EmployeeScreenIQ Blog

EmployeeScreenIQ’s Jason B. Morris will be speaking at the 53rd Annual PIHRA Conference in Pasadena, CA at the Pasadena Convention Center on September 21, 2010 at 2:00 pm pst.

Recruiting and Hiring Liabilities: Protecting Your Organization from the Harmful Effects of Web 2.0

Technology has dramatically changed the way we compete for talent and screen prospective employees, but nothing approaches the impact of social networking.  With the widespread use of Facebook, LinkedIn, and other sites comes a new wave of legal liabilities for both recruiters and screeners. Other emerging technology threats include online diploma fraud, employment mills that manufacture work experience, screen scraping, and more.  Employers need to develop best practices and policies in order to successfully manage Web 2.0 technologies.

Join EmployeeScreenIQ’s President and Chief Operating Officer,  Jason B. Morris for an informative session about how to protect your company in the age of Facebook.  You’ll learn which social networking sites are most popular with recruiters and applicants, and their impact on employment screening and the hiring process.  Attendees will also learn how to develop a social media policy and spot the warning signs of diploma and employment mills.  Finally, you’ll examine other Web 2.0 trends such as screen scraping and instant screening.

Please stop by and say hello if you plan to attend.

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EmployeeScreenIQ is an official sponsor of this Fall’s ERE Expo in Hollywood, Florida October 26-28, 2010.  Please stop by, say hello and rap about employment background checks (or anything else)  if you plan to be there.

Thousands of recruiting leaders have chosen to attend ERE Expo to learn about new strategies, tactics and tools to improve the recruiting process.

There are other events, but none that feature as many real practitioners sharing their successes and what they have learned from their failures with you. Year after year, ERE Expo continues to reinvent its agenda and speaker faculty, featuring sessions led by recruiters like you. That is something you won’t find at any other recruiting event this year.

Whether this will be your first time at ERE Expo or you are a veteran attendee, you are all guaranteed a fresh conference experience and agenda, unlike any others you have seen previously.

Register today to join the best in global recruiting at ERE Expo 2010 Fall. The Expo starts October 26 – you simply can’t miss it!

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We are pleased to announce that EmployeeScreenIQ has earned recognition as a 2010 Weatherhead 100 Award Winner for being one of the 100 fastest growing companies in Northeast Ohio. We have achieved this distinction for the 6th consecutive year. Actual rankings will be released in December.

Since 1987, the Weatherhead 100 has showcased the fastest growing companies in Northeast Ohio. Recognized organizations must demonstrate consistent growth over the previous five years. The Weatherhead 100 list is objectively determined annually and highly regarded throughout the region. It is branded as a testament to hard work, commitment, innovation, and the dream to succeed.

The award is presented by the Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management.

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Did you know that if current incarceration rates continue, one in 15 Americans will serve time in prison? And that doesn’t include people with convictions who don’t serve time.

Join EmployeeScreenIQ’s web demonstration to learn why our 20% criminal hit rate is no accident… and how you can achieve the same results needed to make an informed hiring decision!

Find out why you want to perform Smarter Screening and Intelligent Hiring using:

• Comprehensive Criminal Record Searches
• Strict Oversight & Accuracy
• Stringent Risk Management & Compliance

We are offering this 30 minute demonstration on August 11th, 18th and 25th at 2 p.m. EST. To participate, simply click on a session below and complete our brief Webex registration form. Registration for each session is limited to the first 100 respondents.

• • • • Wednesday August 11, 2010 at 2 pm EST
      • Wednesday August 18, 2010 at 2 pm EST
      • Wednesday August 25, 2010 at 2 pm EST

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The FTC’s “Red Flag” mandate to curb identity theft was set to take effect today, June 1, 2010, a year and a half after the original policy was to be enforced. Creditors and Financial Institutions were to develop and implement a written Identity Theft Prevention Program.  This time at the 12th hour, it was announced that they will again delay enforcement until December 31, 2010.

According to the FTC, “Congress needs to fix the unintended consequences of the legislation establishing the Red Flags Rule – and to fix this problem quickly. We appreciate the efforts of Congressmen Barney Frank and John Adler for getting a clarifying measure passed in the House, and hope action in the Senate will be swift,” FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said. “As an agency we’re charged with enforcing the law, and endless extensions delay enforcement.”

