The Mystery of Employee Background Checks

December 6, 2010 by

The Mystery of Employee Background Checks

Actually, there is no mystery in employee background checks.  In fact, background checks help in removing the mystery from a potential employee’s background.

Careful employers use employee background checks as part of a comprehensive screening program.  The information compiled by the professional background check company includes information obtained from public record resources as well as information obtained from other sources such as previous employers, friends, credit bureaus, and motor vehicle departments.

The employer may obtain some of this information directly, but more and more employers are outsourcing these tasks to a professional background check company that has developed sources and contacts to obtain information quickly and efficiently, as well as having the expertise to deliver the results in a format that is easy to understand, and is available to interpret and explain the results when necessary.

The professional background check company will also be available to discuss the limitations of employee background checks so there is no unreasonable expectation of the information included.  Every background check company is regulated by the Fair Credit Reporting Act as to what information may or may not be included on an employee background check.

The information contained in the employee background check will help the employer remove the mystery by revealing past behavior of potential employees that may directly relate to the duties and responsibilities of the applicant.

Remove the mystery from your employee background checks by calling 770-426-0547 or click here for more information.

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Past Behavior Revealed in an Employee Background Check

November 30, 2010 by

Past Behavior Revealed in an Employee Background Check

How much do employers expect to find out from an employee background check?

Realistically, that depends on the depth and scope of the investigation, but the answer is that there is plenty that can be determined from even the most basic of background checks.

The first example is the information that can be obtained from a criminal background check.  Determine which jurisdictions are most likely to yield information and center your search there, whether it’s a county court search or a statewide repository.

The results will provide the employer with facts that will be useful in making the hiring decision.  No record found?  Great, the applicant has had no serious issues with the court.  Remember that juvenile records are generally not released to the public.

Misdemeanor conviction?  As a rule, these less serious violations probably won’t prevent an employer from hiring an applicant unless the charges are for theft or battery.  A felony conviction might preclude hiring someone as a matter of policy.

Also revealed might be tendencies toward violence (fighting, battery, assault); drug or alcohol abuse (possession, distributing, DUI, possession of alcohol under age, public intoxication); or other detrimental behavior (fleeing or obstructing police, disorderly conduct, trespass).

Although past behavior may be an indicator of future acts, it’s important to remember that the employee background check should be considered only as a part of a larger process in determining the suitability of a candidate.  Always look at the circumstances and relativity of any facet of the results when making the hiring decision.

Questions about employee background checks?  Call 770-426-0547 or click here for more information.

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The Importance of Pre Employment Screening

November 18, 2010 by

People always ask me if I believe that employee background checks are really necessary and I always reply with the same story: A couple of years ago I interviewed a young man who was absolutely perfect for the position. He was professional, knowledgeable and eager to get to work. So I had him fill out all the necessary paperwork and sent him for a drug screening.

Several days later my GM walks into my office wearing a huge grin, he could hardly contain himself. He slid a single sheet of paper across the desk to me; drug screening results. Before I could read it he blurted out “There were so many drugs in his system he nearly burnt a hole in the cup!” I was slightly embarrassed to have advocated such an obviously bad choice, but extremely relieved to find out about his history prior to hiring him.

Employee background checks include background and criminal checks, psychometric testing and, of course, the afore mentioned drug screenings. Due to a sharp increase in security concerns, corporate scandals and workplace violence the use of a criminal background check has gone up from 66% in 1996 to over 96% today according to The Society for Human Resource Management Workplace Violence Survey. Unfortunately we no longer live in a society where a couple of phone calls to someone’s previous employer is enough to determine their suitability for employment in your organization.

Today a company can be held liable for the actions of an employee and risk a potential negligent-hiring lawsuit, especially if they did not perform employee background checks . Additionally you may learn vital information such as a history of mental instability or numerous previous worker’s compensation claims that may influence your decision on bringing an individual into your organization. Whether we like it or not, the world is changing and in the present job climate a pre employment screening should be a mandatory part of your hiring practices.

For more information about our background check company contact us: employee background checks or call 1.770.426.0547

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Using a Background Check Company

November 16, 2010 by

The use of a background check company can come in handy for many reasons. Let’s face it, as a small business owner there is rarely, if ever, a time where you can say “I need to find something to do.” You’re as busy as a one-legged rock kicker and an employment screening can be time consuming. Therefore, outsourcing that task may be beneficial to you and your organization.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act, or FCRA, requires that you have all applicants sign a disclosure form authorizing you to perform employee background checks . In certain states you, the employer, are restricted from using certain information in the employment screening process. The American with Disabilities Act, or ADA, has their own set of rules restricting employers from using certain medical and disability information in the hiring process. There are even certain questions you are forbidden from asking during the interview process. Can you honestly say you’re well versed in all these rules and how they apply to you in the state which you do business? If not then the use of a background check company may be just the thing for you.

