Background Screening by ScreeningIntelligence.com for Employment

Part-Time Employee And Juvenile Background Checks

October 6, 2015 by screeningintel Leave a Comment

Juvenile Background Checks

Background checks are par for the course among full-time employers, but an increasing number of part-time employers are also following suit. The result is a greater number of high school employees being asked to satisfy background screening requirements, with many of these young workers not even having reached the age of eighteen. Although records for young offenders are often sealed, juvenile background checks have a way of revealing details indicative of whether a particular teen could be a risk to take on. Equipped with this information, employers must determine whether juvenile applicants who fail to pass obligatory juvenile background checks are worth the risk they pose.

Why Screen for Juvenile Background Checks

When making hiring decisions, some employers are quick to give younger applicants the benefit of the doubt, with many failing to even bother with a criminal background search for teenage prospects. These employers believe that they can learn everything they need through the interview process or, perhaps, by checking a few references. While both approaches are excellent for determining whether an applicant has a future with the company for which they have applied, this may not be enough to determine whether a young applicant could pose a risk if hired. With teens, as with all other applicants, background screening can remove some doubt.

Even trusting employers find themselves performing background screening on adolescent applicants simply because they believe that it is fair to all of the other employees. If one applicant must pass a background screening in order to be hired, it is only fair to ask the same of the others, regardless of age.

What To Do If A Teenage Applicant Fails A Juvenile Background Checks Screening

Failed juvenile background checks are of major concern for any employer, as this most likely indicates that the applicant has committed a crime within the last year or two. Can the prospective employee be trusted to have changed his or her ways since then? It is important to follow through and ask the employee for an explanation, as well as proof of completed community service hours. Some leniency is to be expected, as teenagers are prone to mistakes. Through the criminal background follow-up process, worried employers can determine whether potentially problematic adolescent applicants are likely to make similar mistakes while on the job.

Disclaimer Statement: All information presented is never intended as legal advice and is for information purposes only.

How Employers Can Reduce the Odds of Violence in the Workplace

September 16, 2015 by screeningintel 1 Comment

From employees creating a hostile and emotionally unhealthy work environment to workplace shootings, there seems to be no shortage of reports of violence in the workplace these days. A Virginia man killing two of his former co-workers while they were broadcasting live on the air is just the latest of these disturbing incidents. Vester Flanagan gunned down Adam Ward and Alison Parker in a shocking display of workplace hostility being taken to its most tragic extreme.

Violence in the Workplace

Whether caused by a tough job market or just the stresses of modern life, violence in the workplace is a very real risk for employers today. However, there are steps companies can take to help reduce the risk to their employees as well as their own liability. It starts with knowing who is being hired, and there are ways to screen potential new hires for the risk of workplace violence so that they are not hired.

Here are four effective ways employers can reduce the odds of violence in the workplace:

1. Criminal Background Check

A criminal background check is perhaps the best way to screen for a history of documented violence or criminal activity. Any criminal incident should be a big red flag for business owners and HR departments.

2. Check References

It is standard for applicants to provide work and character references on their resumes or job applications. Employers should contact every reference and ask a question or two about the candidate’s temperament, how they handle stress, and if they are prone to any problematic behavior.

3. Using Interview Intuition

While some persons can hide a bad temper or a tendency toward violent behavior very well, with others, the signs of a volatile nature can show during the interview. If the interviewer senses edginess or glimpses of a disposition prone to anger, these are also red flags.

4. Professional Employment Background Screening

A professional employment background screening service can help take a lot of the guesswork out of vetting potential new hires and can potentially uncover a candidate who has had a history of violence in the workplace. This service should screen for a criminal history, the sex offender registry as well as government watch lists. Professional employment background screening helps employers to avoid hiring employees who poses a risk to the safety, security and positive energy of a workplace environment.

Disclaimer Statement: All information presented is never intended as legal advice and is for information purposes only.

4 Tips for Verifying References of a Rental Applicant

August 27, 2015 by screeningintel 1 Comment

One of the most important components of screening potential tenants is asking for and verifying references. References from past landlords, employers and others who can verify their character can help to confirm the applicant is a trustworthy individual. The same procedure should be used for every potential tenant in order to stay compliant with the Federal Fair Housing Act. Inconsistencies could be seen as discriminatory and might cause a tenant to take legal action.

Verifying References

Landlords can use these 4 tips for verifying references.

1. The Rental Application

A quality rental application can assist landlords in conducting a thorough check of a tenant’s references. They can be created from scratch; however, there are also a number of pre-made forms that can be downloaded from the Internet. There should be lines related to gathering information about former landlord(s), rental dates, amount of rent paid per month, number of late payments, and any legal action taken. The applicant’s date of birth, social security number, employer references and character references should also be collected.

2. Authorization for Background, Reference and Credit Check

Written authorization should be obtained from the applicant allowing the landlord to complete a background search and credit check as well as for verifying references related to past rental history and employment. This can be easily accomplished with text on the application with a line for the applicant to sign and date it verifying that they give their permission.

