Tag Archives: Employment Screening Service

Is salary history part of your screening process

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Do you as an employer ask for salary history as part of your hiring process? If so, do you use that information to make your decision on whether or not to hire someone? It seems like such a small detail, but could bring problems for an employer depending on how such information is gathered and used.

Asking for salary history is well within an employer’s legal rights, and most job applicants are happy to provide such information. If you are using a third party employment screening service to gather such information, however, you must have written pre-approval by the applicant. And if the figures you find come into play when deciding not to hire that person, you are required to let them know, as according to the Fair Credit Reporting Act they have a legal right to explain or correct any errors or information you’ve found.

While a job applicant is not required to share salary history, some employers have found that asking for it ends up serving as one way to judge character, because lying about one’s salary history is an easy one to catch.

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National Consumer Law Center report on background check companies says be careful who you hire

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A recent report by the National Consumer Law Center claims that background checks can be erroneous, advising employers to be careful when hiring an employment screening service to conduct background checks on their prospective employees.

According to the report, nearly 75 percent of employers are conducting some sort of pre-employment screening on job applicants. The report claims that errors made by fly-by-night background check companies using shoddy business practices can — and have — cost qualified people good jobs.

“Federal regulatory agencies and states should rein in the Wild West of the background screening industry by holding companies accountable,” said Persis Yu, the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) staff attorney and co-author of the report.

When hiring a screening service to conduct your business’s background checks, research the company’s history and reputation. VerifyProtect.com is a division of American Tenant Screen, which is a leading provider of integrated screening services for businesses in the markets we serve. The company provides screening services globally to more than 3,000 clients, and has been in business for nearly 25 years.

 

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FTC warns background check mobile apps makers they must comply with FCRA

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With the ever-increasing trend of conducting background checks on job applicants, there has been a glut of new employment screening services and mobile apps that advertise the ability to quickly and inexpensively produce a criminal record on your would-be employee, blind date or new nanny. But one thing we’ve known in the industry for years is that there are no short cuts to proper pre-employment screening. Now the Federal Trade Commission is demonstrating their agreement, issuing letters to the makers of six such mobile applications, warning them that the apps must comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

The FTC warned the apps marketers that if they believe the background reports they provide are being used for employment screening, housing, credit, or other similar purposes, they must comply with the FCRA.

Some of the apps include criminal record histories, which could be used in employment and tenant screening. According to the letters, the agency has made no determination whether the companies are violating the FCRA, but encourages them to review their apps and their policies and procedures to be sure they comply with the law.

Don’t trust your business to any mobile app created by anyone other than a trusted employment screening service provider. The last thing an employer needs is to be inadvertently accused of wrongdoing, when they were just trying to do the right thing.

 

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VerifyProtect.com services go above and beyond usual background check

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There are plenty of employment screening services out there that can run a simple credit check and criminal background search. But what if you are an employer with special circumstances, someone who needs a certain type of background check or credentials certified? At Verify Protect, we offer all the basics of the typical pre-employment screening service, along with a host of other screening options and verification services, to meet your company’s unique needs. A few of these include:

  • Healthcare Sanctions Lists: A multi-level search of healthcare industry databases from the OIG, GSA, FACIS and 800 other state and federal healthcare databases.
  • Professional / Occupational State License Verification: Information obtained includes license status, and, if available, expiration date, adverse information and specialization.
  • Government Foreign Nationals Watch List: Find out whether certain groups and/or individuals are identified as threats to U.S. Foreign Policy and National Security by The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of The U.S. Department of the Treasury.
  • Education Verification: VerifyProtect.com will contact any college, university, trade school or high school to verify your applicant’s stated degree obtained and attendance dates. Verifications including transcripts also are available.
  • National Bankruptcy Search: VerifyProtect.com has access to more than 9.5 million records compiled of bankruptcy filings from January 1992 to present.
  • International Employment Verification: We will contact previous international employers to verify your applicant’s employment.
  • Workers Compensation Record Search: This state-requested report generally contains case numbers, date of injury, injury type and employer at the time of the injury. Access to this information and rules for obtaining this report will vary state to state. Not all states allow this search.
  • MVR – Standard Driver’s License Record Search: A report on the applicant’s driving record for the state where they are licensed. Includes license status, moving violations, and accident history.

 

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Two new laws change the background screening business in California

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 If you are an employer in California or you do business in that state, you should be aware of two new laws taking effect on Jan. 1 that might change your pre-employment screening practices.

The first change, thanks to California Assembly Bill 22, is that it will be against the law for most employers and prospective employers in California from obtaining credit reports for employment purposes. Exceptions to this rule include financial institutions and those hiring for certain positions, such as managers, those in law enforcement, and positions that require access to personal information or financial information.

The other change is due to California Senate Bill 909, which appears to be the first law in the nation that addresses the issue of consumers’ personal information that is collected during background checks for employment purposes being sent “offshore” and outside the United States or its territories beyond the protection of U.S. privacy laws.

SB 909 amends the California Investigative Consumer Reporting Agencies Act (ICRA) that regulates background checks in California and requires a new disclosure and additions to a Consumer Reporting Agency’s privacy policy to be made to consumers before their personal information is sent outside of the United States. It does not regulate or prohibit the sending of personal information outside the U.S., but it requires that consumers be told of the background screening agency’s privacy practices, including whether the consumer’s personal information will be sent outside the country.

If these new regulations will be affecting your business or the way you conduct employment screening, now is the time to read up on the changes and make sure your company, and the pre-employment screening service you hire, remains in compliance with the law.

