The Best Of FYI Screening 2009
December 30, 2009
2009 was a year that social media surged and the use of social networks for employee background screening was frequently debated. We saw resume fraud, diploma mills and fake employment websites flourish. During this time we’ve used our blog to keep you informed of these trends, best practices and legal compliance issues. Look to FYI Screening for more of this in 2010.
Below you’ll find our most widely-read posts of the year:
- The Importance Of Post-Hire Background Checks
- 4 Tips On How To Use Social Networks For Employee Screening
- The Dangers of Using Social Networks for Employee Screening
- Diploma Mills: Degrees of Deception
- 5 Legal Reasons Why Your Company Should Have a Social Networking Policy
- The Other Background Check: What Does Google Have To Say About You?
- Resume Fraud A Growing Concern
- Twitter and Employment Law Issues
- Job Applicants Are More Likely To Lie As The Recession Grows
- The Pitfalls Of Using Social Networking To Screen Potential Employees
Happy New Year!
Photo credit: berk2804
Best Employee Screening Articles For October & November 2009
December 2, 2009
In case you missed any of our employee screening articles for October and November, here’s a quick recap of our most popular:
- Florida Lawmakers Pledge Changes To Their Background Screening Program
- Sex Offender Safety Tips
- No Background Check? No Problem - Cracking Down On The Gun Show Loophole
- How A Woman Falsified Her Nursing Credentials For 18 Years
- University Removes New-Hire DNA Testing From It’s Background Check Policy
- Genes and Jobs: Can Employers Use Your DNA For A Background Check?
- 100% Of Companies Will Be Using Social Networks As Part Of Their Employee Screening Program By 2012
- How To Protect Your Company When Googling Job Applicants
Smart, Compliant Hiring Decisions Made Easy
FYI Screening offers a wide array of customized background screening solutions to meet any need. Human Resources and Loss Prevention Professionals in numerous industries worldwide trust FYI’s screening solutions every day to make smarter, safer and more cost effective hiring decisions.
- Subscribe to our blog to stay informed
- Follow on Twitter
- Connect on LinkedIn
Genes and Jobs: Can Employers Use Your DNA For A Background Check?
November 18, 2009
Not anymore
Psychology Today has an excellent article on this subject titled “Genes and Jobs.”
The Genetic Non-Discrimination Act (GINA) comes into full effect this Saturday, November 21st.
Employers need to take note, and employees should be aware of their rights
Congress passed GINA almost unanimously, and President Bush signed it on May 21, 2008. Described by the late Senator Ted Kennedy as “the first civil rights bill of the new century of the life sciences,”
GINA protects individuals from genetic information discrimination in health insurance and employment
Even some well-informed commentators seem to have missed this landmark piece of legislation. So have some employers. The University of Akron (UA), for example, adopted a policy as recently as August that could require any candidate for employment to submit a DNA sample.
Read more about Genes and Jobs.
The Coalition for Genetic Fairness also gives the following guidelines for employers on how to comply with The Genetic Non-Discrimination Act (GINA).
GINA outlines the following activities as unlawful employment practices and discriminatory on the basis of genetic information:
- The use of genetic information in making decisions regarding hiring, promotion, terms or conditions, privileges of employment, compensation, or termination.
- Limiting, segregating, or classifying an employee, or depriving that employee of employment opportunities, on the basis of genetic information.
- The request, requirement, or purchase of genetic information of the individual or a family member of the individual except in rare cases, as outlined in the drop-down section below.
- The use of genetic information in making decisions regarding admission to or employment in any program for apprenticeship or training and retraining, including on-the-job training.
Furthermore, employers should be aware that it is unlawful for an employment agency, labor organization, or training program to fail or refuse to refer an individual for employment on the basis of genetic information, nor may the agency or labor organization attempt to cause an employer to discriminate against an individual on the basis of genetic information.
Related Post From FYI Screening:
The $50,000 Background Check
November 13, 2009
That’s one expensive background check…
The Los Angeles Times reports Sarah Palin says the McCain campaign billed her $50,000 for her background check.
Read the story here.
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sskennel/ / CC BY 2.0
How To Protect Your Company When Googling Job Applicants
November 12, 2009
Earlier this week I wrote how 100% Of Companies Will Be Using Social Networks As Part Of Their Employee Screening Program By 2012.
Jon Hyman from the Ohio Employer’s Law Blog read this post and offers some advice on how employers can protect themselves when they use social networks to screen applicants.
- Read Googling job applicants from the Ohio Employer’s Law Blog.
100% Of Companies Will Be Using Social Networks As Part Of Their Employee Screening Program By 2012
November 9, 2009
Dan Schawbel, a personal branding expert, gives his 10 Personal Branding Predictions for 2010. The one that caught my attention was number ten:
10) Online identities becoming as routine as employer drug tests
In 2009, Careerbuilder reported that 45% of companies are using social networks as background checks. I’m going to go with 75% of companies for 2010 and then 100% of companies in 2012. Just like a drug test, going online to review an applicants brand is easy, cost effective and can save headaches later. There are issues that arise such as possibly losing good talent because of one Facebook picture or judging someone based on their picture and not on their credibility.
