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Background checks are an essential part of any hiring process. And while most companies think that criminal history along with education and employment verifications are enough— there is another way to find out more about a potential employee.
Character references can be supplemental and used to verify more information about previous work experience. 
SAMPLE QUESTIONS:
- If provided the opportunity would you hire him/her again? Why or why not?
- What can you tell me about his/her personality?
- What can you tell me about his/her work ethic?
- How reliable is he/she?
- What can you tell me about his/her ability to get along with his/her peers and supervisors?
Character references allow you to get more in-depth information about a candidate. Just verifying that a candidate worked at a certain company in the past isn’t always enough. References give you more information than basic dates of employment.
Character references allow you to receive more information such as time and attendance by talking with direct supervisors. Since the questions are more in-depth, we can get a better sense of work ethic and personality.
For example, if you are hiring for a position that requires very strict attendance policies, you need to know if the candidate has had attendance issues in the past.
Character references give insight into a candidate’s personality. While most questions are very standard, talking to a direct supervisor who knew the candidate personally gives you more accurate information.
SELECTiON.COM® goes above and beyond standard background checks. Our education and employment verification packages can be customized to fit your every need.
We want our clients to KNOW they are getting the most information about a potential candidate as possible.
By: Jordan Henges – SELECTiON.COM® Social Media Manager
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Team Fastrax™ participates in the 2017 Weekend to Remember
This past week Team Fastrax™ [Sponsored by SELECTION.COM] flew to Mineral Wells, Texas to be a part of the 2017 Halo for Freedom Weekend to Remember. The Weekend to Remember consists of multiple events and activities aimed at providing fun and support for wounded warriors. This year’s weekend consisted of many events, including a NASCAR experience, gun shooting, tandem skydives and a gala. 
“The HALO for Freedom Warrior Foundation® is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization dedicated to Our Wounded Warriors. Our mission is to provide support for Wounded Warriors as they face the many challenges encountered during their rehabilitation, reintegration and healing process.”
Team Fastrax™ honored these amazing heroes by sponsoring free tandem skydives for all of the 2017 warriors and honored guests. Team Fastrax™ has a long history with the United States Military and are honored to be a part of such an event. With many Team Fastrax™ team members being military veterans themselves, this is an event that hits close to home.
Team Fastrax™ is happy to support and participate in such an amazing event for the Halo for Freedom Warrior Foundation. Team Fastrax™ holds its very own Warrior Weekend to Remember every year in Southwest Ohio. This year the 2017 Team Fastrax™ Warrior Weekend to Remember will be held on July 20th-23rd. The team is happy to be a part of the wounded veteran and military community and will continue their strong support.
https://haloforfreedom.org/
http://teamfastrax.com/
http://warriorwtr.com/
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.
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From time to time, some of our clients question why SELECTiON.COM® follows a QA process for our electronic database searches. Our SEARCH AMERICA® Reports come back showing “hits” about an Applicant. This QA process takes some extra time to complete, but we believe that taking this extra QA step is important for two reasons:
- The final report that we send to the client is more trustworthy; we verify that any conviction record showing on the original SEARCH AMERICA® Report is indeed valid according to the latest state and county records on file with the courts.
- The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq. (FCRA) actually requires a Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA) to take steps to verify the accuracy of information listed in a Consumer Report (CR). Two sections of the FCRA, in particular, address this issue. They are FCRA § 607(b) and FCRA § 613(a):
FCRA § 607. Compliance procedures [15 U.S.C. § 1681e]
(a) . . .
(b) (b) Accuracy of report. Whenever a consumer reporting agency prepares a consumer report it shall follow reasonable procedures to assure maximum possible accuracy of the information concerning the individual about whom the report relates.
FCRA § 613. Public record information for employment purposes [15 U.S.C. § 1681k]
(a) In general. A consumer reporting agency which furnishes a consumer report for employment purposes and which for that purpose compiles and reports items of information on consumers which are matters of public record and are likely to have an adverse effect upon a consumer’s ability to obtain employment shall
(1) at the time such public record information is reported to the user of such consumer report, notify the consumer of the fact that public record information is being reported by the consumer reporting agency, together with the name and address of the person to whom such information is being reported; or
(2) maintain strict procedures designed to insure that whenever public record information which is likely to have an adverse effect on a consumer’s ability to obtain employment is reported it is complete and up to date. For purposes of this paragraph, items of public record relating to arrests, indictments, convictions, suits, tax liens, and outstanding judgments shall be considered up to date if the current public record status of the item at the time of the report is reported. (emphasis added)
Both of the FCRA sections listed above have been the subject of litigation during the past few years. Such litigation is very costly and time consuming.
