Dionne Moton joined employeescreenIQ in January as a Background Specialist. Dionne is a graduate of Shaw High School.

Michael Shero joined employeescreenIQ in January as a Background Specialist. Michael graduated from the University of Dayton in May 2006 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology.

Jerry Long has been promoted to Vice President of Security & Technology. Jerry originally joined employeescreenIQin October 2005.

Lauren Valenty has been promoted to Client Relations Manager. Lauren has been with employeescreenIQsince October 2004.

Nichole Janis has been promoted to Client Relations Manager. Nichole has been with employeescreenIQ since January 2006.

Colleen Lodwick has transitioned into the Public Records Department as Criminal Records Specialist – Status. Colleen joined employeescreenIQ in May 2005.

Anthony Pampanini has been promoted to Senior Background Specialist. Anthony joined employeescreenIQ in June 2006.

screenIQ in June 2006.

Trends to follow in 2007

As we look forward into 2007 and beyond, the tools we use to protect ourselves from questionable hires will continue to evolve. Recently I gave a presentation at an industry conference covering the myriad products and services that continue to emerge in the pre-employment screening industry. It has always been the philosophy at employeescreenIQ to offer new products, services, or technology to our clients only after we have thoroughly tested and proven them to be consistent and reliable sources or conduits of information. With the continued proliferation of technology and the internet it’s very easy to label something a technological advancement by using a fancier database. But only a thorough battery of testing, statistical analysis, and comparison with hands-on research can validate that new information tools can indeed be relied upon over time. It’s only after that exhaustive testing process that we even consider bringing these products to our client base. In 2006 we became one of the first screening vendors to offer instant I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification directly through the Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration, along with electronic storage of supporting documentation. We also rolled out our new web ordering system, My Employeescreen 4.0. These revolutionary new tools had been in the testing phase since early 2005 and we were proud to launch them into your screening arsenal over the past year.

In early 2006 we began testing some new products which are targeted for launch in 2007. Some of these tools will include instant access to several screening tools, including National Criminal Checks, OIG/GSA Searches, Sex Offender Searches, and Homeland Security Searches, among others. These instant searches will complement the instant PASST and MVR searches that were unveiled with the launch of My Employeescreen 4.0 (if you are not taking advantage of our existing instant searches please contact your client relations representative). 2007 also brings implementation of the second phase of My Employeescreen 4.0 which will fully integrate the I-9 services into the results page, thus allowing you to automatically order the I-9 service directly from the applicant results page. Many more enhancements are in store with phase two as well.

As always we value the input our clients give us, and we will continue to solicit your feedback, as it allows us to maintain our position as the leader in the pre-employment screening industry. Wishing everyone a prosperous 2007!

Best Wishes,

Jason B. Morris, President
employeescreenIQ

employeescreenIQ president and COO Jason B. Morris said “We are honored to have achieved this recognition for the second consecutive year. We believe our core values of unparalleled service, continual innovation, and steadfast ethical responsibility to both our clients and employees will allow continued future growth.” The growth Morris refers to include a 1,474% revenue growth and 443% employment growth since 2000.

The Weatherhead 100 has been the event that showcases the fastest growing companies in Northeast Ohio since 1987. Recognized organizations must demonstrate consistent growth over the previous five years. The Weatherhead 100 list–objectively determined annually and highly regarded throughout the region–is a testament to hard work, commitment, innovation, and the dream to succeed. Nick Fishman, Executive Vice President added “This honor is shared with our valued client/partners and our dedicated employeescreenIQ associates. It is their dedication and support that have propelled our rapid growth and will sustain such growth into the foreseeable future.”

employeescreenIQ is one of the country’s leading companies in providing pre-employment screening and background checks to businesses throughout the world. The company assists businesses and organizations in reaching recruitment, retention, safety and financial goals. For additional information, visit www.employeescreen.com or call 800-235-3954.

They say time flies when you’re having fun. At employeescreenIQ we can attest that time also flies when you’re working hard! As we rolled up our sleeves and got to work on our many goals for 2006, 2007 was upon us before we knew it. Looking back we suddenly realize we really accomplished a lot last year. As we jump into a new set of goals and aspirations for 2007, we thought we would take a moment to recap another special year at BIS.

