EmployeeScreenIQ Blog

At long last, we are finally posting the recorded version of our webinar, “Your Applicants Have Something to Hide: Why You’re Not Finding It”.  Check on our description below and click on any one of the hyperlinks to the webinar landing page.

A school teacher is accused of striking a child. The background check had reported no record of criminal activity; however, a school investigation following the incident reveals that the teacher had a pending assault and battery case..

Sadly, background check horror stories are more common than you think. Don’t let it happen to you!

Drawing from 13 years of experience, EmployeeScreenIQ’s webinar explains how to ensure accurate criminal background checks. You’ll also learn:

• Why taking “shortcuts” can lead to compromised background checks
• How companies can inadvertently hire violent criminals
• How to maintain a positive candidate experience, even if negative results are revealed

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The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton recently decided to lend her considerable image to and volunteer for the Scouts Association.  According to the association, it “provides adventurous activities and personal development opportunities for 400,000 young people aged 6-25. Internationally, we have over 28 million young people enjoying the benefits of Scouting  across 216 countries.”

And according to the U.K.’s MailOnline, the role will be for more than making public appearances and raising money.  The Duchess actually intends the be more hands on, working directly with the children the organization supports; activities such as working at their camps and attending sleepovers.

What the association did next should be a lesson for all other organizations that support children, the disabled or the elderly.  They requested that Kate Middleton submit to a criminal background check.  And to her credit, she did without concern or question.  According to the article, “The Duchess was happy to comply, submitted her forms and is very much looking forward to starting as soon as possible.”

Now, it would be truly shocking if the background check they conducted even began to scratch the surface of the one sought be her majesty before the couple went out on their first date, but the fact that the organization stuck by its policies is commendable.

And just so you don’t feel as if they don’t have background check detractors across the pond, check out some of this quote from a U.K.-based civil rights organization:

“This shows the height of CRB hysteria, and the fact that nobody is above suspicion. Even royals are considered potentially risky until they have their “safe adult card”. We are trusting too much to bureaucracy – and not enough to common sense or people’s reputations. The chance of the Duchess of Cambridge being a paedophile is precisely zero – likewise for the thousands of grandmothers and mothers who must do CRB checks before they can volunteer to listen to children read, or teach them to cook

I’ll leave it to you to judge who took the responsible approach to protecting children.

Read the full article

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We just published The Verifier XXIV, Fall 2011 Edition, a publication intended as an educational tool and information resource for human resource professionals or anyone interested in keeping abreast of recent employment screening and background check industry developments.

Highlights of this issue include the following:

Articles:

• Time to Streamline Your Background Screening Process? Check Out Our Latest Video
• No Shortcuts. Smarter Screening Equals Intelligent Hiring.
• Top Commercial Airline Flies High With EmployeeScreenIQ
• 2011 Background Check Turkey Awards
• Background Checks Gone Wild Hurt Us All

Announcements and Legislative Updates

• EmployeeScreenIQ Rated Top 5 Screening Firm in U.S.
• California Governor Bans Use of Employment Credit Reports
• EmployeeScreenIQ Announces Integration with Taleo Business Edition
• EmployeeScreenIQ Recognized as Fastest Growing Company

Check it out!

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Just a reminder to sign up for EmployeeScreenIQ’s online learning session on how to maximize the affect of your criminal background check.  Here’s the intro and the info below.

A school teacher is accused of striking a child. The background check had reported no record of criminal activity; however, a school investigation following the incident reveals that the teacher had a pending assault and battery case..

Sadly, background check horror stories are more common than you think. Don’t let it happen to you!

Your Applicants Have Something to Hide: Why You’re Not Finding It.
Date: Thursday, November 17, 2011
Time: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EDT
Cost: FREE
Register here: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/681781352

Drawing from 13 years of experience, EmployeeScreenIQ’s webinar will explain how to ensure accurate criminal background checks. You’ll also learn:

• Why taking “shortcuts” can lead to compromised background checks
• How companies can inadvertently hire violent criminals
• How to maintain a positive candidate experience, even if negative results are revealed

Continue Reading

I had a great meeting with a  potential new client yesterday and one of the topics that came up was what they should do as far as background checks were concerned with the employees of an organization they just acquired.  I thought this was a great topic to drill down on because let’s face it, there is always a great deal of mergers and acquisitions activity in today’s economy.  And furthermore, there is no road map for human resource professionals in this regard.

That said, I came up with the following checklist of employment screening questions that should be asked:

• Did the company conduct background checks on their employees? If no, you’ll probably want to screen these folks immediately using the same criteria you currently use on your job applicants.  Don’t forget to obtain signed releases.
• Did the company have signed authorization to conduct the checks and were the forms legally compliant? If no, you might want to schedule some time with your friendly employment attorney.
• Were checks run on all employees or just those in specific positions? If all employees, move to the next question.  If not, you might consider screening those that would have otherwise been screened if you would have hired them.
• What type of checks were conducted? Remember, not all background checks are created equal.  The term “background check” can mean different things to different people.
• What were their hiring parameters for determining who could be hired and who could not? This is a biggie.  Let’s say that the acquired company had looser standards then you have.  It doesn’t mean that you should immediately terminate those that wouldn’t have qualified if you were hiring them.  After all, if these people have a known track record, perhaps that is more important than past transgressions.

