Not Unlike Online Dating – Background Checks

Trying to determine what a person is actually like is one of the parts of reviewing job applications that I thoroughly dislike. The standard, fill-in-the-blank application can be quite useless and reading through a resume or online profile is often even less helpful.

It sometimes feels like I am engaged in a bad online dating program. Applicants are doing their best to come across as successful winners. Unfortunately reality is often far removed from what is often presented in these standard forms of measurement designed to facilitate the employment process.

It is often impossible to differentiate studs from duds because applicants have an uncanny ability to manipulate data and put their own spin on job descriptions and responsibilities. Job applicants will never tell you that they were terminated for theft or poor attendance. Neither will job applicants admit that they slacked off at their jobs and their bosses were happy to see them quit.

This is where the background check experts can drill down to get the truth of the matter. They have the ability to run background checks that include both an employee background check, as well as a criminal background check.

Background check experts can also call references to confirm that the person actually exists, and whether or not they would want to work with the applicant again. The experts will then review their findings from the criminal background check and the employee background check to determine if applicants measure up to what they have presented.

Interviewing references along with running background checks will pull together a more complete applicant profile than it is possible to achieve without using the expertise of a background check company.

For more information on background check experts, background checks, criminal background checks, employee background checks and pre-employment screening please contact us at background check company or call 1.770.426.0547.

I can’t Know It All – Background Checks

However, there are many things that I do know. Some came from formal education, others from on-the-job training, or real life experience.  All of these experiences come together to mold me into a reasonably well-rounded person with expertise in some of life’s challenges.

It does not make me proficient, skilled, adept, or even knowledgeable, i.e., an expert in all things.

As much as I would like to be all of the above in all things, reality dictates that it will never happen – to me or anyone else.  We simply cannot know (or find out) all that we need to know without consulting someone with expertise in many of the areas that we are inexperienced.  A great example of this principle is background check experts.

I know the basics of what background checks accomplish and why they are important to my business. I have absolutely no idea how to conduct the thorough employee background checks that are critical for the pre-employment screening process.

Background check experts know exactly what to do and how to do it. They are well versed in the legal aspect of what can and cannot be asked as well as having the time to devote to the process.  They run background checks EVERY DAY and have been thoroughly trained in the process.

Thankfully, I don’t have to be the expert here. I can concentrate on my work and let the background check expert’s focus on their work – conducting my pre-employment screening process.

For more information on background check experts, background checks, criminal background checks, employee background checks, or pre-employment screening please contact us at the background check company or call 1.770.426.0547. 

Just The Facts Ma’am – Background Check Experts

It is about having all of the facts. The more information you have, the better qualified you will be to make the best possible decisions. Background check experts help give you those advantages. They help you discover if an applicant is telling the truth regarding their criminal activity.

Sometimes, an applicant may even admit to having a prior conviction, but they might down play what the actual conviction or offense was. That way they are being truthful about having a record, but are trying to make it sound better on paper than what it actually was. Ultimately you can now make that decision because you truly have all of the information to make that determination.

Maybe it’s just me, but if I was caught committing a crime that I was later convicted of, I would tell as few people as possible. In particular, if I were trying to get my life back on track, I would definitely try to avoid telling any potential new employer to try and get a better shot at being hired. That is why background check experts are a critical part of pre-employment screening.

These experts will conduct pre-employment screening on your applicants and determine if there is unreported criminal activity. They can tell you if this was something from the distant past, or recent repeat offenses.

Just because you find out (through the help of background check experts or the applicant’s honesty) that there was a conviction, does not mean you absolutely must reject that applicant. We built the correctional system based on the premise of rehabilitation. Some applicants will have learned their lesson and will not commit another crime.

To purchase Pre-Employment Screening Services or for more information on background check experts, background checks, criminal background checks, employee background checks or pre employment screening contact us at the background check company or call 1.770.426.0547 

 

Increased Profitability – Employee Background Checks

Do you know how much employee turnover costs? It might be more than you think. For a lot of small business owners, spending money on employee background checks and pre-employment screening seems counter productive when you are trying to enhance your profitability.