3. Verifying References by Calling Previous Landlords and Employers

The applicant’s previous two landlords and employers should be called to verify their track record as a tenant and an employee. Valuable information can be yielded from these conversations that can help to determine if an applicant is a good fit. Some landlords and employers may ask to see a copy of the written permission given by the applicant.

4. Check Credit History and Criminal Background

Reference verifications can be augmented with a credit history and criminal background check using a tenant screening service. Using a professional tenant background screening service requires a fee, but in many cases it can be passed along to the rental applicant. Some states have specific rules and limits for doing so; landlords should verify the laws for their area. They might also consider refunding this cost from the first month’s rent.

Verifying references and having a thorough tenant evaluation performed can help landlords to connect with quality tenants. These four steps are key to rental applicant verification and can help to prevent stress and headaches down the road.

Disclaimer Statement: All information presented is never intended as legal advice and is for information purposes only.

Economy Adding Jobs as Unemployment Rate Remains Steady

April 28, 2015 by screeningintel 1 Comment

The latest government jobs report held both good and bad news for unemployed and underemployed workers. On the positive side, the U.S. economy continues to add jobs, with 126,000 nonfarm positions added in March. However, the employment sector is growing at a much slower pace that at any time in recent history.

Jobs

The unemployment rate held steady at 5.5 percent, as many economists had predicted it would. But economists also say wage growth has been stagnant during the recent recovery, NPR reports, and the unemployment rate may not fully represent the number of people looking for jobs.

The latest employment jobs numbers

The report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) notes that in March, the number of unemployed people in the United States stood at 8.6 million, down by a little more than 1 percent in the past year. Additionally, the number of new unemployed people dropped by 157,000 in March and has decreased by 342,000 over the previous year. The number of long-term unemployed people dropped by 1.1 million over the past year.

Effects for workers and employers

NPR also reports that wage growth is at about 50 percent of its typical rate, suggesting that employers can attract workers easily without offering higher compensation. The sluggish wage growth also may mean that the reported unemployment rate doesn’t include everyone looking for a job.

Many part-time workers — some 6.5 million — would like to have full-time jobs. BLS reports that many of these workers have had their hours cut back or are unable to find full-time jobs.

In addition, BLS noted that in March, 2.1 million people wanted to work and had job-searched over the past year but had not tried in the month prior to the survey. Among those individuals, 738,000 were “discouraged workers” — those not looking for work because they feel certain nothing is available.

The report also included good news for certain employment sectors that continued to trend in a positive direction: business and professional services, retail and the health care industry.

Disclaimer Statement: All information presented is never intended as legal advice and is for information purposes only.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) government jobs report http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm

A Background Check Goes Deeper than You Think

March 31, 2015 by screeningintel 2 Comments

Reviewing a person’s criminal history is of great importance, especially in certain industries; however, a background check can be used to gain access to lots of other valuable information.

According to a recent survey, most businesses (80 percent) perform one or more background checks when hiring new workers. More than half of the respondents stated they carry out educational verification checks, and almost half of them look at applicants’ driving records. And while large firms tend to conduct these checks more readily than small businesses, the latter nonetheless has hopped on the background check bandwagon.

Here’s a quick rundown of four common background search products that businesses should be using when hiring new workers.

Criminal History

Both felony and misdemeanor convictions can be identified through a criminal history background check. In some instances, it may even be possible to view charges that were brought forth but dismissed — manslaughter, domestic abuse, drug charges. Each state has its own laws regarding criminal history checks, such as providing access to only the past seven years of a person’s life.

Credit Report

A background check that reviews an applicant’s credit report is advantageous for positions that provide access to money or clients’ personal information. Bank tellers and loan officers are excellent examples of people who should have to undergo a credit report check in order to be hired.

Educational Check and Credential Check

For positions that require degrees, certain credentials, or certifications, educational checks are of the utmost importance. There are many applicants who falsify their information, and when hiring these people, this puts a huge liability on the company. Take for instance a healthcare facility that hires a nurse. If the nurse doesn’t truly have her nursing license and an incident were to take place, this could be detrimental to the facility’s ability to remain open.

Social Security Background Check

This background check is often overlooked, but it can deliver in-depth details about a person’s past. With a social security check, it’s possible to identify alias names of a person as well as the addresses of where the applicant lived during the past seven years. This means if Joe applies for a job and says that he has lived in Washington all of his life, yet his social security background check says he’s lived in five different states over the past seven years, then it will become obvious that he’s not telling the truth. Plus, by identifying alias names, this provides businesses the ability to conduct more comprehensive criminal background searches.

Disclaimer Statement: All information presented is never intended as legal advice and is for information purposes only.

Part-Time Employee And Juvenile Background Checks

Why Screen for Juvenile Background Checks

What To Do If A Teenage Applicant Fails A Juvenile Background Checks Screening

How Employers Can Reduce the Odds of Violence in the Workplace