What this means for your personal brand: Everyone is going to have to be very careful with what they put online. Go through your online presence right now to make sure it best represents you as a professional. Try and see your profiles through a companies eyes too.
The topic of using social networks for background checks has been controversial because of the possible legal exposure but I’m going to have to agree with Dan here…
100% of companies will be using social networks as part of their employee screening program by 2012.
It is important it note that these social searches will not replace traditional background checks (county criminal searches, verification of driving records, education and employment) but will be an increasingly important tool to help companies find the best fit employees for their organizations.
Read Dan’s 10 Personal Branding Predictions for 2010.
Related Posts From FYI Screening:
Kindergarten Teacher With A Criminal Record Teaches For 5 Years
November 6, 2009
Source: wsmv.com
On October 20, 2009, while on her lunch break, a Tennessee kindergarten teacher was cited for shoplifting $62 worth of wrinkle cream from Walmart. This past summer the teacher was convicted of stealing steaks from a Kroger. She has three DUIs and a citation for driving on a suspended license for excessive speeding tickets. She also has five aliases and she’s been teaching young children for the past five years.
As of November 5, 2009 she was still in the classroom teaching. Watch the video.
What’s wrong here?
The state only requires a background check at the time of hire.
This is a good reminder that your organization should have a Post-Hire Screening Program in place.
A Post-Hire Screening Program (also called recurring screening) is considered a best practice for employers. It ensures a safe workplace and helps reduce the risk of a negligent retention lawsuit. Conducting checks on all new hires is essential. Keep in mind, that a lot can happen in the years after a new hire comes aboard. Companies should consider protecting themselves with periodic post-hire criminal checks and drug screening.
For more information please read:
University Removes New-Hire DNA Testing From It’s Background Check Policy
November 6, 2009
Source: cbsnews.com
The University of Akron is backing away from a controversial new policy, which appears to be the first in the nation, saying that new hires can be DNA tested as part of a background check.
William Rich, the vice chairman of the Ohio university’s Faculty Senate, said late Thursday that the administration was now willing to remove references to DNA testing from its background check policy.
As CBSNews.com reported last week, the university’s board of trustees adopted a rule saying a “DNA sample for purpose of a federal criminal background check” may be collected from any prospective faculty, staff, or contractor. That policy, which includes no explicit privacy guarantees, appears to violate a federal law that takes effect on November 21 called the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act.
Read more… University Removes New-Hire DNA Testing From It’s Background Check Policy.
Related Posts From FYI Screening:
- A Growing Trend - Data Security and Protection
- Background Checks For The Education Industry
- Diploma Mills: Degrees of Deception
- Six Background Screening Mistakes To Avoid
Photo Credit: kyz
How A Woman Falsified Her Nursing Credentials For 18 Years
November 4, 2009
This is a fascinating and also sad story of how a woman stole, lied and cheated her way through life.
Source: TheTelegraph.com
For years, she kept ahead of her lies, moving from state to state with false credentials that showed her to be a nurse. This week, the law caught up with Catherine Marie Connor.
The Grafton woman was sentenced Wednesday to a year and a day in federal prison in a wire fraud case in which she followed a trail of deceit to secure a nursing license and nursing or related jobs in multiple states.
Connor, 55, was sentenced this week in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.
She pleaded guilty in July for a case that developed over a period of years, beginning in 1991 and ending in March 2009, court records state, during which time she made some $625,013.07.
A crucial element of the case was the woman’s background, dating to 1984 when, as Catherine Smith living in Virginia, she was sentenced to a two-year term on two felony counts of credit card theft and two felony counts of forgery, the indictment states.
Read more on How A Woman Falsified Her Nursing Credentials For 18 Years
Related Posts From FYI Screening:
- 3 Critical Reasons To Screen Health Care Employees
- 4 Ways That Employee Screening Boosts Employers’ ROI
- 4 Tips on How to Avoid Negligent Hiring Lawsuits
- More Background Checks
Photo credit: gbaku
No Background Check? No Problem - Cracking Down On The Gun Show Loophole
November 2, 2009
The man in the baseball-type cap was clear about his task. He was selling weapons at a gun show in Sharonville, Ohio. And he wasn’t troubled about the minutiae of the law.
“I don’t need your address,” he said, shaking his head and waving a dismissive hand across his face. “Nothing.”
“No background check?” asks a skeptical potential buyer.
“Just show me that you’re from Ohio,” the seller said.
The buyer sounded relieved. “That’s good about the background check,” he said, “because I probably couldn’t pass one.”
“I don’t care,” the seller said. Then, with a chuckle and a toothy smile, he added, “because I wouldn’t pass either, bud.”
Undercover investigators for the New York City mayor’s office secretly filmed this transaction earlier this year as part of a seven-city and three-state study on how easy it is for people who can’t pass a background check to get a gun. Just attend one of the thousands of local guns shows held every weekend across America. Odds are that if the money is green, the dealer will sell a gun. In most cases, no questions are asked.
Read the rest of the story here.
