Blog
by Julie F. Burke, Vice President of Sales
SELECTiON.COM®
The retail industry faces some unique challenges when it comes to performing background checks during the Holiday season and hiring the best employees possible.
Based upon my experience working in the retail industry for over 15 years and working here with retail clients at SELECTiON.COM® for more than ten, I have identified the top three problems most of my clients have dealt with at one time or another during the Holiday season.
THEFT
Crowded stores, overly-stressed employees working long holiday hours and an influx of seasonal staff combine to create the perfect recipe for increased employee theft.
Shoplifting by customers is a distant second to employee theft for most retailers, which is especially true during the holidays and that can make hiring the right person incredibly important.
According to a recent study by Jack L. Hayes International, “employee theft is about six times as much as shoplifters.”
Even the savviest interviewers cannot merely see the criminal element in an applicant. The only way to truly know is to check their criminal background and work history for specific incidents that indicate such behavior.
Knowing the background of your applicant can be your greatest indicator of their ability to do their job with honesty and integrity.
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
Unfortunately, some background check results are not always crystal clear. Case information and terminology differ from state to state.
Human Resource Managers and Risk/Safety Managers often need an answer right away while viewing criminal history reports, especially when hiring seasonal help.
It is imperative that customer support is available to answer questions instantly, whether by phone or Live Chat. If they do not receive support in a timely and efficient fashion, it can cause missed opportunities for everyone concerned.
COMPLIANCE
Retailers need an easy process to match their industry to be compliant with Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) regulations.
Failure to follow proper FCRA procedures could lead to litigation.
The FCRA dictates that an applicant / volunteer / current employee be given a clear and conspicuous disclosure that a consumer report (background check) may be procured for employment purposes during the application process.
SOLUTIONS
SELECTiON.COM® has solutions for all of the above challenges.
SELECTiON.COM® stays up-to-date on all FCRA regulations and provides the tools to keep you compliant with the click of a button via our proprietary web portal, Fastrax Select®. We offer pre-populated Pre-Decision and Adverse Action Letters free of charge on your custom dashboard, or by checking a box, our clients can choose to have our in-house staff do the mailings for them.
We suggest that you run a background check on ALL employees including seasonal hires. SELECTiON.COM® can customize your reports for part-time, full-time, seasonal hiring and managerial positions.
These customized reports include our Social Security Number Trace report, County Criminal History Reports and our proprietary national criminal database, Search America®.
Our Search America® Report provides a multi-jurisdictional search of criminal record databases and Government Watch lists including correction records and Sex Offender registries from all 50 states. In addition to clear results being INSTANT, records found are personally reviewed by our dedicated Quality Assurance Department before being sent back to the client.
These reports combined with our first class customer service, provides the perfect solution for the fast-paced retail industry.
Customer service representatives at SELECTiON.COM® have a tenure of 7.5 years in the industry. Our entire team is available by phone, email and our online chat portal. Customer service hours are M-F, 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM (EST) and during the 2017 holidays we are closed ONLY on Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday and Christmas Day.
Contact SELECTiON.COM® today for your customized background screening solution.
Blog, Resources
Knowing the background of your applicant can be your greatest indicator of their ability to do their job. Unfortunately, criminals aren’t going to just give you their records or tell you where they committed their crimes. In fact, there are a few tricks that criminals employ to actively HIDE that information from you.
SOME OF THE TRICKS:
- Commit crimes after passing the background check.
- Give a False Name
- Move Around From State To State.
If you’re a client of SELECTiON.COM®, you’re in good hands. We’ve been in the background screening industry for over 25 years and offer all of the necessary tools to deal with the many different ways criminals try to hide records.
SELECTiON.COM® SOLUTIONS
Quarterly Watch®
SELECTiON.COM® owns the nation’s largest criminal database (Search America® Report) searching over 1 BILLION records. Once your applicant’s information is entered into our system, we will run our Quarterly Watch® product which includes Sex Offender Registry, Government Watch lists and Correction Records throughout the U.S. This way, you will be alerted as soon as possible with any additional records.
SSN Trace and Validation
First the SSN is ran through the SSA and then the SSN is traced which gives residence and identity history associated with the given SSN. If the name given by the applicant does not match the SSN Report, this can be a red flag to the client.
Criminal County Research
Fingerprinting and State Reports might be missing other criminal records. Depending on the offense, not all county records are reported to the state level. Furthermore, some records, such as public intoxication, disorderly conduct and misdemeanor drug offenses could be missed because the crime is a ticket offense that doesn’t require fingerprinting.
County research is the most accurate and up-to-date source of criminal history. Crimes are tried on a county level. SELECTiON.COM® researches the counties based of the SSN Trace Report, not where the applicant has told you they live.
Contact SELECTiON.COM® today to see how we can keep your workplace safe.
Blog
Just like the world around us, consumer needs are constantly changing. And because of that, companies need to keep up by understanding their client’s needs.
As consumers, we like to research and read reviews before making a purchase. In large part, that’s because clients like the easy access to social media to help them spread the word about their own service experiences and those of family, friends and in some cases relative strangers.
Of course, B2B customers can do the same thing through client testimonials. Talking to your clients and receiving feedback is a great way to help improve your business.
Here at SELECTiON.COM® we take pride in our Satisfaction Statement:
“What Separates true customer satisfaction from mere lip service is the willingness to put the SELECTiON.COM® customer FIRST in everything we do!”
SELECTiON.COM® Puts Our Customer FIRST in Everything We Do and we offer the following resources for our clients to help us by continuously rating our products and service:
- Client Customer Service Satisfaction Survey
- Live Chat ratings
- Client Research Survey
- Social Media following and client features
SELECTiON.COM® reviews and discusses these ratings and testimonials every Friday. We gather to discuss both our successes and our failures in our company wide meeting.
