Human Resources: Employee Reference Checks

June 23, 2008 – 12:02 pm
References are one of the most straightforward parts of any applicants resume, which is why many employers are surprised to discover how often these names and numbers are misrepresented. Whether the problem is fake information or subtler methods such as giving friends numbers as actual companies, the fact remains that many references come bearing the stamp of dishonesty. Thats why more employers these days are outsourcing the checking part to a company with the time and resources to verify everything properly. The references we provide are in a sense the most human part of the application. Numbers, schools and prior job titles are one thing, but hearing the opinion of another human being who is intimately familiar with the applicant can often be far more illuminating. Thats why applicants whose track record may be something less than stellar tend to falsify this part of the document ...

Human Resources: Employee Screening

June 22, 2008 – 12:02 pm
Good employee screening tools are some of the best ways you can protect yourself against individuals who could pose a threat to your company. Every year American corporations lose millions of dollars thanks to the unscrupulous habits of employees, many of whom were hired under false pretenses. If you want to be sure you are investing in a properly credentialed person, you may want to look into some of the better-respected solutions on the market.Employee screening means more than just running a name through national records for felony convictions. More thorough approaches include checking education, references and more for possible red flags or any data that doesnt hold up. This level of specificity is time-consuming and involved, which is why most experts recommend outsourcing the job to a company that does this work exclusively.Look Before You LeapThere was a time when a handshake was all you ...

Human Resources: Employee Screening Companies

June 21, 2008 – 12:02 pm
The best employee screening companies earn their place at the top by providing a demonstrably superior product to the services offered by the rest of the field. That means one-upping such common products as criminal background checks by adding in education and driving checks, reference details and more. No wonder so many of Americas top companies seem to gravitate toward one or two established firms in this competitive arena.What makes a good screening firm? You want to look for methodologies that involve more than just the Internet, as studies show much of the most valuable data exists in counties where such information has never been digitized. In this endeavor there are few substitutes for the kind of hard-nosed human research that traditionally powered the market long before computers. The Right AnswersOf course criminal checks reveal only a small piece of the entire puzzle. If ...

Human Resources: Employment Background Checks

June 20, 2008 – 12:02 pm
Employee screening companies are only as good as the services they provide. Understanding how to access background information in the hiring process takes experience and a solid familiarity with our countrys legal system. Boilerplate search engines and simple methods only yield so much insight into this important process.What you want is a firm that understands the many avenues of information that must be explored if a full portrait is to emerge. Since there is no such thing as a national criminal database, good screening requires checking county by county for any activities that raise red flags. These can be as serious as felonies or as minor as misdemeanors that may have slipped through the cracks with other tools. How to Stay AheadThe good news is that many of the top screening companies can do this work far more quickly than they used to. These ...

Human Resources: Employment Records

June 19, 2008 – 12:02 pm
Most applicants readily supply employment records, but there remains a shadow of a doubt in administrators who have seen such documents forged too many times. The best way to be sure the credentials and experience you are hiring actually represent reality is to work with a screening firm that can quickly give you a thumbs up or down on the information you receive. A good screening company can get you substantive answers in a couple days or less.Why check your applicants former employers? Anyone who has run a business for any appreciable amount of time can tell you that working with individuals is by far the best way to assess their strengths and weaknesses. There is simply no good reason to rely on resumes and credentials alone when you can speak to that applicants superiors and find out whether she did a good job at her ...