Employment

Our analysis tells us that over 38% of the applications that we process contain at least one falsification by the applicant. We verify the accuracy of employment history with emphasis placed on past performance, employment periods, positions held, salary, rehire eligibility, and reasons for leaving. In addition, Accu-Screen will determine if the previous employer is still in business and, if not, will take action to verify the employment experience through co-workers, supervisors, past owners and/or the Corporate Commission.

Employment Background Screening: A Guide for Hiring Managers

When applying for a job, applicants are now required by many employers to be subjected to a screening process prior to being hired. Though not all jobs require a check of this kind, some require screening by law. With this ever-evolving world and new threats for safety and security on the rise, many employers simply cannot afford to take the risk of not check on someone’s background before hiring them. It pays to be cautious as a hiring manager, but at the same time, it sometimes doesn’t seem to be a benefit to the applicant. That’s why it’s so important for employers to fully explain why and how these checks are done. At Accu-Screen, we can provide you with a thorough and complete report on an applicant’s work and criminal history.

One reason to obtain background information would be where knowing someone’s past is crucial to a company’s well-being. For example, lawsuits against companies have taken a dramatic rise in recent years. If the proper screening is not done, a mentally unstable, criminally-prone, or otherwise unqualified person could be working for you and potentially harming your employees, clientele, or your business’ bottom line. This is reason enough to be extra cautious. A business’ finances can also be severely affected. For example, what if an unqualified accountant overruns your budget, sloppily keeps records, and ruins the reputation of the company as well as the person who hired them? You’ve got a huge problem on your hands as well as an IRS audit likely to follow.

Since “gut feeling” alone can no longer be a valid basis for hiring someone, it is more important than ever to be sure and do the proper research ahead of time. What other reasons exist? For one, recent events such as child abuse and abductions have increased. Laws have been passed in nearly every state that requires anyone who will be working with children to undergo a background search. Increased security due to 9-11 in industries such as the transportation, goods importation and exportation, and water sanitation mean that employers must now double check to be sure their workers are on our side. A third notable event that stresses the importance of checking someone’s history is the fall of Enron. Corporate Executives, Officers, and Directors are no longer assumed to be on the up-and-up and their personal and professional lives must be closely examined.

The last question to answer is: What is included in an employment background screening? Reports on applicants can range from simple verification of a Social Security number to looking into a person’s friends, family, and complete working history. Bits of information that are gathered during a background check include items such as a person’s driving, military, criminal and credit records as well as alerts from the National Sex Offender’s Registry. Drug testing, medical records and state license verifications are also available upon request. At Accu-Screen, we can customize these reports for you and they’ll be easy-to-read and accurate every time!

Do You Know Where Your Employees Have Been?

In today’s world, it’s more important than ever to know who you’re hiring. Do they really have a Bachelor’s Degree? A clear driving or criminal record? Have they really had all of the real-world experience they claim to have? Employees help make your company a thriving business and you can’t achieve that without qualified personnel. At Accu-Screen, we’ll do the work for you. We’re in the business of making sure that your prospective employees really are qualified to take your business to the next level!

Let’s first define the term “employment screening”. By definition, it is the process of researching one’s public, professional, educational, driving, and financial records as well as their eligibility to legally work in this country. This process is also sometimes referred to as a “background check”. Specific types of industries have reasons for needing this type of research done on an applicant. These types of industries include professions where employees are in a position of trust such as teachers, hospital workers, banking professionals, and those in the airline industry and law enforcement. But other industries are now interested in knowing more about an employee before taking the risk of hiring them.

Why are these checks important? Because they allow employers the power to make better-informed decisions about whom they bring into their company. With employment screening, a hiring manager can take a more objective approach to evaluating an applicant’s eligibility. When a resume states that a person has earned a degree and the position requires specialized training, you’ll know if they are being honest. Screening someone through Accu-Screen can also help you differentiate between and compare applicants to select the most qualified one.  As an example, for businesses that care for the elderly, handicapped, or children, a screening is required and someone cannot be hired if they do not have a clear background.

There are certain legal considerations to keep in mind when using an employment screening to help determine whether or not to hire someone. First, the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is a law that regulates the use of these reports in regards to declining employment to someone, to notifying the applicant that the information was obtained, and to either keeping the obtained information protected or destroying it properly. Next, it is useful to know that if your company will be using an employment screening report as a factor in hiring someone, they must be notified with a disclosure document called a “pre-adverse action”, a duplicate of the summary of rights as listed in the FCRA, as well as a “notice of adverse action” in writing. Applicants have a right to know where this information is being obtained from, especially in cases such as where a credit report is a necessary part of being hired. For the aforementioned reasons, it is very important that employers take these legal considerations into mind to avoid ramifications.

In conclusion, doing the research on an applicant can be a necessary and valuable part of the hiring process. For businesses in industries such as education, healthcare, legal, criminal, banking, and childcare, knowing background information on an applicant is a vital part of making an informed hiring decision. If the proper legal boundaries are respected, a business can feel confident and clear when comparing prospective employees for hire. With services like Accu-Screen available to you, there is no reason to neglect doing the necessary research!

Employment Screening Experts Are On Your Side

Imagine for a moment that you are responsible for hiring a qualified person to drive children from the hospital to a rehabilitation facility in the area. You decide to run an ad in the paper, advertise online, and contact a few friends in the industry for referrals. Once you interview one of your colleague’s cousins, you feel that she is capable of performing the job and seems to be very kind and caring. So you hire her on the spot…right? Wrong! With services like Accu-Screen, we can be your eyes and ears into who your applicants really are. You need employment screening experts to be sure that your prospective employee is fully qualified and eligible for hire.

So how do experts in this field best serve you and your company? First, they verify a person’s employment history. They look at the dates of employment to determine how much real-life experience the person has really had. Next, they verify your job seeker’s places of employment. They can even get into attendance records, job performance, salary history, and whether that person left on good terms. Employment history is one of most important factors in making a decision to hire someone.

Second, a large part of a person’s work history is their list of references. When someone does a good job, they have much to show for it, especially in the way of good references to support them. Both professional and character references are excellent ways for experts to verify if someone is qualified to perform their job duties and do an exceptional job. Checking criminal records is another way that experts at Accu-Screen can peer deeper into your applicant’s history. Comprehensive searches are done so that every relevant detail is uncovered. When you need to hire someone with a clean criminal history, you can feel confident that having us run a records check in the local police and court databases means that you are doing the very best thing for your company.

In what other areas do employment screening experts check? Education level is one area that helps verify the qualifications of a person. If you’re hiring for a laboratory scientist position at a pharmaceutical company, for example, taking someone’s word on having earned a degree simply isn’t enough. Actually checking on what degree was earned (and where) is extremely important! Equally, in positions such Registered Nurses, Construction Foremen, and Internet Security Analysts, knowing whether or not a person has earned their state/local license or industry certification is essential. If a person is unqualified they will not be fit to perform at the level required for the responsibilities they must take on.

Finally, whether by law or by preference, some employers must utilize services such as Accu-Screen to look deeper into other areas of a job seeker’s life. One area we can research is past Workers Compensation claims. Reports can be provided to you detailing the dates of past claims as well as the types of injuries that occurred. Another area that can be looked at more closely is someone’s credit history, their DMV reports, and the validity of a person’s green card. At Accu-Screen, we not only perform research on all of the aforementioned areas, but we can also include drug testing services so you can feel confident that you know you’re getting the very best person when you hire a new employee.