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Why Gaps In Employment Are A Red Flag

October 3, 2008 By Chris Miller

Employers have a hard enough time just finding qualified job candidates. But, making matters worse is the fact that many of those candidates could be hiding a number of problems in their past. Job seekers routinely lie on their applications and resumes, concealing details that would make them a bad hire.

On the other hand, employers may be confronted with gaps in employment on a resume or application. And while the reasons behind the gaps may be completely innocent, verifying what the candidate was doing during the lapse is essential. If neglected, employers may expose themselves to potentially disastrous consequences. Below, I’ll describe 2 reasons why gaps in employment should raise a massive red flag.

#1 – Possible Criminal History

A potential hire may have spent a 2-year lapse by traveling through Europe and exploring the world. But, what if he didn’t? It’s entirely possible that he actually spent that time in prison. If an employer fails to check the gap in history, they might never uncover the details. Hiring that person could lead to employee theft, harm to the staff and a number of other outcomes.

#2 – Ineffective Background Checks

There’s no way for an employer to conduct an effective background check when a job candidate has an unexplained gap in history. The reason why is because criminal records are typically kept at the county level. If the employer doesn’t know where the candidate was during the lapse, it’s impossible to know which county, or counties, to search for a criminal history.

Filling In The Blanks

It’s absolutely critical for employers to find out the reasons behind gaps in employment. Those lapses can hide a period of incarceration as well as make it impossible to conduct thorough background checks. Employers and hiring staff need to hunt for the details in order to avoid taking on a bad hire. The alternative can be devastating.

Related Posts and Articles:

Does Your Job Applicant Have a Criminal Record?

Can You Tell If Your Applicant Is Lying?

Photo Credit: vasilken

$100 Million For E-Verify

October 2, 2008 By Chris Miller

On September 30, 2008, President Bush signed a spending bill (H.R. 2638) which includes $100 million in funding for the E-Verify Program until March 6, 2009.

E-Verify is an online system operated jointly by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA). Participating employers can check the work status of new hires online by comparing information from an employee’s I-9 form against SSA and Department of Homeland Security databases.

The E-Verify program was scheduled to sunset at the end of November 2008 if it was not extended or reauthorized. The Department of Homeland Security’s Appropriations bill allocated $100 million and 255 positions for E-Verify.

E-Verify still remains a voluntary program even though some states, including Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina and most recently Missouri have all mandated its use in some form.

With this funding, I expect there will be a push for more states to mandate it’s use even though it’s not a perfect system.

Photo Credit: O.Cosma

Hiring For Hotels: Why Screening Is Essential

October 1, 2008 By Chris Miller

While every business needs to screen both potential and current employees, it’s critical for the hotel and hospitality industry. Hotels, motels and any establishment that offers lodging has a unique level of exposure if a bad hire is brought aboard. When background checks and proper screening protocols slip through the cracks, job candidates who represent a danger to guests and staff might be hired. And the results can be devastating.

When Background Checks Aren’t Done

In March of this year, Spring Break in Panama City, Florida was in full swing. Throngs of young people had descended upon the city to enjoy time away with their friends. An 18-year-old from Tuscaloosa, Alabama was among them and was staying at one of the many hotels that litter the city. A man named Shawn Wuertley worked at the hotel as a security guard. At 1:00 a.m., Wuertley entered the teen’s room and attacked her. The struggle ended when Wuertley threw the teenager off her room’s balcony.

She was on the 6th floor, yet lived.

Because of the incident, background checks were done. The hotel was stunned to learn that Wuertley had a criminal record in Indiana and had served time in prison between 1998 and 2005.

Screening Hotel Employees

While the incident in Panama City received national attention, it’s far from being an isolated event. There are many examples that illustrate the need for more rigorous hiring practices for hotel employees. That includes screening current hotel staff on a recurring basis as well as doing exhaustive background checks for prospective hires.

