Blog, Employee Spotlight
Stephanie Whalen has been a valued member of SELECTiON.COM® since the beginning. Here’s a little more about her.
Favorite part of working at SELECTiON.COM®
I enjoy working with numbers and the people I work with.
Favorite Hobby
Watching sports.
Favorite Quote
“Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people”- Eleanor Roosevelt
Favorite Food
Fresh food.
Favorite Sports Team
Cincinnati Teams and The Ohio State Football
Fun Fact
I’ve been with SELECTiON.COM® since it’s beginning -even before we had official office space.
Blog, Resources
by Thomas Wright, Satisfaction Executive
SELECTiON.COM®
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has been in the news a lot recently with its first and only director, former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray, stepping down the day after Thanksgiving and announcing his intent to run for Ohio Governor.
Created in large part because of the 2008 recession and accompanying housing bubble, the CFPB is still a fairly new government agency by any standard.
It’s not surprising, then, that many Americans, although having heard the name, still don’t know what the CFPB does.
So, let’s take a slightly deeper dive.
According to the CFPB website, the bureau’s primary task is “to provide a single point of accountability for enforcing federal consumer financial laws and protecting consumers in the financial marketplace” from potential wrongdoing by banks, credit lenders, brokerages, insurance companies, etc.
Designed to “protect consumers from unfair, deceptive, or abusive practices” by acting against companies that break the law, CFPB records show that it has helped more than 29-million consumers secure nearly $12-billion in relief as of July 20, 2017.
To date, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has handled more than 1.2-million complaints.
The six core functions of the CFPB include:
- Rooting out unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices by writing rules, supervising companies, and enforcing the law
- Enforcing laws that outlaw discrimination in consumer finance
- Taking consumer complaints
- Enhancing financial education
- Researching the consumer experience of using financial products
- Monitoring financial markets for new risks to consumers
As a background check company tasked with assembling consumer credit or other consumer information for the purpose of furnishing reports to third party clients, SELECTiON.COM® is required to operate under the guidelines of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
Under law, the consumer has the right to know that a background report is being compiled as part of their application, that no search will be conducted without their approval and to see what is in these reports upon their conclusion.
Maintaining the accuracy of collected data is also required and the CFPB, acting in its capacity has the regulatory arm of the FCRA, has ruled in multiple instances against consumer reporting agencies that failed to take basic steps to assure the information reported about job applicants was accurate.
At SELECTiON.COM® we are always monitoring our security and our accuracy to provide our customers with complete, timely, secure and accurate results. We are fully FCRA compliant and can help our customers maintain their compliance at the click of a button.
CFPB, CRA, FCRA…it may all seem like alphabet soup and it might not even be important to most consumers. That is, until they get passed over for the job or home of their dreams.
Then, it just may be a job for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
If you’d like to know more about the CFPB, or the results we provide for our clients and our applicants, please contact us today.
SOURCES: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/
Blog, Resources
by Brian Huseman, Satisfaction Executive
SELECTiON.COM®
How does your hiring process account for data security?
With the recent surge in security breaches at companies like Equifax, Yahoo, Verizon and Uber, just to name a few, it may be past time for your company to review how the personal information that you share is handled by your partners.
According to the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), personally Identifiable Information (PII) is any detailed data that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, either alone or when combined with other personal or identifying information that is linked or linkable to a specific individual.
PII, simply put, must be securely handled to ensure that it does not fall into the wrong hands.
Examples of PII that must be secured include the following:
- Social Security Number (SSN)
- Date of Birth with Name
- Home Address
- Driver’s License Number
- Even a partial SSN, if it is shown along with Name and/or Address
Some immediate areas that should be reviewed are:
- Who needs to see it?
- What needs to be seen?
- Can the sensitive information be communicated securely?
Interoffice communications are some of the primary targets of hackers and consideration must be given to the information that is required to communicate effectively.
In addition, storage of PII should only be done within secure systems with limited access to non-essential personnel and should always provide a record of who is accessing the information.
At SELECTiON.COM® we take data security very seriously.
Secured Login, Computer Generated Passwords, Multiple Firewall Protection and Encrypted Email are just some of the measures utilized to secure your sensitive data.
SELECTiON.COM® personnel are put through ongoing training in handling client data and effective communications.