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There’s more to a criminal background check than meets the eye

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Did you know there are different levels to a criminal background check? If you’re using an inexpensive online service that advertises “criminal background checks that are fast and cheap,” chances are you’re getting results that are fast and cheap — and highly incomplete.

There are several levels to a criminal background check, and a reputable employment screening service will take the time and resources necessary for a thorough search on every level. At Verify Protect, our background screening services cover the following levels, depending on your criteria and unique needs:

  • County Criminal: A real-time search for felonies and misdemeanors for a particular county, going back at least seven years.
  • Statewide Criminal: A statewide search of felonies and misdemeanors as reported by the counties. This may contain wants/warrants from other states as well, but is not available in all states.
  • Multi-State Criminal Database: An instant search of over 300 million criminal records from hundreds of sources in all 50 states as well as some international records. This also includes sex offender registries with over 3.5 million pictures.
  • Federal Criminal: A search for crimes prosecuted at the federal level, which can include cases of embezzlement, fraud, drug trafficking and other federal crimes. This covers all 84 U.S. District Courts in one search. (A single district search is also available.)

 

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Tips for employers on hiring smart

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It’s no secret that the smartest employers hire professional employment screening services to handle the background checks of its would-be hires and employees. But wise employers understand that merely signing a contract with a background check company doesn’t ensure that your business will only hire the very best applicants for every position. An employer needs to remain attentive and insightful during the hiring process. Don’t check out just because you’ve paid someone to check them out.

Here are a few things every employer should do to stay present in the hiring game and be sure your company is making the best decisions for its future:

1. Weed through the applicants before beginning background checks. It’s a costly and wasteful move to have every single applicant undergo a background check, so don’t use that as your first step toward finding quality applicants. First study their resumés, conduct phone interviews and check references. Then you can hand-pick a select few top applicants to undergo the background check process.

2. Be smart about what to check. A qualified employment screening service should be able to tailor the type of background check to the type of job you’re trying to fill. For example, not every applicant for every job needs to undergo a credit check.

3. Check the background of the company you’re hired to complete your background checks. There are a ton of businesses out there that purport to be thorough, fast employment screening services. But many of them are not reputable, and anything but thorough. Check the credentials of the employment screening service you’re thinking of hiring. The last thing you want to do is sign on with a scammer.

4. Know the law. Laws and regulations regarding discrimination and privacy concerns in background checks vary from state to state, so do some research into what is the acceptable protocol where your business is located.

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Report shows 110,000 new private-sector jobs were created in September

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Good news for employers and job seekers: According to October’s National Employment Report, employment in the private sector jumped by 110,000 jobs from September 2011 to October 2011. Even better news: The estimated increase in employment from August 2011 to September 2011 was revised, up to 116,000 jobs from the initially reported 91,000 jobs.

If the trend continues, one could infer that the country is indeed turning a corner, back from the brink of economic disaster, with the slow trickle of new jobs easing the drought we’ve been suffering through for the last few years.

The report, sponsored by leading U.S. payroll service provider ADP and maintained by economic consulting firm Macroeconomic Advisers, LLC – measures the change in total nonfarm private employment each month. Highlights from October’s report include:

• Total employment increased by 110,000 jobs from September to October.

• Small businesses (payrolls with 1-49 employees) increased by 58,000 jobs from September to October.

• Medium businesses (payrolls with 50-499 employees) increased by 53,000 jobs from September to October.

• Large businesses (payrolls with more than 499 employees) decreased by 1,000 jobs from September to October.

More small and medium sized businesses opening their doors to job seekers — some who have no doubt been on the unemployment line for some time — is a good thing, but employers can’t be too careful about the new investments they’re making in their workforce. Be sure to contract with an employment screening service to conduct a thorough background check on every prospective employee. If you want business to continue to get better, you need to protect your investments and make wise, informed decisions regarding new employees.

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Which type of employer are you?

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When it comes to their beliefs on pre-employment screening, there are four types of employers.

1. The Believers: These guys are on board with the pre-employment screening process. They believe in it as an investment in the safety of their employees, their customers and their business, and they hire the very best, most reputable employment screening service to oversee every background check, every time.

2. The Room for Improvements: They may be recently on board the pre-employment screening bandwagon, and though they’ve got some processes firmly in place, they are looking for ways to improve their background check system and tighten their ship.

3. The Skeptics: Those who don’t believe background checks are necessary but they go through the motions because either their industry demands it or their customers expect it. These folks typically just do the bare minimum that is required of them.

4. The Handshakes: Those who subscribe to the old business belief that people should be taken at their word with a firm handshake. They think they are a good judge of character and don’t need to rely on criminal records and legal documents to back up their instincts about a prospective employee. Most of these folks don’t have any formal pre-employment screening process in place.

Which type of employer are you? Could your way of thinking, and your pre-employment screening process, use an overhaul?

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Employment screening services tackle criminal record searches state by state, county by county

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It would be super-convenient if there was some magical nationwide database that held every criminal record of every person ever arrested or convicted of a crime. Unfortunately, that database does not exist. While there are private databases that hold millions of records from all 50 states, none claim to have all records from all states. And while many states have adequate databases of the crimes committed by residents of their states, they do not include crimes committed by current state residents while they lived in other states.

Using these private databases can be a good back-up measure, a resource to use to double-check the background information gleaned from other sources. But they shouldn’t be considered an exhaustive search.

The smartest thing for an employer to do is to hire a professional employment screening service that can attack the background check process thoroughly and systematically. Gathering previous addresses and former names used by the applicant in the last 10 years is a good first step, that way criminal records can be found in all states, counties and towns where the applicant has resided in the last decade.

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A professional pre-employment screening service will take care of such details for you, and will therefore give you the most thorough and trustworthy results.