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Federal Criminal Checks and Importance

What Do Bernie Madoff, Al Capone and The Unabomber Have In Common? Understanding Federal Criminal Background Checks                   If you’re running a criminal background check by adhering to best practices, including a search in each county to determine if your candidate has any convictions on his/her record, then you might consider your employment background screening program both thorough and accurate. But even if your background check company conducts a thorough search, there could be another piece of the puzzle missing: what if your candidate was convicted of a federal crime? Well-known federal convicts include Bernie Madoff, former Illinois Governor’s Rod Blagojevich and George Ryan, John Dillinger, Al Capone, The Unabomber, John Gotti and Aldrich Ames. Unfortunately, a county criminal background check would not include these federal convictions or any others.  However, there is a good way for you to search for federal convictions without breaking the bank. Basi

The 10 Dos and Don'ts of Conducting Employee Background Checks

         |             The 10 Dos and Don'ts of Conducting Employee Background Checks 5 comments, 0 called-out Comment Now Follow Comments Following Comments Unfollow Comments Comment Now Follow Comments Following Comments Unfollow Comments Most people might find it unseemly were you to run background checks on your potential dates prior to asking them out. But the same does not hold true when hiring a new employee. While taking a chance on a blind date might result in a bad evening, there’s absolutely no doubt that making a wrong hiring decision can haunt your company, your other employees and your client base.   That doesn’t even take into consideration the cost and time expended in finding

You Should Always Start with a County Background Check

A family synonymous with The Post and with... Growing use of FBI screens raises concerns about accuracy, racial bias Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post - The J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building in Washington, D.C. “It’s been quite a rough road leading up to fighting this case,” Vanderpool said. “It’s caused us quite a bit of damage that it’s going to take us years to really recover from.” The FBI’s databases are the largest repository of criminal information in the country. Records are linked to fingerprints, as well as names, reducing the chances of an incorrect match. Graphic                Employers can request an FBI background check only when authorized by state or federal laws and regulations. Many industries require potential employees to be screened by the FBI before they can receive work licenses. But the FBI databases were not intended to be comprehensive. Instead

This Should be done for every State

Senate OKs drug testing for benefits applicants By Matthew Burns Published: 2013-07-10 15:08:00 Updated: 2013-07-10 15:08:00   Raleigh, N.C. — The Senate on Wednesday approved a bill that would require people applying for public assistance to pass a drug test and would require local Department of Social Service offices to conduct criminal background checks on applicants. Senators voted 43-6 in favor of House Bill 392 , which now heads back to the House for a final vote on changes to the measure. Under current law, DSS offices may ask someone if they're a fugitive or conduct a criminal background check, but they are not allowed to share that information with local sheriffs or other law enforcement agencies. The House version of the bill called for social service workers to call law enforcement if someone applying for Food and Nutrition Assistance, what many people call food stamps, or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, which are cash payments,

Celebrating our freedom to dream and the independence we continue to hold close.

Happy 4th to everyone Privacy and Background Checks - A Balancing Act! “I particularly recognize that reasonable people can disagree as to what that proper balance or blend is between privacy and security and safety.”      John Pistole The news has been filled lately with controversy surrounding background checks and employment.   The importance of personal privacy versus the right of employers to hire safely is under fire . There are those that feel that background checks are simply an invasion of privacy.  Others believe that employers have the right and the responsibility to verify any information provided by the candidate.  There is also the question of a company’s legal obligation to provide a safe environment for their workforce, customers and the public. I believe a balance between the two is both possible and desirable. First off, there are valid reasons why a company would use Background Checks as part of their hiring process. Using backgrou

Which Drug Testing Process is More Effective

laws? Which Drug Testing Process Is More Effective at Finding Illegal Drugs?   Quest Diagnostics has issued their Drug Testing Index of over 3.4 million drug tests for the first six months of 2012. There are interesting results in the analysis that impact how you can find illegal drug users. Why should you care? Well, illegal drug users cost your firm an average of more than $10,000 per year more than non-illegal drug users according to the Society for Human Resource Management. Illegal drug users are three times more likely to use your health insurance program, four times more likely to have an accident and 5 times more likely to file a worker compensation claim. Pre-employment positives are up for both urine and oral-fluid specimens. Urine specimens show a 16% increase. Oral fluid specimens show a 6% increase. And another finding is that oral fluid positives for pre-employment are at 5.1% while urine positives are at 3.7%. Why you ask? Well, oral fluid does not give the