According to the FTC, “The Rule was promulgated under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, in which Congress directed the Commission and other agencies to develop regulations requiring ‘creditors’ and ‘financial institutions’ to address the risk of identity theft. The resulting Red Flags Rule requires all such entities that have ‘covered accounts’ to develop and implement written identity theft prevention programs to help identify, detect, and respond to patterns, practices, or specific activities – known as ‘red flags’ – that could indicate identity theft.”

Full FTC Release

Further, all employers that conduct background checks are supposed to have a policy in place to handle “Red Flag” Address Discrepancy Notifications from the National Consumer Reporting Agencies (mainly credit bureaus). This rule has been in effect since November, 2009 and we are still unclear what such notifications will look like when and if they occur.

For more information on these guidelines and how to comply check out:

FTC Delays Red Flags Rules Again . . . and Again

Users of Consumer Reports Have New Responsibilities as of November 1
EmployeeScreenIQ Offers Free Webinar on New FTC Guidelines

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Don’t look now, but it’s almost time for the Annual SHRM Conference.  I’m thrilled with this year’s destination of San Diego, but wish the airlines would cooperate a bit more.  Have you seen the airfares to San Diego from the Chicago or the East Coast?

EmployeeScreenIQ has a lot to talk about at this year’s conference.  We’ll be exhibiting on the show floor and conducting our IQ Podcasts; discussing our employment screening services and criminal background checks.  Of course, there will be plenty of giveaways.  We’ll also be raffling off two Apple iPad’s. Please stop by at Booth #1023 and say hello.

We also will be unveiling the results of our Background Screening Trends Survey which covers attitudes about emerging issues, diploma mills, laws that protect job applicants and more.  We had over 600 respondents and look forward to sharing this impactful study.

Lastly, EmployeeScreenIQ President and C.O.O., Jason B. Morris will be speaking about the dangers of using social networking sites to screen job applicants.

“Social Networking Sites: Can You Always Trust What You See?” is the title of the presentation, which will take place Monday, June 28, at 4 p.m. (PST) at the San Diego Convention Center. The 75-minute session will highlight a variety of emerging employment screening trends with a focus on the use of social networking sites to conduct background checks.

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EmployeeScreenIQ is surveying the HR world, and six minutes could win you a Kindle

How important are background checks in your hiring process? Which matters more: criminal background checks or credit reports? Where do contractors fit in?

You’re invited to participate in the 2010 Employment Background Screening Trends Survey from EmployeeScreenIQ. It takes only 6-7 minutes to complete and covers attitudes about emerging issues, diploma mills, laws to protect job applicants, and more.

Just by completing the survey, you’ll be entered in a prize drawing to win an Amazon Kindle E-reader. All participants will receive an executive summary of the survey results in June.

Click below to share your thoughts!

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Congrats to our good friends and strategic partners at iCIMS, an global leader in talent management software!  And true to form, they are celebrating this occasion in grand style.  See below.

P.S. I don’t know if this will encourage attendance or not, but I plan to be at the Chicago event.

iCIMS is kicking off 2010 with a celebration to shout about: Happy 10th Anniversary, iCIMS!

Incorporated in 2000, iCIMS marks its 10th year in business with a tour around the nation starting April 8th in New York City. The celebration will give all attendees the opportunity to meet the iCIMS family and network with other HR professionals to learn the latest in HR technology solutions. The company will visit 8 cities in total. Click on the city name to register for an event near you or check out the iCIMS 10th Anniversary site!

So, why the party?

First, let’s take a little trip back in time…

Built from the ground up, iCIMS offered the world a new way to approach the HR function. Fast, flexible, web-based talent management software to facilitate human resource departments worldwide. Within the first year, iCIMS was already experiencing rapid growth, but this was only a sliver of the success about to come. Throughout the next ten years, iCIMS became a major player and strong international presence in the Software-as-a-Service Industry. Its client base rose rapidly to over 800 clients and offices were opened throughout North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.

So again, why the celebration?