The project that seemed to define 2006 for us was the unveiling of our next-generation web operating system, My Employeescreen 4.0. We spent over a year planning and developing this massive upgrade to our system and on July 24th, we flipped the switch. It is a rare occasion when projects such as these go off without a hitch, but employeescreenIQ rose to the occasion. We beta tested all of the kinks out of the system and trained thousands individual users before the roll out. We prepared for a tidal wave of phone calls related to the new system that first day and by the end of that week were pleasantly surprised by the lack of calls from our clients. On the horizon in 2007 will be more enhancements and refinements to this groundbreaking system.

Another initiative we focused on was getting out and educating end-users not only on the benefits of employeescreenIQ, but the benefits of developing an efficient, effective and compliant screening program. It seems that this message is every bit as relevant today as it was when we incorporated in 1999. BIS exhibited and/or spoke at more than 10 national conferences in 2006. We will continue to build on this message of best practices and compliance in the coming year.

Also important in 2006 was our desire to bolster our core values: Quality Service and Security. We created two new positions to ensure that these values will reverberate throughout our organization for the foreseeable future. Kevin Bachman was promoted to Vice President of Quality Service and Jerry Long was promoted to Vice President of Security & Technology. Both Kevin and Jerry are proven leaders in their respective areas and have been charged with reinforcing these values both to our employees and valued client/partners alike.

Finally worth noting is our ranking for the 2nd consecutive year as the 4th Fastest Growing Organization in NE Ohio by Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management. We are honored by this recognition and will continue to grow by staying true to our core values.

Of course, none of these advancements, initiatives or recognitions would be possible without our valued client/partners. We are greatly indebted to you for your loyalty and support. You inspire us to evolve and to drive for perfection every day. With that, we blow out the candle on 2006 and ring in the New Year.

Thank you for another great year. We look forward to serving you in 2007. Happy New Year!

Nick Fishman is the Chief Marketing Officer for Cleveland-based employeescreenIQ, a best practices provider of pre-employment screening services throughout the U.S. and worldwide. Nick can be reached at (800) 235-3954 ext. 441 or nfishman@employeescreen.com.

While there is a place for this check in any screening program, it is important to have a full understanding of this process prior to requesting this product. This article will offer examples of criminal records found in these courts, as well as discuss the advantages and limitations of this tool.

Federal district court searches are excellent options for clients looking to broaden their criminal records check to include serious offenses that are adjudicated outside of local, county courthouses. Each court contains different kinds of criminal records. Whereas crimes adjudicated in county court are typically crimes against state laws, crimes adjudicated in federal courts are considered federal offenses.

For example, an individual who sold small quantities of drugs on the street corner will usually find themselves prosecuted in county court. An individual who drove a car trunk’s worth of drugs across state lines with the intent to distribute them may find themselves in federal court. Kidnapping and wire or bank fraud are also some cases that may be tried in federal court. Because many high level financial crimes are tried here, this is an excellent tool for clients in the banking, finance, or insurance industries.

The federal court system is a separate judicial structure and has little to no connection to local county courthouses. Thus, the mechanisms for conducting this type of check are different. For example, as a pre-employment screening company, we are afforded access to the electronic PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) system, which allows us to search criminal records from 94 federal district court systems. If no criminal records are found, these searches can be finished in 1-2 days. By contrast, for county criminal searches, our researchers most likely are physically walking into one of 3,200+ courthouses nationwide to conduct hands-on research. Because of the legwork that goes into a manual hand search, these generally take 2-4 days.

There are also differences depending on the level of assistance we might need. In county courthouses, we often work directly with a court employee for clarification or additional information, as needed. The federal system, by and large, is less cooperative. Almost always, these courts dictate further assistance will only be provided via “snail” mail.

In addition, many federal hits are provided as “name matches only.” Because providing criminal records without any identifiers (SSN, DOB, DL #) violates the intent of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, our Public Records Department often has to request additional information directly from the court. While our Public Records Department can work with county court personnel to clean up any questions within a few hours or a few days, it often takes federal court personnel weeks or months to return our requests for information. Often, they cannot provide any additional information that allows us to conclusively tie possible records to your applicant, leaving us no alternative but to set the search to no record. Basing a hiring decision on a criminal record that is not clearly substantiated and directly identified with your candidate could leave you open to employment litigation.

While it is true that federal courts adjudicate very serious offenses, it would be an oversight to direct all your criminal screening dollars to just this type of search. While they do house serious offenses, conviction records such as rape, murder, and robbery are frequently found by doing a county court search. Thus, it is important to note that a federal district court search is not the best option for a client who wants to find just the most serious criminal offenses.