A background check company can assist you in finding accurate information on candidates and they should also be able to give you relevant legal advice on what information you can and can’t use during the hiring process. You have profit/ loss statements, inventory, employee performance and a litany of other issues to deal with. This is their only business, so it’s fair to assume they would be much more informed and thorough than you alone would be. Using a background check company can be an excellent tool to assist you in the accuracy of information and your own time management.

Employee background checks keep your company from making a fatal mistake in hiring.

For more information on employment screening , employee background checks or criminal background check contact us at background check company or call 1.770.426.0547

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Pre employment screening not the commodity it appears to be

November 14, 2010 by

If you do a search on google for pre employment screening you will find there are 1,460,000 results listed.  There are thousands of resources available to employers today to conduct pre employment screening and just about every company out there does background checks on potential hires today.

So how will you know who you should trust to conduct your pre employment screening  background checks?  Look for one who does more than just the county the candidate lives in for a criminal background check.  You will find there are many many options for where to look when conducting a criminal background check, be sure your source is thorough.

Are they offering a social security number trace?  How about a Motor Vehicle report?  And if there is a multi state residence history are they conducting the searches in all states or just the current one?

Typically a background check company who has actual human beings looking over your pre employment screening results before sending them over will find patterns, discrepancies, red flags etc… that an automated click and get instant results sent to your inbox solution will not deliver.  If you are serious about your employee background checks you will want to be sure to interview your source and ensure they have staff people who are experienced in  background checks looking over your candidate files.

Form more information visit: pre employment screening

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Timeliness of Employee Background Checks

November 8, 2010 by

Timeliness of Employee Background Checks

During the 2010 SHRM Annual Conference, attendees were asked to complete a survey on background screening and employee background checks.  Based on priority ranking, the top three challenges that responders would like to see changed were:

§ Accuracy of data
§ Timeliness of service
§ Cost

Most employers expect the data that they receive from their provider to be accurate and understand the source of the information.

Employers also expect their requests be completed and results returned to them in a timely manner.  But there is sometimes a misunderstanding on why some searches, particularly the criminal background check, may take longer than others.

Each jurisdiction has its own rules and procedures to follow when releasing criminal history information.  They range from being openly available on line to what is known as a “clerk search” court.

In the worst case, a request is submitted to the court, and the clerk checks for a record when there is time.  If a record is found, the submitter is contacted and returns to the courthouse and retrieves the record.  The time line for this can stretch up to two weeks.  Also, because of decreased budgets and personnel furloughs, some court administration offices are running reduced hours and with fewer people.  In most cases, inconsistencies in the return of criminal records is out of the control of the background check company.

Cost of the criminal background check is also somewhat dependent of the court, as access fees and administrative costs vary widely from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.  Most providers pass these additional fees on the customer, so that the cost of the record retrieval may also be inconsistent.

Your provider will let you know up front if there are any extra fees by providing a listing of the jurisdictions that charge.  Be careful of any provider who charges one price for all criminal history checks.

There is a story of a mechanic who had a sign in his shop stating, “Our work is good, fast, and cheap…  You can pick any two!”

This also applies to employee background checks.

For further information call 770-426-0547 or click here.

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The Importance of Employee Background Checks

October 29, 2010 by

Employee background checks are a must in today’s business climate. It’s your responsibility as an employer to know who’s working for you.

Furthermore, it’s in your best interest to be aware of the real face your company is showing to the public. In this new era with so many social networking sites online you may not even need an in-depth check to know if someone is right for you. I once had a colleague look up a prospective new hire on MySpace. This guy, who had come in for his interview clean-cut, professional and knowing just the right things to say, was in his profile picture posing with a joint, a bottle of whiskey and a 9mm pistol. Nice, right? I’ll give you 1 guess as to whether “thug life” got the job.

In addition to the obvious problems of possible theft, loss of profit and increased employee turnover that can happen as a result of not doing employee background checks , companies can be held liable under the doctrine of negligent hiring. If the court can prove that an employer knew, or should have known negative facts about an employee’s background that should have disqualified him from the job the company can be found at fault.

For example, someone with 6 speeding tickets and a DUI shouldn’t be your next delivery driver. A quick peek into their past can reveal such a driving history. Don’t do one and they cause a 10 car pile-up on the freeway off-ramp and guess who could be found liable? It is in your best interest as an employer, and in the best interest of society at large, for you to do thorough employee background checks on everyone who works for you.

For more information contact us at employee background checks or call 1.770.426.0547

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Background Checks and Social Media

October 27, 2010 by

Background Checks and Social Media

If your pre employment screening efforts consist of Google and Facebook, you are not getting the information you need to make a good hiring decision.  In fact, the information you get from the internet may be worse than no information at all.

In the world of corporate HR, two words you will hear fairly consistently are… fairly and consistently.