Access to information is limited to only the personnel that hold the highest security clearance and regular audits are conducted to identify areas that may require additional attention.
Our client’s privacy and data security are paramount to us and we are unyielding in our efforts to protect the information with which we are entrusted.
Contact us today to see how SELECTiON.COM® works to protect you and your client’s data.
NOTE: The contents of this article are not legal advice for your particular situation. You should neither act nor rely upon anything stated in this article without first consulting your own legal counsel.
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
by Thomas Wright, Satisfaction Executive
SELECTiON.COM®
The Labor Department reported recently that the U.S. jobless rate fell to 4.1% in October, a 17-year low.
According to CNN’s Patrick Gillespie (@CNNMoney), “That’s why some experts think the U.S. economy is at, or getting close to, something called ‘full employment,’ which means employers can’t find many more available and qualified workers for open jobs.”1
With unemployment numbers that low, many companies are worried about how they’re going to fill those important positions with quality, reliable employees.
That is what makes it more important than ever for proper background checks to be a part of your screening process.
A thorough background check can make the difference between hiring an applicant who merely looks good on paper, and one whose qualifications are truly legitimate.
Criminal background checks are an important part of the process, but oftentimes it’s an education verification along with a prior-employment verification that can best weed out the less-qualified applicants from the candidate pool.
CareerBuilder recently announced that three out of every four HR managers (75%) surveyed have caught a lie on a resume.2
The most common fib seems to be embellishing skills or capabilities; 62% of respondents say they’ve come across this, and 54% say they’ve caught applicants taking liberties when describing the scope of their responsibilities.3
A quarter have seen people who claim to be employed by companies they never really worked for.
By checking an applicant’s actual employment history against the enhanced version, such falsifications can be easily spotted, but despite the obvious benefits many potential employers just don’t have the time or resources to perform such verifications.
Good news, SELECTiON.COM® can help!
Prior-employment and education verifications are performed by our most senior staff members with an average turnaround time of two to three days.
Prior-employment verification is available for previous positions held, starting and ending dates of employment, eligibility for rehire and other relevant information about the applicant’s performance.
Education verification documents an applicant’s start dates, end dates, major fields of study and degrees earned, areas that are often the most enhanced on resumes today, with an average turnaround time of one to three days.
Combine either or both with a criminal history report and a Social Security Number trace, and you have a great start to hiring the best employee for your company.
Here at SELECTiON.COM® we are a nationwide provider of background screening services. Our plethora of products and reports can help you find the best hires, even with the lowest unemployment rate in 17 years. Contact us today to see how we can make a difference.
SOURCES:
1 Gillespie, Patrick (2017, June 2). America’s job market is bit like the porridge in Goldilocks. You don’t want it to get too hot or too cold. It needs to be just right. CNN Money. Retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/2017/06/02/news/economy/jobs-full-employment/index.html
2 CareerBuilder. (2015). Employers Reveal Biggest Resume Blunders in Annual CareerBuilder Survey [Press release]. Retrieved from http://www.careerbuilder.com/share/aboutus/pressreleasesdetail.aspx?ed=12%2F31%2F2015&id=pr909&sd=8%2F13%2F2015
3 CareerBuilder. (2017). 75% of HR Managers Have Caught a Lie on a Resume, According to a New CareerBuilder Survey [Press release]. Retrieved from http://press.careerbuilder.com/2017-09-14-75-of-HR-Managers-Have-Caught-a-Lie-on-a-Resume-According-to-a-New-CareerBuilder-Survey
Blog, Employee Spotlight
Jennifer Clark has been a valued member of our Operations team since 2014. Here’s a little more about her.
Favorite part of working at SELECTiON.COM®
I have really enjoyed working for SELECTiON.COM®. I love working at SELECTiON.COM® because of the great employees, having a gym right here at work and the fact that we are a faith based company.
Favorite Hobby
Making Jewelry
Favorite Quote
“You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take” – Wayne Gretzky
Favorite Food
Penn Chips and Queso
Favorite Sports Team
Notre Dame Football, Cincinnati Reds Baseball, UC Bearcats Basketball
Fun Fact
I am a girlie girl but I love to go camping, 4-Wheeling and shooting bow and arrows.