The people whom you employ to address and take care of guests have an incredible amount of exposure to those guests. They encounter them in secluded hallways. They clean their rooms and serve them food. Each case presents a potential risk. Whether you’re hiring room service staff, security guards, or housekeeping employees, your hiring practices should include intense screening and thorough employee background checks. Your guests’ safety may depend upon it.

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4 Ways Employees Can Steal From You

September 29, 2008 By Chris Miller

money
According to the 2007 National Retail Federation survey, retailers lost 41.6 billion dollars to theft and fraud. The majority of retail shrinkage last year was due to employee theft, at $19.5 billion, which represented almost half of the losses (47%).

While large corporations can usually weather the financial impact of employee embezzlement, the problem hits smaller organizations much harder. In many cases, business owners have lost their life savings to a bad hire. Even medium-sized companies can falter under the impact. Below, I’ll describe 4 ways in which an employee can steal from you. Then, I’ll explain the best way to prevent it from happening to your business.

#1 – Inflated Expense Accounts

Expense accounts are important for a variety of businesses. However, left unchecked, an employee can easily fabricate expenses, claiming reimbursement for money that was never spent.

#2 – Tampered Payroll

Payroll fraud is more prevalent than many employers realize. A bad hire may add ghost employees to the payroll, claim wages that are unearned or unauthorized, or even steal and cash blank payroll checks.

#3 – Fraudulent Billing Schemes

A lot of organizations work with vendors, yet have no formal process by which purchase orders are reviewed and approved. Employees can easily establish fictitious vendor accounts, diverting payments to a P.O. box.

#4 – Register Theft

Businesses that operate in a retail setting can be victimized by an embezzling employee who steals directly from the register. In simple cases, the employee collects money from a legitimate customer for a purchase, but instead of ringing the sale, the employee pockets the cash. It can go much further, including falsifying refunds, voids and taking advantage of customers’ credit cards.

How To Prevent Employee Embezzlement

A major portion of employee embezzlement can be prevented. Employers must maintain a strict employee screening process and perform thorough background checks on job candidates. While uncovering past incidents of theft or misappropriation of funds can be difficult, the profiles of bad hires who are likely to commit fraud are often similar. The worst thing an organization can do is neglect the importance of screening applicants and doing comprehensive background checks.

Eliminating bad hires from the applicant pool can save your company the headache of dealing with theft, fraud and embezzlement.

Can You Tell If Your Applicant Is Lying?

September 26, 2008 By Chris Miller

It’s estimated that nearly 30% of job applicants lie on their resumes. Millions of candidates misrepresent their education, work history, and qualifications. Even worse, they might be hiding a criminal past. According to ADP Screening and Selection, out of over 2 million background checks performed in 2001, over 40% of applicants lied about their past employment or education.

Some HR executives are confident that their interviewing skills can help them identify liars. But, studies show that visual clues are often misleading. And the cost of hiring a bad employee can be enormous.

When Visual Clues Are Unreliable

HR professionals often think that a lack of eye contact or excessive squirming is evidence that a potential hire is lying. But, such visual clues are unreliable. A candidate who doesn’t maintain eye contact and fidgets during an interview may be well-qualified, yet simply nervous. Eliminating him from the applicant pool can be a lost opportunity for an organization. What’s more, millions of people are adept at lying. Lacking visual evidence of dishonesty, an HR executive may hire a candidate who has misrepresented himself.

The True Cost Of A Bad Hire

Hiring someone who has lied on his resume can create a number of costly problems for a business. For example, if a new employee lied about his qualifications, a business might be forced to waste time training that employee or looking for another candidate. If a criminal history remains hidden, the costs can be much higher. Employee theft, workplace violence, and substance abuse can lead to expensive negligent hiring lawsuits. The true cost of hiring a bad employee can be unfathomable.

Background Checks Are Essential

Because employers and HR professionals can’t depend upon visual clues to identify lying applicants, they must perform comprehensive background checks. Checking references, calling past employers, and looking for hidden criminal records is the only reliable way to reveal whether an applicant is misrepresenting himself. If your business is hiring employees without conducting background checks, you are exposing your company to unnecessary risk.

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