See what some of our amazing clients are saying about SELECTiON.COM® at https://selection.com/customer-feedback/ or follow us on social media for updates and client testimonials.
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“I get called often by other background check companies to switch. They always promise me a savings. Background checks with a company I consider a partner is invaluable. Background checks are NOT a commodity! Knowing what the limitations are changes it from a commodity to a service. I use SELECTiON.COM® because of their great service. Also, I must acknowledge LeAnn Bick is excellent to work with and is very responsive.”
Renee Fulton, President, Talis Group Inc.
“I’ve been using SELECTiON.COM® for nearly 10 years and it remains one of the best available. It’s easy to use and fast. I recommend SELECTiON.COM® without hesitation.”
Joe Kindt, Vice President of Human Resources, PECO Real Estate Partners
We love receiving feedback from our clients and we use the information to improve our services. You can fill out our client surveys on our website.
If you are a current or former client please fill out our Customer Satisfaction Survey at https://selection.com/client-survey/. We appreciate your responses!
Blog
SELECTiON.COM® is proud to be a Certified Veteran-Owned Small Business. We always look for ways to incorporate what we know into our business. Being veteran-owned is at the heart of everything we do here at SELECTiON.COM®.
Attention to Detail
SELECTiON.COM® was founded by veterans. We are proud of our military background, the service we provided to our country, and the service we give our clients. SELECTiON.COM® pays great attention to detail- just as we were trained to do in the military. Attention to detail is what makes SELECTiON.COM® efficient and effective. There is a direct correlation between our past experiences and current careers. Attention to detail makes the difference between missing some criminal records or mistaking an applicant for a criminal.
Disciplined Procedures
As SELECTiON.COM® has grown, we have created disciplined procedures allowing us to maintain accuracy without compromising speed. Our processes are thoroughly documented, and our staff is trained to execute with military precision. 
Protecting what we Value
At the heart of a soldier is protecting what is important. Our Chief Visionary Officer and Chief Executive Officer served our country in order to protect what is most cherished- our liberty. At SELECTiON.COM®, we take that same approach to helping protect what YOU value- your company, your reputation, and your clients. We do not simply do research; we look for ways to protect YOU.
SELECTiON.COM® holds our veterans and military servicemen and women in very high esteem. We are proud to support many different military related charities. SELECTiON.COM® is a sponsor of Team Fastrax™ and Team Fastrax™ Warrior Weekend to Remember. We help veterans live their lives to the fullest and thank them for their service.
Team Fastrax™ is sponsored by SELECTiON.COM®, a leading provider of criminal background checks and pre-employment screening services. They are the most ambitious professional skydiving team in the world. The team has a roster of more than twenty-nine active members, with a collective of more than 300,000 skydives. Team Fastrax has performed exhibition skydives all over the world for audiences large and small as a patriotic display or as a product promotion.
The SELECTiON.COM® Ohio Challenge Hot Air Balloon Festival and Team Fastrax™ Warrior Weekend to Remember is July 20th-23rd. 2017. The weekend includes many public events where you can honor and meet over 40 combat injured warriors and more than 8 Gold Star Families who have made the ultimate sacrifice in losing a loved one in combat service to our Nation.
For more information on veteran-owned small businesses: https://www.va.gov/osdbu/
For more information on Team Fastrax Warrior Weekend to Remember: http://warriorwtr.com/
Blog
Many companies throughout the U.S. not only run background checks on their applicants, but they also perform a drug screening.
There are many different types of drug panels that companies can run on potential employees, with a 10-panel urinalysis being the most common. This type of drug panel searches the top five street drugs (cocaine, heroin, meth, weed, PCP) and the top five prescription drugs (benzodiazepines, Quaaludes, methadone, propoxyphene, barbiturates). Other drugs may be added to or subtracted from this panel as specific requirements warrant.
Drug tests may be conducted using any number of sources including hair, saliva or urine.
Since medical marijuana is such a hot topic, questions often arise from our clients whether a positive marijuana drug test can be overturned. Also, with guidelines and regulations varying by state some confusion exists as to how marijuana results are to be interpreted in the first place.
Marijuana is classified currently as a Schedule I drug on a federal level, therefore a prescription cannot be written for it.
Clients also ask how Medical Review Officers (MRO) handle a drug test that is positive for marijuana.
When reviewing drug tests for marijuana, Medical Review Officers, will not overturn a positive result. If the donor claims to have a Medical Marijuana Card, they can contact the MRO and ask them to put this message on their report, but the report will still show “Positive for Marijuana.”
Some company policies allow the use of recreational or medical marijuana. In this case, the MRO will ask the donor to refer back to their company to discuss their specific policies.
Even if a city or state allows usage under local law, the MRO will not overturn the findings.
If, and only if, the donor does state that they would like this claim documented on their results, it would read as such:
“At the donor’s request, we are advising you that the donor claimed to have a
Medical Marijuana Card or Recommendation during their interview. We do not
consider Medical Marijuana in determining final results and no verification of the
donor’s claim was made.”
Please note, this does not apply to any federally regulated testing.
Most companies put a drug testing policy in place, which states whether or not they will allow medical marijuana claims. It is up to your company on how to proceed.
SELECTiON.COM® will work with your company to help you navigate applicant drug testing and the results.
Source:
D.R.S Medical Review Service, Statement of Procedures Regarding Donor Claims of Allowed
Recreational and/or Medical Marijuana Usage, 2017