Using a social site like MySpace or Facebook as a pre employment tool poses several potential problems.  Are you checking every applicant online, or just a few?  What if the applicant’s personal page shows that he or she is of a particular religion or race?  Suppose they belong to a group whose views you don’t happen to agree with?  How about if there is a picture of the applicant in a bar?  And remember, most of the content that is on an applicant’s social media site is information that he or she is putting out there for everyone to see.  It may not actually be representative of the individual or his behavior.

If you then don’t hire the candidate, could there be a problem?  Possibly.

Using the Google Search Engine may also present problems, as results being returned to you might not be the person you are interested in.  Even unusual names can be duplicated in the vastness of the internet, so that your results may be totally inaccurate.  Then it is up to you to determine if the person is the correct one.  And accuracy is what you want in pre employment background checks, and you want to apply all your employment screening standards fairly and consistently.

Neither of these will provide information that is actually useful on its own in pre employment screening.  At best, it should be used only in addition to employee background checks conducted by a trusted background check company.

Use your background check company as a valued business partner helping you define an effective employment screening program that is applied fairly and consistently to all applicants.

To discuss your pre employment screening policies, contact us by calling 770-426-0547 or click here to email.

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Pre Employment Screening – What You Don’t Know Could Hurt You

October 25, 2010 by

Pre Employment Screening – What You Don’t Know Could Hurt You

Using your pre employment screening program, reviewing resumes, telephone interviews, in person interviews, you have narrowed your choices down to two candidates for a management position who are more or less equal in experience, ability, and education.  Now it is time for the background check.

The position requires exposure to cash receipts, customer interaction, driving a personal vehicle on various company business, and access to proprietary company information.  In addition, you have specified that a college degree is preferred for this position.

Based on the requirements you have determined to check the following:

§ Criminal history.  A basic check for all your new hires.
§ A social trace to determine previous addresses for the applicant.
§ Employment Credit Report to determine fiscal responsibility.
§ Employment verifications for the previous five years.
§ Education verification for the highest degree attained.

One of the applicants has provided on the employment application that he has worked two jobs in the past five years.  The first he left for other employment, immediately worked for the second employer from whom he was recently downsized; he has lived in the same location for the past five years, and prior to that at a different address in the same town.  He claims a Master’s Degree in Education from East Podunk State Teacher’s College, a small school in Oregon.
He says he has a misdemeanor arrest for disorderly conduct that was dismissed because it was a case of mistaken identity.

You send your request for background checks over to your background check company, and two days later you learn that your applicant was arrested twice for writing bad checks and received probation for one charge and the other was dismissed.  He was also arrested and convicted for felony credit card fraud for which he is currently on probation.

The social trace reveals that he lived in an adjoining state for a year that he failed to mention.  A criminal background check in that jurisdiction shows an arrest and conviction for misdemeanor battery, resulting in a fine and ten days in jail.

The applicant’s credit report shows that he has two judgments for debt outstanding and most of his other accounts are in collections.  All credit cards are at their limit or above.

A verification of his previous employment indicates that he was terminated from his first job six months before he said he was, and he started the second job six months after he said he did, leaving a one-year gap.  His second employer also states that he is not eligible for rehire.

And finally, good old EPSTC is found to be an online only institution that is not accredited by any organization.  Degrees and diplomas are awarded for a $500 tuition fee and for submitting a short essay stating why a degree should be awarded for life experience.

Now, the applicants don’t look nearly so equal, as the other candidate checked out 100%.

Not all of this is likely to show up on one applicant, but variations of each of these examples have and do show up regularly in pre employment screening of candidates.

Use a comprehensive pre employment screening program including employee background checks to fine the answers to questions your applicant nay have reason not answer truthfully.

To find the answers to pre employment screening questions, call 770-426-0547 or click here.

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Employee background checks are a great Loss Prevention tool

October 5, 2010 by

Using employee background checks is the first step in hiring quality, solid character employee and should be a staple in any business’ loss prevention program.

The 2010 University of Florida National Retail Security Survey documents that the majority of retail shrinkage last year was due to employee theft ($14.4 billion). Employee theft accounted for 43 percent of total retail losses in 2009. An estimated 1.7 million people are victims annually of violent crime while working in the United States, according to a report published by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). 1.3 million (75%) of these incidents were simple assaults while 19% were aggravated assaults. The American DataBank has also documented that up to 30% of job applications and 40% of resumes contain false information. Due to a large number of employers not conducting effective employee background checks, 72% of employers lose negligent hiring suits.

An effective use of employee background checks should include, at a minimum, the following:

Criminal Background Check: To include Federal, State and County criminal background checks.

Employment Background Check: Confirm dates of employment, Positions held and eligibility for rehire.

Social Security Background Check: Verify Social Security number, identify other names used and residence history.

Motor Vehicle Report / Driving Records Background Check: Identify citations and suspensions.

Protect your business today. Conduct employee background checks to increase profits and reduce the potential for violent crime in your workplace.

For more information visit: employee background checks

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