EmployeeScreenIQ Blog

Some things in life are free after all.  You just have to wait. We’ve published a number of white papers and webinars over the last year or two on topics ranging from the latest trends in background screening and survey results to compliance and best practices recommendations.

If you were one of those holdouts that just didn’t want to give us your contact information in order to get the content, your ship has come in.  We just published a bunch of them sans the need for registration.  Some of our most recent works include:

Your Applicants Have Something to Hide: Why You’re Not Finding It (Webinar)

No Shortcuts: Why Smarter Screening Matters

Background Screening and the Candidate Experience

Trends in Background Screening: 2011 Survey Results

Download More White Papers Here

Hope you enjoy!

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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 out our description 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!

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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We are pleased to announce the appointment of Angela Bosworth to vice president of compliance and general counsel at EmployeeScreenIQ. In her new role, Angela will lead corporate compliance initiatives and help shape strategy that positions the fast-paced organization for future growth.

Angela joins EmployeeScreenIQ with broad industry experience including more than 20 years as a licensed attorney and over 10 years in the background screening industry, most recently as executive vice president of the national screening company OPENonline. She has extensive expertise in employment law, government affairs, compliance best practices and policy initiatives. She serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS), is a member of the NAPBS Background Screening Credentialing Council (BSCC), and is actively involved in the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and ASIS International, the preeminent organization for security professionals. Bosworth, a frequent speaker and educator to the industry, is also a member of the Ohio State and Columbus Bar Associations.

In her role with EmployeeScreenIQ, Bosworth will have direct oversight and management of compliance programs, and will provide guidance in complex legal matters including state and federal legislation, EEO law, client education, adjudication, pre/adverse action process, NAPBS Accreditation and client and vendor contract management. Adding Bosworth to the leadership team allows the organization to expand on its commitment to best practices and provides a greater level of legal expertise to the company, clients and business partners.

Angela has an impressive track record in the background screening industry and we’re looking forward to her contributions. We anticipate much success as she takes charge of our existing compliance programs and develops new initiatives that reflect our ongoing commitment to excellence, innovation and high professional standards.

View Press Release

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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

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We’ve been spending a lot of time talking about why shortcuts in the background screening process lead to trouble.  There are a number of consequences of doing so including not finding the things you should have and using bad information to make a hiring decision.  It is the latter, that get everybody into hot water: background screeners and employers alike.

This video, depicts why it is imperative to ensure you are using accurate and up to date information before making a hiring decision.

For those interested in this topic, don’t forget to sign up for our November 17th webinar entitled “Your Applicant’s Have Something to Hide: Why You’re Not Finding It” in which we’ll delve into how to find the most comprehensive and accurate data so that you can hire with confidence.   And as a bonus, you’ll earn HRCI credits for participating.

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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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Say hi to Charlie. Charlie is a Mini-Goldendoodle and one of my best friends in the whole world.  So besides the shameless attempt to show you a picture of my dog, I wanted to tell you a story about why service and quality continue to remain a driving force behind people’s buying decisions.

Last month, my wife took Charlie to a well-know groomer here on the North Shore of Chicago.  He needed a haircut but she explained that she only wanted them to trim him.  The last time the groomed him they gave him a doggie crew cut (it wasn’t pretty).  And for the price of $60 they gladly assured her that Charlie was in good hands.

You can imagine her surprise when she picked him up later in the day and he looked like a shaved lab rat with scurvy (sorry, in an effort to maintain Charlie’s dignity, I refuse to post pictures).

The owner was there so she asked why they would have ignored her instructions.  His reply was “Relax.  It’s just hair.  It will grow back.”

I promise I’m getting to the point.

Well, he was right.  It was just hair and it would grow back, but that really isn’t the point.  This seemed like a ridiculous response and one that was not made with quality and customer service in mind, so I decided to call him myself.  If we were just looking for the cheapest, low quality product, we certainly wouldn’t have brought him to this particular groomer.  And while I didn’t expect a refund, a simple apology would have been nice.  I left a friendly voicemail explaining the nature of my call and all I heard was crickets.  He never called me back.

This experience made me think about how this correlates to the background screening industry.  To me, the same principal applies.  Anyone can do a “background check”.  The question is whether the end result can make a difference. Is it a quality background check that actually protects your organization and is it a service organization that can help you make sense of it all.   If you want a good product, there are No Shortcuts. (Great pun, no?)

I know that when people stop caring about quality and service that it’s time to get out of this business.  I know that any service-based business better pay attention to these things or someone else will.  Case in point, our neighbor took their dog to the same place for boarding and when they picked him up, the dog needed forty stitches to close a gash in it’s leg.  The same people never realized there was anything wrong with the dog.

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