In light of cases such as Smith v. Hireright and Dalton v. Capital Associated Industries, and based upon its own industry experience, SELECTiON.COM® has adopted its QA process for any SEARCH AMERICA® database search report that contains negative information as its best practice to verify search records are as up-to-date and accurate as possible before reporting them to SELECTiON.COM® clients.
In both of the cases cited above, the parties spent thousands of dollars in litigation expenses. If the CRAs involved in these cases had used a QA process to verify their electronic database search results, they could have avoided the time and expense of the federal court lawsuits that cost them so much time and money to defend.
SELECTiON.COM® is committed to a very thorough QA process for all of our SEARCH AMERICA® reports. By choosing SELECTiON.COM®, you will get the most accurate and up-to-date background check reports possible.
Contact us today to see how SELECTiON.COM® can take your employment background check process to the next level.
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.
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How do you really know who you’re hiring? Does the interview and application allow enough face-to-face time for you to really get a good read on an applicant? Do you have enough knowledge about the applicant to make a great hiring decision?
In today’s workplace, background screening programs are a common part of the hiring process. While some companies only run criminal background checks, there is a better solution, verification and reference checks.
SELECTiON.COM® provides four different types of verifications/ checks. 
First, is the employment verification report which provides positions held, length of employment, salary, motivation, work habits, and other information about the applicant’s work performance.
Second, is the reference check/ character reference. A reference check gives you more personal insight into the applicant. Things such as reputation, conduct and integrity of the applicant.
Both the employment verification and reference check allow you to get to know the applicant on a more personal level. These checks provide information that allow you to make a much more educated and insightful decision.
The last two verification checks are to make sure that their resume and credentials are accurate.
The education verification documents an applicant’s start and end dates, major fields of study and degrees earned. The last is the professional license verification which includes license type, issuing authority and dates of validity.
These four additional verifications/ checks should be implemented into your background screening program.
Adding these provides insight into the behavior of the applicant along with other aspects of their work habits that you might not have discovered through a basic interview. So, next time you hire, try running these additional checks, so you really know the individual you are hiring.
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Sources:
SHRM- Using Social Media for Talent Acquisition- Recruitment and Screening 2016
CareerBuilder.com Press Release
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Background checks and pre-employment screenings during the application phase are a vital part of the hiring process. Becoming equally important, as more employers are discovering every day, is the ongoing process of keeping track of current employees.
It may not be the most comfortable announcement you make during your next staff meeting, but just because a new hire has a clean background check doesn’t mean you can afford to ignore the potential for inappropriate activity post employment.
That is why SELECTiON.COM recommends running a background screening on your employees every few years. 
Three reasons to keep up-to-date employee background checks:
- Company Responsibility
Proper background checks protect your company—both employees and clients. Running a background check every few years is essential in keeping you and your company safe. It’s an old adage that sometimes bad things happen to good people. It’s equally likely that the same influences which led to bad behavior pre-hire may still cause even the most model employee problems years after accepting the initial job offer.
- New Hires v. Old Hires
Most companies only worry about running background checks on their new hires. It’s easy to get caught up in only checking out new employees. However, that doesn’t mean you should forget to keep an eye on your current employees.
Or for that matter, those long-time staffers who were hired BEFORE you implemented the screening process. Just because an employee poses no risk on their initial background screening, doesn’t mean that they can’t pose a risk in the future.
- Pros Outweigh the Cons
Many employees may complain about having to renew and update their background screenings. However, when it comes to employee background checks— better safe than sorry. It’s easy to run up-to-date background checks on employees. It’s not easy to deal with a potential legal battle.
Current employees can pose as much of a risk to your company as new employees. Most companies just trust that their employees to be forthcoming. That is NOT always the case. It’s important to be vigilant and keeping up-to-date records is the easiest way to accomplish that.
Here at SELECTION.COM, we have multiple solutions to help you keep your employee records up-to-date.
Let us help you find the right solution for you and your company.
