I have been reading and answering questions on forums for quite some time and I guess I didn’t even realize how little people actually knew about background checks. I have been in the business for quite some time so it seems second nature to me. Below are some of the myths that I will try and dispel and I look forward to any questions you may have Read more…

Lately I have been answering some questions on BakgroundChatter.com that got me to thinking. What does the average person think about background checks or more accurately, what do they think a background check consists of? From speaking with people I think they get the sense that it is like CSI. We have computers and type in the persons name, and pages of information come up including photographs and that persons complete history down to their kindergarten finger paintings. I’m sorry to say it just doesn’t work that way. Some days I wish it did because it would make our jobs much easier, but it doesn’t. Read more…

It is no more the level of the employee but the security environment and security requirements that determine which level and how background checks should be conducted.

A bad cleaner may be as bad as a CEO with doubtful integrity. Normally employers do not take chances and make sure that they opt for employment screening or background checks of all their employees, irrespective of the positions they hold.

They are justified in getting the background and credentials of a member of the cleaning staff as well as the top executive, CEO, done before employing anyone. Levels of background checks and agencies or means used for conducting background checks may vary and differ but certain mandatory checks are now becoming increasingly mandatory. Read more…

Below are the definitions and terminology commonly used in the background screening industry. These are provided courtesy of ASIS. Read more…

Drug use in the workplace is not an issue most employers want to consider; but if yours is a company employing more than 15 employees (or in some states more than 6 employees), you will have to comply with the regulations laid out in the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, which means that you will have to make certain concessions regarding current legal and past illegal drug use by employees. Read more…

Hi Folks,

It’s time again to answer some of the most commonly asked questions about background checks and pre-employment screening. This one is a bit of a long one so we are only answering one today. Read more…

Conducting pre-employment background checks, including criminal background checks, employment verifications, immigration status checks and sex offender registry searches, are an essential step in the hiring process. Although the information gathered in a pre-employment background check is of great use to an employer, this same information is often times highly sensitive, especially to the perspective employee. Read more…

How long does a background check take?

That depends on the components ordered and what type of check you are doing. For employment purposes a background check can take anywhere from 24 hours to 1 week. Our company generally gets a background check request back to the client within 48 to 72 hours. That would include a criminal record check, motor vehicle report, employment verification, and education verification.

Read more…

Hi Folks!
I initially started writing the article below to make into an e-book. Well as things progressed and I started getting more and more in-depth, I thought it might be a good article for my blog. As you may or may not know I work for an employment screening company and they have given me their blessing to go ahead and publish articles that discuss how to conduct free background checks. Read more…

The vast number of individuals participating in social networking has surpassed the hundred million mark. The appeal of these sites, such as MySpace.com, Facebook.com and others, is the availability of searchable profile data they contain, such as past employment, affiliations, schools, hobbies, interests, pictures, and personal web log entries.<!–more–>

A growing number of employers are searching social networking sites as part of their pre-employment screening process. According to a CareerBuilder.com 2006 survey of over 1,000 hiring managers, 12% used social networking sites to verify information about a job candidate. While many managers found these sites useful in confirming a hiring decision, 63% reported not hiring a candidate based on what they found.

The implication is a hotly debated issue among hiring managers, especially when it comes to information found on these personal sites not posted there by the candidate. Examples being: comments posted from teens venting their frustration about a parent or from a disgruntled co-worker with an ax to grind. Although there is no body of case law concerning the regulations and use of content from social networking sites, when placed in the context of FCRA compliance, hiring managers are required to use reliable and verifiable methods and data sources. Because content on social network sites is public, many hiring managers argue that these sites fall within the guidelines, especially when the site is created and managed by the applicant. The argument becomes critical when it comes to protecting an organization from negligent hiring suits. Due diligence requirements almost make it impossible to ignore information found on a job applicants’ social network site. The question becomes, should that information be accessed at all?

In the upcoming years, the debate over the uses of social networking sites in pre-employment screening will define if they have a place in the hiring process. The critical issue for many organizations now is how to use data found on social sites. Key findings from the CareerBuilder.com survey offered these tips in evaluating a candidate based on their social network site:

1. Does the candidate’s background/profile information support the professional qualifications submitted with the application/resume?
2. Is the candidate well rounded? Shows a wide range of interest?
3. Do the candidate’s posts demonstrate great communications skills?
4. Does the candidate’s site convey a professional image?
5. Does the candidate’s personality fit the organization?
6. Have others posted recommendations and positive appraisal of the candidate?

Warning signs include the following:

1. Is the candidate linked to criminal behavior?
2. Has the candidate posted negative comments about previous employers or co-workers?
3. Has the candidate posted information about drug and/or alcohol use?
4. Has the candidate posted confidential information from a previous employer?

Ultimately, searching social network sites as part of a screening process should just be one of the many tools an organizations uses. As with simple background checks, you will find that not all relevant information is accessible. It remains to be seen if social networking sites will garner enough support to become viable tools in the pre-employment screening industry.