A Ounce of Prevention Equals a Pound of Cure

When To Perform Background Investigation   This article intends to highlight the drawback of performing the background investigation after the employment offer has been issued and accepted by the applicant. The objective of doing a background investigation is not necessarily to discover who to hire but rather who not to hire because of information discovered during the background investigation. This discovery may reveal that the applicant didn’t have the credentials alleged on the application or has exhibited unacceptable dangerous behavior in the past or both. A decision to do a background investigation is most likely done when you, as the employer, have a candidate to whom you would like to extend an employment offer. An employer can perform a background investigation on the individual during various stages during the hiring process. The major alternatives are either before the offer is extended or after the offer is extended to the individual. NEWS FLASH!! Up to 8% of peop
Monday, May 6, 2013 4 Reasons Why Small Businesses Need to Use Background Checks Many Small Business Owners think Background Checks are just for “the big boys”. Maybe it is because as a small business owner you mostly hire “people you know”, or you think that Background Checks are just “too expensive” for your Small Business. Neither of these arguments are true. Using Background Checks is actually a cost-effective and sound business strategy for any Small Business. Here are 4 Reasons Why Background Checks and Small Business make Great Partners: Small Businesses have a Limited Budget for Hiring and Training: Most Small Businesses operate on a tight budget. Your resources are split among the many costs associated with running your businesses - payroll, insurance, utilities, and more. Wasting any of your funds on hiring and training the wrong candidate is bad business. Using a Background Check as part of the hiring process can help eliminate some o

Tell Me Now or Tell Me Later?

Survey Says: Tell Me Now or Tell Me Later? Do You Have A Criminal Record? Published on 04 April 2013 by Nick Fishman in Compliance , Criminal Records , Trends 0 Last month, we released our official 2013 Employment Background Check Trends Survey report. The report includes findings from nearly 1,000 Human Resources professionals in various industries across the United States, who responded to our survey on background checks for employment at the end of 2012 and the beginning of 2013. One of the questions we asked was if their organization asks candidates to self-disclose past criminal history on their job applications. Despite the guidance issued by the EEOC in April of 2012—recommending that employers should not ask candidates about convictions on job applications—79% of respondents say they are continuing to do so (see chart below). Only 9% say they do not ask candidates for self-disclosure. However, the EEOC’s guidance did open up a bit of gray area, as it said that

The Renewal of Spring

"The Secret to a rich life is to have more beginnings than endings"-Dave Weinbaun Spring is one of my favorite seasons. It gives us a chance to reflect back on the year prior,be thank-ful for the present, and be hopeful for the future, as we refresh our minds and bodies. I love waking up to a beautiful bright orange sunrise that greets me as I drink my coffee in my family room and prepare for my day. I can hear the birds outside chirping.As I wait for the bus with my children and do not need my heavy Winter coat I am again reminded how much I do love the warmer weather.I start my day with a walk outside so that I can feel the warm sunshine on my face and remind myself of how very blessed I am for my family and all of the people in my life I love, and reflect on my day ahead. I love the sunroof open and the fresh air coming through the car, and the extra spring in my step. I love to see the buds on the trees starting to blossom, and the tulips rising out of the ground. Spri

The Importance of Background Checks

The Importance of Background Checks By Dani Martin    Most businesses deal with sensitive information at some level. This may range from handling social security numbers, credit card information, drivers license information and other types of personal information. In order to assure clients and customers that their information is being handled properly, it is the duty of the business owner to take the necessary step in getting a thorough background check on all employees. Personal and professional references are still a good method, however, they should not be relied upon solely. It should be obvious that prospective employees will give names of those who will give a good reference; background checks pick up where references stop - they will give you accurate and in-depth information regarding the candidate. Background checks are available to cover a wide variety of areas. Drivers license, character references, personal acquaintances, education records, crimi