Okay, so we’ve asked some of the important questions and many organizations will have different answers.

Here’s some advice.

In my opinion, if similar background checks were conducted on these employees and you have access to the results, you will definitely want to examine them to make sure these folks meet your employment standards.  But again, remember that not meeting your standards should not translate to immediate termination.  Now that these folks have a track record, perhaps past missteps should not be used against them.

If background checks were not conducted or if your screening criteria is more encompassing, you should consider re-screening these employees.  Which leads to another piece of advice.  Should you choose to screen these folks again, you need to determine if you need to obtain new consent or if consent forms were previously signed, are they acceptable.

Lastly, it if you do plan to re-screen, make sure to adhere to the same candidate experience you would for new employees.  Background checks are scary; even when the person has nothing to hide.  Make sure they have a firm understand for what you are looking for and why.  Remember, these are people that you probably want to retain.  Don’t give them a reason to seek employment elsewhere.

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Horror stories about sloppy background checks fuel the perception that employment screeners don’t care about the accuracy of their reporting – and that employers blindly make hiring decisions.

EmployeeScreenIQ’s newest article explains why smarter screening equals intelligent hiring. Drawing from 13 years of experience, this article illustrates what to consider when developing an employment screening program.

Employers spend a lot of time, money and effort identifying the perfect candidate. A background screening provider shouldn’t jeopardize that hard work!

Download your free copy of “No Shortcuts: Why Smarter Screening Matters,” by clicking the link below:

http://www.employeescreen.com/no_shortcuts_article.pdf

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I think we can all agree that going back to school sucks.  As a little kid I remember the dread I felt waking up for the first day of school and knowing that my summer was officially over.  Even as an adult, I get that same feeling for my kids.  So, it was with great anxiety that I put my fourth and first graders on the bus last week. (If you are a regular on this blog, you know what comes next).

Enter, my annual rant on school background checks.

You know, it’s a blessing and a curse to be in this business.  You can help a lot of great organization minimize the risk of hiring the wrong person.  You can also help these organizations validate that their candidate is the right choice.  Over the years, I have been exposed to some of the worst things people in this world can do.  And just when I see what I think is the most disgusting and heinous behavior, something else comes along that sets a new low.

To me, the worst offenses are those that deal with the abuse of children; whether physical, mental or sexual.  So you can imagine my feeling of helplessness when I know that I am powerless to help the schools (whether my own kids’ schools or any other) to perform comprehensive criminal background checks.  The states have created a false sense of security by mandating statewide criminal background checks for school employees.  Most states can’t even mandate that all their counties report information in to them.  And even so, the information passed on might not be up to date, accurate or comprehensive.  Further, what happens if a school employee committed a crime outside of the state for which they seek employment?

One need not look very far to find an incidents of abuse in schools where the district swore they ran background checks.  It happens all the time.  And when it does, the school either is, or acts surprised that the state check didn’t reveal past convictions.  Then, they inevitably blame the lack of proper funding to remedy the situation. What could be more important than protecting our children?

So, even though I know that it will fall of deaf ears, here is my advice for conducting the type of background check that should be used in schools.  First, all school employees from the Superintendent, to the teachers, to the janitors, to the bus drivers should be checked.  The background check should consist of a county criminal background check in each county that the candidate has resided and under each name they have used.  Next, the school should perform a National Sex Offender Registry check (for obvious reasons) and a National Criminal Records Search which can identify criminal activity committed outside the counties where someone has lived.  And then if they still want to conduct a statewide search, they can feel free to do so.

I know that as a parent, I would feel much more comfortable that our schools have done everything they can reasonably can do to protect our children and provide them with a safe learning environment.  We live in a crazy world and overwhelming majority of our school employee are there for the right reasons.  But unfortunately, there are always those that have other intentions and until they cease to exist, we need to take steps to ensure that they never step foot in a school.  Taking the steps I listed above would significantly mitigate the possibility of it happening and the schools should do everything in their power to take advantage of the tools corporations have been using for years.

Until then, I’ll keep holding my breath.

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The idea of the flexible workplace has been prevalent in our country for the last several years.  Why should a national or multi-national corporation pay for an office, when their employees can be just as effective or sometime even more effective from home?  Plus, many employees like to work outside of the traditional 9 to 5 hours.

Of course, with this flexibility comes the opportunity for abuse.  When hiring, employers need to make sure that the candidates they hire can handle this responsibility.  And of course, an effective background check can help.  Their are a number of tools employers can use to assess personal responsibility such as criminal records, motor vehicle records, employment references and even credit reports.