When you take a look at a bad hire, you are going to start incurring more monetary losses than what you initially bargained for. You hire a new employee with the intention that they will be proficient in their job after an introductory training period. Once they are up and running, they should be able to complete the assigned tasks of their job description within an allotted time period that maximizes your productivity and subsequent payroll goals.

If this hire is unproductive, or even worse begins to alienate customers, you will begin to decrease the leverage you might once have had by hiring this employee. You are now beginning to lose money by having them work for you.

Unfortunately, you can’t just bounce them to the curb. To avoid litigation, you have to have a disciplinary action plan where they are given the opportunity to find out that they are not fulfilling the required expectations of the job, and are given an action plan and time frame to complete their turn around.

This action plan may be repeated up to three or four times before the employee can be let go. In the mean time, you will continue to suffer losses from this employee.

Employee background checks help reduce these incurred costs by reducing the likely hood of hiring a bad employee from the beginning.

To purchase Pre-Employment Screening Services or for more information on background check experts, background checks, criminal background checks, employee background checks or pre employment screening contact us at the background check company or call 1.770.426.0547

Personal Expertise? – Background Check Experts

I am quite confident in my abilities and skills that have come from years of experience; however, I am not an expert in everything. I am also quite confident to know when I need to stop and ask for help. One of those areas is employee background checks.

I have found over the years, as a result of some bad hires, that I am not an expert in employee background checks. I am good at pre-screening and face-to-face interviews. But, after a few significantly bad new hire employees, I learned a very tough lesson about the importance of finding a background check company to conduct pre-employment screening and do a thorough investigation as part of the background check process.

It’s not only about taking the time to read between the lines when you interview someone for a job. It comes down to two things: time and resources. Neither of which I have much of as a manager and small business owner.

A Background check company will have both. They have the resources to really dig down below the surface of the background checks to find out anything that might be hidden, not disclosed or had happened in another jurisdiction.

They also have the time to properly evaluate the results that they uncover in their research. They can follow-up on information that might not be readily accessible, or might require additional investigation.

To purchase Pre-Employment Screening Services or for more information on background check experts, background checks, criminal background checks, employee background checks or pre employment screening contact us at the background check company or call 1.770.426.0547

What Are Your Resources? – Background Check Experts

It does not make a difference if you are conducting background checks for a new employee or a current one. The question remains the same – what are your resources compared to those of background check experts?

I would start by asking myself what is the time frame that I am working under? The next question I would need to ask is what are the other commitments that I have for that same time frame?

If you are like most of us, we rarely are tasked with a single item at a time. There are ongoing issues to be dealt with, reports to run or create, stores to operate and sell in… You get the idea.

So I will ask again. What is the time frame that I am working under? The answer is that it is a very slim time frame. I probably don’t have a lot of extra time to run background checks twice. I am also probably only going to skim the surface of background checks. As long as nothing completely egregious shows up, I will be satisfied.

Now let’s ask those same questions of background check experts. How much time do they have to run those same checks? Do they have the time and or other resources to run a more in depth check? Can they run background check a second time if there is an error, or if something didn’t show up properly?

I would safely answer yes to those questions.

To purchase Pre-Employment Screening Services or for more information on background check experts, background checks, criminal background checks, employee background checks or pre employment screening contact us at the background check company or call 1.770.426.0547

For Better or For Worse – Employee Background Checks

As a retail security manager, I have had the pleasure of working with some of the best companies out there. I have also had the misfortune of working with some of the worst, especially when it comes to pre-employment screening.

It’s not that these companies were bad, it was more about the resources they had available to conduct the employee background checks.

I noticed a significant difference in several areas depending on how thorough the pre-employment screening was. One of the biggest areas of difference was in turnover rates. The companies who spent the time and resources to conduct a more thorough background check ended up with employees who seemed to stay longer. Their retention wasn’t centered on the employees’ happiness; it was more specifically about the termination rate by management of their poor performing employees.

I also noticed that there was a higher rate of inventory discrepancies and unexplained cash shortages in those stores and companies who did not spend time on pre-employment screening.

