I realize that a limited number of times, I may be sarcastic in my posts. You may have not noticed this because it is hard to detect sarcasm on the net.

So you’ll just have to take my word that when I say that the Fair Credit Reporting Act is your friend, you’ll take me seriously this one time. Because I am telling you HR person and hiring managers scared of these initials (and I know who you are), the FCRA will bail you out in times of trouble. You just have to play by the rules.

Quick primer on why you need to know anything at all about FCRA: Read more…

With the spike of metal prices over the past few years, copper thieves are becoming a big problem. Thieves are stealing everything from manhole covers to entire bridges, simply to cash in on selling the copper. The even bigger problem is trying to figure out a way to prevent these theft, simply because there is no system in place (and probably will never be) to monitor these criminal activities that occur in every single corner of the world. But according to the article below, the simplest of solutions can be the most effective. The article describes how more simple solutions, such as putting cages around vulnerable copper objects and using padlocks/chains, can be the most cost effective method of copper security. Read more…

“Everyone does it,” said one.

“I knew you wouldn’t consider me otherwise,” said another.

“Employers lie about the job, why should I be honest,” said yet another.

These are all explanations I’ve heard in reference to resume fraud. The most startling thing about resume fraud is that it must work because people continue to use it frequently. There have been several high profile cases and at least one worth mentioning (because it is one of my favorites):
Read more…

Approximately 22.5 million business travellers pass through London Heathrow’s terminals every year, and according to a recent survey by the Ponemon Institute, it is the worst offender for lost and stolen laptops with up to 900 devices going missing per week. Here are 6 tips on making sure you keep a handle on your laptop. Read more…

In the following article, we see that the private sector is getting help from the government in terms of training. These employers will get advice from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on proper screening techniques, to help mitigate the hiring of illegal workers. Read more…

The government is moving in the right direction with this proposed legislation. Read more…

I thought I would write a post about some of the more popular articles on our blog. Below is a list of some very useful articles, enjoy!

Here is an article on how to conduct free criminal background checks that I have written. It is pretty comprehensive. Take a look and let me know If I have missed anything or if you would like additional information.

http://www.crimcheck.com/background-check-news/the-complete-guide-to-conducting-your-own-completely-free-criminal-record-check

Some more articles I have written:

Part I http://www.crimcheck.com/background-check-news/how-to-conduct-your-own-free-background-check-part-i

Part II http://www.crimcheck.com/background-check-news/how-to-conduct-your-own-free-background-check-part-ii

Part III http://www.crimcheck.com/background-check-news/how-to-conduct-your-own-free-background-check-part-iii

Part IV http://www.crimcheck.com/background-check-news/how-to-conduct-your-own-free-background-check-part-iv

Here is what a background check consists of:

http://www.crimcheck.com/background-check-news/real-background-checks

Here are some common questions about background checks:

http://www.crimcheck.com/background-check-news/questions-about-background-checks

A short criminal records primer that I have written:

http://www.crimcheck.com/background-check-news/criminal-records-primer

Some common myths about background checks:

http://www.crimcheck.com/background-check-news/background-check-myths

Additional resources you may want to point people towards.

http://www.crimcheck.com/resources/

Fourth and Final in a series of four articles by Jack Thomas

Mr. Thomas is a Manager for a National Company,  Certified Facilitator for Advanced Management, and a Consultant to other Agencies.

I hope you’ve gained some insight to the process in the first three articles. Today, as promised, I am going to give you tips on finishing the process. One of the biggest mistakes, or oversights, is not including things that can be used on your application in the experience category. I’m not talking about the previous work experience or educational experiences here. We’ve discussed how to use those already from the notes you made. I think the best way is to share a couple of stories with you. Read more…

And now comes a story out of an Ohio community about a Deputy Sheriff walking the halls of an elementary, junior high and high school, carrying his 40 caliber handgun and assisting in maintaining order. One slight problem, he was not a sheriff’s deputy!
Stan Donaldson, a reporter for the Cleveland Plain Dealer states that the suspect, a 21 year old security guard for a local mall, somehow obtained a deputy’s uniform and interacted with students and staff while roaming the halls.
The school district is, according to the article, working with the local police department to reevaluate it’s safety plan. According to Ken Trump, a national school safety expert quoted in the article, there have been only a handful of this type of incident reported. Indeed,and quite fortunately, the last time an event of this sort took place was in New Mexico in February of 2007. In that instance a sexual predator entered school grounds impersonating an officer and carrying a 6 inch folding knife. Thanks to the actions of the schools staff, who reported what they thought was suspicious behavior,specifically his appearance at all three schools in the same day, the suspect was apprehended and charged with impersonating an officer, possession of a deadly weapon and criminal trespassing. Apparently the suspect walked into a classroom and when the teacher asked if she could help him, he stated that he had the wrong classroom and walked out. One student became alarmed when he/she overheard him say that he would be back. The suspect had previously attended the high school in 2006, according to the Akron Suburbanite Newspaper.

Article written by Jack Thomas

Third in a series of four articles by Jack Thomas Mr. Thomas is a Manager for a National Company, Certified Facilitator for Advanced Management, and a Consultant to other Agencies.

We are finally down to the application itself. (Don’t breathe a sigh of relief yet!) This is supposedly the easy part after sweating out the resume. After all, the resume, if you did it correctly, was labor intensive, and time consuming. (Please tell me you devoted a lot of effort to your resume.)

Great! Now let’s discuss the difference between a good application and a poor one. Many people have the misconception that because the application is usually strictly formatted, there can’t be much difference among them. This is simply not true. You may notice a parallel between the interview process and the application itself. Good! You should notice! Here’s the scoop: During many discussions with other managers and business owners,we talk about the things that are humorous or just ridiculous that people do on their applications. Here are the top few: ( Followed by and explanation of how they hurt your chances, no extra charge for this info!.) Read more…