The reference interview is obvious.  Simply ask questions that focus on the candidate’s ability to work independently and whether they exhibited personal responsibility while on the job.  You would also think that using criminal records, motor vehicle records and yes, credit reports are fairly obvious. And on their face, they are.  However, rightfully so, many organizations will hire people with criminal records.  Perhaps, they don’t care about a minor possession charge or public drunkeness conviction.  However, a history of ticky tac violations definitley speaks to self control and personal responsibility.  Same goes for driving records.  An individual violation or two might not be of concern.  A history of violations could be pause for concern, even if the person is not going to be driving their car for work.  Again, it goes to personal responsibility.

I’ll stay away from the can of worms that no doubt would follow with my explanation on how credit reports can help.  I’ll just say that adverse credit combined with any of the above adverse information can certainly help you round out a body of work.

This concept of the flexible workspace is a great development for both employers and employees.  Employers just need to make sure that their employees are capable of succeeding in this environment.

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Our U.K. strategic partner, Verifile Ltd. has published their 2011 report on diploma and accreditation mill activity and reveals an astounding 48% increase worldwide in the number of known diploma and accreditation mills in the past year alone. As the Internet is the primary home for these bogus education and accreditation providers, little action is taken to stop them from helping unscrupulous candidates deceive unsuspecting employers. This year’s Accredibase™ report examines the current status of the diploma mill situation and considers what can be done to protect the public and businesses.

The Accredibase™ report identifies the following red flags that may help in the identification of diploma mills*:

• The institution does not have authority to operate or grant degrees from the education authorities where it claims to be based.
• Degrees are delivered in a very short space of time – sometimes just a few days.
• Degrees are granted based entirely on work or life experience.
• Contact details are limited to an email address and the institution is vague about its location.
• The institution will allow the student to choose his/her own course title and specify the graduation year to appear on the certificate.
• Sample certificates, transcripts or verification letters are available to view on the website.
• Institutions make over-complicated or misleading claims about accreditation or recognition.
• The institution’s name is similar to that of a recognised and respected education institution.
• Internet domain names are misleading – such as ‘.ac’ instead of the regulated ‘.ac.uk’ used by higher education institutions in the United Kingdom.
• The website is poorly designed, has poor spelling and grammar or it plagiarises copy from other institutions.

Verifile’s proprietary database of diploma and accreditation mills, Accredibase™, keeps track of the credential fraud industry. Verifile’s Accredibase™ has identified approximately 5000 suspect educational institutions and accreditors, including 2,615 known bogus education and accreditation providers. In addition to the huge number of confirmed mills known to Accredibase™, new suspect institutions are discovered on a daily basis – more than 2,000 are currently under investigation by Accredibase™ for inclusion in the database.

Download the full report

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We just published a great article on EmployeeScreen University by Robert Jones, Director of Operations at Socrates Ltd. which analyzes the prevalence of employment screening in Brazil and the intricacies and nuances of performing background checks in country.

Here’s a sneak peek at how this international background check is performed:

Performing Background Checks in Brazil

Brazil has one of the world’s fastest growing and dynamic countries.  The country will host the 2014 Soccer World Cup and in 2016 the Summer Olympics will be held in Rio de Janeiro. By 2016 Brazil is projected to have overtaken France to become the fifth largest economy in the world (Source Brazilian National Bank for Economic Development (BNDES)).  The country was largely unaffected by the recent global financial crisis and continues to increase its influence on the world stage.

It is therefore understandable that in recent years there has been a significant increase in requests for background checks with a Brazilian component and the good news is that it is usually possible to perform screening inquiries with reasonable efficiency and efficacy.

Identifying Particulars

Let’s first look at how to establish unique identifying particulars:

1. A date of birth is a key identifier in Brazil. Dates are expressed as day/month/year.

2. Brazil is at times a confusing bureaucracy. For example, each citizen is required to have a Registro Geral (general registry) number, known as a RG number. Although this number appears on an official Brazilian ID card, The RG number is issued at the state level and also by a number of other bodies (such as the armed forces). Therefore, it is not only possible, but also legal, for an individual to have multiple RG numbers. Legal residents of Brazil, who are not citizens, are issued with a Registro Nacional de Estrangeiros (national register of foreigners) number, known as a RNE number. Because the federal police manage this registry at the federal level it is an unique identifier. However, for screening purposes, like the RG, it does not have much value.

3. Anyone that wishes to open a Brazilian bank account, purchase property, buy or lease a car or a cell phone, work for a company or otherwise participate in the local economy must apply for and receive a Cadastro de Pessoa Física(Individual Taxpayer’s number), known as a CPF number. It is worth noting that there is no residency or citizenship requirement for the issuance of a CPF number. This number is, for practical purposes, the only unique government issued document that can be relied upon during the identification process.

4. Brazilians speak Portuguese and a significant percentage of the population is of Portuguese heritage. Women normally adopt part of their husband’s last name upon marriage and children usually take the last name of both father and mother. Thus the child of Maria Silva and José Santos could be Lucas Silva Santos.  However, the child of Lucas Silva Santos would most likely take the grandfather’s name (Santos) and drop the grandmother’s name (Silva). That said, there is not definitive formula, which makes it important to have the mother’s name as well as an individual’s full name as a step in the identification process.

Identity theft is not unheard of in Brazil, but with a full name, mother’s name, CPF and date of birth, identification can be considered definitive.

More

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