This anniversary tour celebrates iCIMS’ rise to excellence, from its extraordinary 963% organic growth rate to its unwavering commitment to improve the HR technology world. Additionally, and maybe most importantly, iCIMS is celebrating those who have helped them achieve such phenomenal success: Clients and Partners! iCIMS’ 800 clients have contributed to the Company’s success with their year-after-year renewals. And, partners, such as EmployeeScreenIQ, have assisted iCIMS in their indirect growth initiatives allowing them to expand even further into areas never ventured before.  A big THANK YOU to all for your continued support of the iCIMS Talent Platform!

This has been a momentous decade for iCIMS, full of growth and expansion. The iCIMS team expects even greater success to come in 2010 and beyond. Join us in celebrating ten years of excellence and register for an event near you!

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Kudos to the National Association of Professional Background Screners (NAPBS) for passing and launching the industries first accreditation program.  Since before I was Co-Chairman of NAPBS hundreds of people have put in thousands of tireless hours to get this program off the ground.  The Background Screening Credentialing Council (BSCC) was formed two years ago to take the hard work that was done previously and implement it into reality.  I couldn’t be more proud of my competitors being able to work together to finally get this done!  EmployeeScreenIQ is looking forward to the challenge of going through this process in the coming year!

New Accreditation Effort Introduces a Self-Regulating Program Poised to Change the Industry

MORRISVILLE, N.C., Feb. 24 /PRNewswire/ — The National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS®) announced today they will be launching the Background Screening Agency Accreditation Program (BSAAP), the first ever industry-specific background screening accreditation program at the opening ceremonies of the NAPBS 2010 Annual Conference on March 7th in San Antonio.

Each year, U.S. employers, organizations and governmental agencies request millions of consumer reports to assist with critical business decisions involving background screening. Background screening reports, which are categorized as consumer reports, are currently regulated at both the federal and state level.  Since its inception, NAPBS has believed that there is a strong need for a singular cohesive industry standard and created the BSAAP. Governed by a strict professional standard composed of requirements and measurements, the BSAAP is positioned to become a widely recognized seal of approval that brings national recognition to background screening organizations (also referred to as Consumer Reporting Agencies). This recognition will stand as the industry “seal” representing a background screening organization’s commitment to excellence, accountability, high professional standards and continued institutional improvement.

“The BSAAP is the industry’s primary vehicle for quality assurance, self-regulation and public accountability,” said Tracy Seabrook, CAE, executive director of NAPBS. ”Developed and sustained by background screening professionals, the BSAAP reflects, reinforces, and promotes best practices, institutional ethics, and the highest standards of background screening operations.”

More

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BusinessWeek published a quick tip sheet on how businesses can manage the cost of their unemployment insurance.  Not sure why I never thought of this, but the author, Burton M. Goldfield, nailed it when he said that a proper employment screening program can help manage your costs.  Why?  If you are taking the proper steps to hire the right people, you diminish the chance of having a revolving workforce.  Less turnover in your workforce translates to fewer unemployment claims.  See below.

Manage Your Rising State Unemployment Insurance Rate

Since December 2007, the U.S. economy has lost 6.7 million jobs. The resulting surge in unemployment claims has depleted state unemployment insurance funds and set the stage for substantial increases in the taxes small businesses will pay to help fund current claims and replenish state coffers. In 2010, employers face a projected increase in unemployment insurance tax payments that ranges from 2.5% to 600%.

Unfortunately, there are many factors beyond our control when it comes to unemployment taxes. The economy, extended unemployment benefits, and states borrowing federal funds to pay unemployment claims are all driving up rates. The good news is that your rate can be controlled, in part through good employment practices and also by how you handle unemployment claims. Be sure to consult with human resources experts to ensure you have the right processes in place, including:

1. Having the proper pre-employment screening, training, and supervision in place so you can hire and retain the right employees for your business. High turnover contributes to higher unemployment insurance rates.

2. Making sure you accurately manage unemployment claims made by your former employees. Following established procedures along with accurate record-keeping will help you avoid unnecessary claims activity.

3. Always be on the lookout for fraud. Experts estimate that as much as 10% of all costs in the unemployment insurance system are attributable to fraud. Illegitimate claims from employees who are not entitled to collect unemployment insurance drive rates higher.

Small businesses can no longer afford to remain ignorant about this payroll reality. Keeping your eye on these key factors will mitigate unemployment insurance costs over the long run.

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