But we're finding that this just adds one more layer of subjective information for us to weigh. How should we incorporate the results of background checks into our overall candidate selection process? Are there pitfalls we should watch out for?"—Linda, Arizona

Question: "I am trying to calculate our employee retention and turnover rate. I understand that these are two different things relating to: 1) how many employees we have, and 2) how many employees we lose, keep and hire. Does anyone have the equations for figuring out these two rates?"—Katie, Louisiana

Question: “We’re looking to expand the reach of our recruiting efforts, so I’m considering using some of the larger online services such as Monster, Hotjobs and Careerbuilder. However, I’m worried that we’ll be buried in e-mailed resumés and applications from every unemployed person out there. Does anyone have experience (as an employer) using these services? What tips can you offer to make them as productive as possible?”—PT, Tucson

Question: “We have operations in several states, and managers in those offices handle local hiring. I run HR from our headquarters, meaning I can't be there to review the original employment-eligibility verification documents new hires have to show when completing I-9 forms. How should I train managers to make sure we comply with the law? Do I need to spell this out in a policy?” — DB, Ohio

Question: “I’m planning to create a standard letter to send to applicants who we interviewed but rejected. Do other companies send such letters? (This was our president’s idea!) If so, can you give me an example of the wording you use? Thanks.” -- Janice, Texas

Question: "With the U.S. Senate starting to debate immigration reform, many HR pros are worried that Congress has no idea how the current worker-verification system really works. What's your experience with employment verification? If you could offer senators one piece of advice to make the process work better, what would it be?"  -- The HR Weekly Editors

Question: Does anyone utilize other terminology for what’s commonly called a “probationary period?” I am concerned that this terminology could jeopardize our at-will status. No matter what you call it, what other issues should I consider as we formalize how we treat employees during the first 90 days on the job?  -- P.R. Ohio