This tool remains a complement and not a straight supplement, to County Court searches. By a large margin, most crimes adjudicated in the United States are still found at the local county level. If these historical trends change, trust that Background Information Services, Inc. will make appropriate recommendations that maximize the value of your pre-employment screening investment.

Kevin Bachman is Vice President of Quality Service for Cleveland-based employeescreenIQ, a best practices provider of pre-employment screening services throughout the U.S. and worldwide. Kevin can be reached at (800) 235-3954 ext. 450 or kbachman@employeescreen.com.

First, let’s dispel a commonly held misconception: A Social Security Number Trace is not conducted through the Social Security Administration, nor is it a service that can definitively indicate if the subject of your search is “legal”.

Reality

The Social Security Number Trace should really be referred to as an “Address History Search”. This important screening tool provides a roadmap to a thorough and effective background check by revealing the addresses at which your applicant has been presumed to live and every name they have been presumed to use over at least the past seven to ten years. Completing this search gives you the greatest opportunity to commence a thorough, extensive criminal record search.

The Method

Social Security Number Traces are offered through a variety of sources. The most common sources are the credit bureaus. Companies such as Experian and TransUnion aggregate address and name history by identifying information reported by lending institutions such as banks, credit companies, utilities companies, cable operators, etc. If you have applied for any type of credit, chances are the credit bureaus will have a record of that. Of course when you apply for credit, you provide your name, address and social security number. This information is passed on to the credit bureaus and Voila! A credit event has been recorded. Another source for traces is through other commercially aggregated databases. Like all databases, some are better than others. Some will include aggregate information from credit bureaus as well as additional sources such as magazine subscription databases, customer affinity programs (e.g. frequent flier accounts), grocery accounts, etc.

employeescreenIQ has conducted exhaustive testing of both credit bureau and aggregate database traces. While it would be irresponsible to suggest that these tests or any others draw a conclusive result, our preference is for Experian traces on the credit bureau side and a database called “PASST”.

What is the best source?

Clients often ask, “What source is the best?”

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a best method of identifying address history. Information can vary from database to database, so you choose the one you are most comfortable with. One thing is certain, there is not a single source that can guarantee the information it provides is 100% accurate. For instance, let’s say that you lived with a friend for a period of time and never applied for credit while there. There’s nothing to tie you to that location. Therefore, a Social Security Number Trace will not reveal that address. Another issue occurs when tracing a number that belongs to an individual who has never applied for credit. Most commonly, this occurs with younger individuals. Most often, the number will not trace. The same logic applies to an individual who has recently moved to the United States. Even though they may be in this country lawfully, they have not established a history of credit. The lack of information on an address history search does not mean that the individual is illegal. It simply means that the credit bureau has not aggregated any data on the individual.

Why Not Just Contact the Social Security Administration?

There are two definitive reasons as to why a Social Security Number Trace cannot be conducted through the Social Security Administration (SSA). First, the SSA does not maintain such address history information for commercial purposes.

Secondly, only an employer can contact the SSA for information and only after the individual has become an employee. Contacting the SSA is something that an employer can do to determine Right to Work Eligibility Status, which applies to the I-9 process.

Some Unintended Consequences

Since we are performing an in-depth dissection of the Social Security Number Trace, it is important to address some of the inherent “flaws” contained within. However also noteworthy is that none of these “flaws” or “anomalies” whether contemplated individually or together make a compelling argument for foregoing this search. Bear in mind that the data contained in a trace is done so by human beings over the course of time. The old saying of “garbage in, garbage out” applies. Since the information for each credit event must have been keyed in at some point by hand, it is inevitable that entry errors will occur, such as incorrect spelling of an individual’s name, the wrong address or a transposed social security number. This can and does happen and often, it is difficult to pinpoint when or where the error happened. The other commonly “flawed” information relates to the date of birth contained on the Social Security Number Trace. The best way to explain this anomaly is by posing a question. When was the last time you were asked to provide your birth date when you applied for credit? Even if you were asked, what is the likelihood that you were asked to prove it? This is the most commonly misreported information on a trace and we often tell clients to disregard the date provided. The SSN Trace is simply not a reliable resource to validate date of birth. Ultimately, the date of birth has no bearing on the information that is being used in the trace anyway.