Most people who have a spotty background or work history have a way of sniffing out companies who do not run employee background checks, or who do not call for references. This puts those companies and stores at a higher risk for poor performance, excessive absences, and ultimately a higher risk of cash and merchandise theft.

To purchase Pre-Employment Screening Services or for more information on background check experts, background checks, criminal background checks, employee background checks or pre employment screening contact us at the background check company or call 1.770.426.0547 

It Wasn’t Me – Pre-Employment Screening

My brother recently graduated from business school. He went back to school a little later in life, nevertheless, we were all so very proud of him. Even better, he had been offered an ideal job right after graduation. How many of us can say that in this tough economy! Everything seemed to be coming up roses until his pre-employment screening results came back.

His potential employer had not used a reputable background check company to run their pre-employment screenings. In fact, they didn’t use a background check company at all. They used an in house program to search through the internet databases to get their results from the background check.

Well, his pre-employment screening turned up criminal hits from a state he had never even visited. Because of this, he had received communication from the employer that his job offer was being rescinded due to the results. 

After much discussion and secondary verification, the problem was solved. When they ran the background check, they had only used his name and date of birth. There was a match to someone meeting these very limited search qualifications, and thus the problem started. After they used additional information like his driver’s license and social security numbers (and matching up his photo id to the mug shot on file) they were able to verify who my brother really was, and who he was not.

To purchase Pre-Employment Screening Services or for more information on background check experts, background checks, criminal background checks, employee background checks or pre employment screening contact us at the background check company or call 1.770.426.0547 

 

Things to Check – Background Check Company

In the information age, I am surprised by how frequently I am frustrated when I can’t access the information I want to at my own convenience. I laugh at how often I wish I had access to a background check company that could pull up the information I want, whenever I want.

Whenever I try to find information on someone, I am usually bombarded with online ads. These ads want to charge me money for personal information on an individual. There is usually some sort of teaser about how many results are found, and how many types of records there are – birth, divorce, arrest, death, etc.

I am always tempted to try them, that is, until logic sinks in. If there are so many search results, how will I know that what I am paying for is the right information? What if I pay the fees for access and I can’t really find accurate or timely information on the person I am trying to research?

I usually leave the website and go back to plan A. I use a certified background check company for my research. Sure they might charge more up front, but I know that they are providing solid, accurate information for my pre-employment screening, so that I can make good hiring decisions.

Going with some cheap online company, I might pay a small amount, but if it isn’t the right information, then I will be left with paying more to get the right information on the right person. It would be not only a waste of my money, but also my time.

To purchase Pre-Employment Screening Services or for more information on background check experts, background checks, criminal background checks, employee background checks or pre employment screening contact us at the background check company or call 1.770.426.0547 

Hide and seek – Criminal Background Checks

I will grudgingly admit that I was duped. I had an acquaintance one time that was completely different than what I had first believed her to be. It was one of the few times that I wish I could have run a criminal background check for someone in my personal life.

I had been out with friends and was introduced through a mutual friend. She was very energetic and outgoing and we hit it off immediately. She had moved several times over the years, so she had many stories to tell of all the places she had been. That should have been my first clue to dig a little deeper.

She bounced around from laborer job to laborer job. This was another red flag because these are jobs that typically do not conduct pre-employment screening. Anyway, she was my friend so I didn’t question it much.

What I did start to notice was that she started to drink more and more frequently. Over the next few months, she began drinking so much that she lost her job, her car, and most of her friends.

As it turned out, she had always had a drinking problem. She also had several run-ins with the law. All of which she tried to hide by moving frequently and sticking to jobs that didn’t conduct criminal background checks. The last I saw her, she was moving (out of state) again, and I am sure she never changed, but continued to play her game of hide and seek with her past. I shudder to think of the mistake her next employer will make. If her closest friends didn’t know the truth, her boss surely won’t stand a chance.

To purchase Pre-Employment Screening Services or for more information on background check experts, background checks, criminal background checks, employee background checks or pre employment screening contact us at the background check company or call 1.770.426.0547