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Online
Just a reminder that
our Internet Report Access System (IRAS) is free for all
our clients. It gives you instant access to your reports
even as we are working on them. You can also order online
and view invoices.
For more information please contact our Customer Service
Manager, Christie Lambeth at Chrisite@EmployScreen.co or
800-473-7778 x 104.
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The 5 Most Disturbing
Trends in the Employment Screening Industry
The employment screening industry has evolved greatly over
the past decade. Ten years ago many companies were not
conducting background checks on their job applicants.
Now, for most companies background checks are standard
procedure.
But as the market has
matured several disturbing trends have developed. Here
are five of the most disconcerting ones.
Relying On Proprietary Criminal Databases
Some screening
companies now offer a low cost "national" or "nationwide"
or sometimes a "regional" criminal database that consists
of limited records from state departments of corrections,
county courts, prison systems, sex offender registries,
etc. They are touting their proprietary database as an
effective primary search for records.
This is very misleading
and risky.
As a supplement to
onsite county courthouse searches or state government
repositories a database is fine. But as a stand alone
product a proprietary criminal database is dangerous.
Why? Databases can be
inaccurate and incomplete.
Most jurisdictions
don't provide records in bulk electronic format, which
means many important criminal records are missing.
Many jurisdictions
remove crucial identifiers such as date of birth, which
means some records can be associated by the database with
the wrong person.
Criminal records can
change over time, which means the database reports
outdated information such as expunged records or sealed
cases. Deferred judgments that turn into convictions can
be missed.
In essence, with
database only searches you get the "worst" of both worlds
-- missing some criminal records that should have been
found on an applicant and other times finding some records
that don't really belong to the applicant at all or cannot
legally be used.
You could end up hiring
someone with a criminal record who would otherwise have
been disqualified or you disqualify someone who shouldn't
have been and now you're facing a lawsuit.
Some screening
companies don't bother to follow-up and check the records
reported in these databases. They simply send the
applicant a "contemporaneous notification" letter. This
has already led to several lawsuits against screening
companies from applicants who were denied employment
because of faulty records.
At ESS we only use our
"Auxiliary National Criminal Index Search" in conjunction
with a county or official state government repository
search. We will never sell it as a stand alone product.
In other words, with ESS you get the "best" of both
worlds.
Not
Researching Criminal Search Locations
Some screening
companies have so automated their criminal search process
that they take all the human judgment out of it. A
criminal search request comes in and the system
automatically plugs in the search parameter based on the
data entered.
This can lead to
misdirected searches.
For example, if someone
recently moved to his/her current residence from another
jurisdiction it doesn't make sense to conduct the only
criminal search in the new location. A person with a
record often moves away from the location of the criminal
record and it is unlikely s/he would be arrested, charged
and convicted in the short period following a move to a
new location.
The criminal search
should really be performed in the last location where an
applicant spent significant time. That could conceivably
be two or three jurisdictions back.
At ESS a criminal
research specialist looks at every criminal search order
to determine the appropriate jurisdiction to search. The
specialist looks at data obtained from a SSN trace or
credit report or motor vehicle report or look at the
employment application or resume to assess the proper
location. There may even be other names to check.
The point is it's
important to think through the search in order to do it
most effectively. Automation is great but sometimes you
need a live person to be involved as well.
Outsourcing Employment Or Education Verification To
Overseas Call Centers
Another disturbing
trend is "off-shoring" U.S. employment or education
verifications. It is certainly cheap in price - both for
the employment screening company and the client - but it
may actually come at a much higher "cost."
Once an applicant's
personal information (SSN, addresses, employment history,
school history) is sent overseas most all the privacy and
security protections vanish. The potential for identity
theft is magnified exponentially.
At ESS we never
outsource any domestic employment or education
verifications. We refuse to compromise your
applicants/employees' privacy or your company's liability
safeguards.
Our own highly trained
specialists in our Washington headquarters make all the
calls. Their approach is courteous, professional, private
and accurate. This insures you receive highly secure and
confidential reports.
"My
Way Or The Highway" Approach To Business
It seems that more and
more screening companies, particularly the larger ones,
are adopting a "my way or the highway" approach to
customer service. They have a particular way of doing
business and they aren't too interested in altering it for
any reason. They may offer a cheaper product so they feel
justified in offering less service.
This really gives our
industry a bad name. And contrary to some screening
vendors' beliefs one size does not fit all.
At ESS we have a
reputation of going above and beyond to satisfy our
clients' needs. We'll do just about whatever it takes to
accommodate your reasonable requests.
Do you need a
customized report package? You got it.
Do you need a
specialized or personalized order form? No problem.
Would you like us to
ask custom questions when conducting employment
verifications or reference interviews? Be glad to -- no
additional charge.
Do you need us to do
some in depth follow-up research on an applicant we
screened for you? Just tell us what you need.
Can we handle your
adverse action or state applicant notifications for you?
You bet.
Do you have a new staff
member who needs to be trained on our process? We're
happy to take the time to do so ... no charge.
Would you like us to
design an online employment application for you? We'll do
it ... no charge.
As you can see we're
all about service. We call it "business TLC." It's our
number one priority. If you need something special just
ask us. We can probably do it.
Treating Background Checks Like A "Commodity"
Some screening
companies have so homogenized their background checking
processes that it's hard to distinguish them from most any
other screening company. Their reports are essentially
data compilations. There is very little creativity in
gathering the information or in the presentation of the
report.
In many cases this is
probably out of necessity because of the frequent turnover
of the people processing their reports (either direct
employees or overseas call center workers.) They need to
keep their procedures rather basic in order to accommodate
inexperienced processors.
Or they look at
simplified reports as a way to keep costs down.
At ESS we recognize
that managing overhead is important but we don't want to
skimp at the expense of value.
Over half of our
employees have been with us for more than ten years so
they are very experienced and expert at their craft. We
don't have to minimize their tasks in order to bring them
up to speed. We give them more not fewer
responsibilities.
This means we provide
you with extremely accurate, thorough and complete reports
packed with meaningful information to help you make the
most informed hiring decision. We're obsessed with
value. Just take a look at our reports and you'll see
what we mean. |
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New Look
As you can see, our
e-Update has a new look. We are also in the process of
redesigning our website using this look. It will be more
functional and have a nice clean appearance. Stay tuned for
further developments. And be sure to check our client site
www.essclientservices.com frequently for valuable
information.
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