Dollars & Sense Using a Social Security Number Trace

Now that we have dealt with the “what” and “who” let’s consider the “why”. What can an employer do with this information? A trace can be conducted for only a few dollars. However, the low cost doesn’t diminish its importance. As mentioned earlier, the trace will provide a roadmap for conducting a thorough criminal record search. Failing to perform this search virtually guarantees that your goal of an effective and reliable background check will not be accomplished. Another useful aspect of the SSN Trace, when conducted through certain providers, is related to security. As an example, Experian offers a “Fraud Shield”. This feature cross references the social security number with more than 20 different databases to ensure that the number hasn’t been used in conjunction with reported identity theft, that the number does not belong to a deceased person, that the number was assigned during an appropriate birth date range, etc. Obviously, if an alert is offered in this regard, a background check should be taken with a grain of salt and more information must be sought from the applicant.

Summary

The address history and alias names identified by a SSN Trace represent an inexpensive and objective roadmap for conducting criminal history research. Without this objective resource, you must rely on your applicant to tell you where to search for criminal history, which can lead to obvious consequences. A dishonest applicant could easily conceal the fact that they moved 3 years ago to get away from a felony conviction. While the precise content of the SSN Trace cannot be considered 100% conclusive, no criminal background check should be considered complete without referencing this important tool.

While the precise content of the SSN Trace cannot be considered 100% conclusive, no criminal background check should be considered complete without referencing this important tool.

Nick Fishman is the Chief Marketing Officer for Cleveland-based employeescreenIQ, a best practices provider of pre-employment screening services throughout the U.S. and worldwide. Nick can be reached at (800) 235-3954 ext. 441 or nfishman@employeescreen.com.

In employment screening, there are no such rewards for gambling on sensory perception, or for coming close, but not hitting your target. To the contrary, the penalties for missing the mark, even slightly, can be catastrophic. As an employer, you must use a reliable process to determine whether a job candidate has a track record of past indiscretions that should disqualify that individual from being exposed to your customers, employees, and business assets. The industry standard best practice involves researching court records at the county level, corresponding with the locales where your candidate has lived, worked, or attended school over the past 7 years.

LINE OF SIGHT
The detrimental alternative is cheap, instant background checks invariably using nationwide criminal databases. Database research is analogous to blindfolding the age/weight guesser or the horseshoe thrower, and expecting the blindfold to have no effect on their performance. There simply is no comprehensive database in existence that taps into every court jurisdiction or law enforcement agency across the country. This means that the “guesser” (the database) may contain a seemingly large amount of random information, but it is not comprehensive or auditable as a nationwide tool. Unlike the carnival guessing game, there is no immediate reconciliation (i.e. stepping on the scale or producing a driver’s license) that validates the results of a database criminal check.

Commercial database vendors (guessers) purchase information from random sources across the country. The problem is that they cannot force any given jurisdiction to provide information or updates, leaving significant coverage gaps and stale information due to lack of updates. There are entire states (including California) that do not provide county-level criminal records to databases. Using the horseshoe metaphor you could say you’re tossing a lot more horseshoes by checking millions of records, but no one can say whether you’re tossing them in the right direction or hitting any of the targets (counties your applicant has lived). This makes the vast majority, if not all, of these tosses irrelevant. Research has shown that the best commercially available national criminal databases cover less than 50% of county court jurisdictions nationwide.

KNOW WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW
Simply stated, national criminal database checks significantly increase the probability of missed criminal records, and you will have no way of knowing whether a candidate with no criminal database “hits” truly is a non-offender. It is also more likely that you’ll violate the FCRA or state privacy laws by using ineligible or illegally obtained information against a candidate (or the wrong person) without even knowing it. The worst way to find out you are using poor information is under the scrutiny of a lawsuit for negligent or discriminatory hiring practices.

Criminal records should be researched at the county level, corresponding with your candidate’s address history as noted above. County court systems are the primary source of research for criminal records. If the record exists, it will be found in the county court; if it is subsequently updated or expunged, the county record will always reflect the current state.

SUMMARY
In this game, close doesn’t count. At the fair, a bad guess typically costs management a stuffed animal or other inexpensive trinket. A bad horseshoe toss could mean losing the game, but no other lasting implications other than bragging rights. Making a bad guess in hiring can cost your company significantly more. Contact employeescreenIQfor more information on tailoring a reliable and legally compliant screening program to the specific needs of your company.

Rob Thomson is Communications Manager and Senior Account Executive for Cleveland-based employeescreenIQ, a best practices provider of pre-employment screening services throughout the U.S. and worldwide. Rob can be reached at (800) 235-3954 ext. 438 or by email at rthomson@employeescreen.com.