Sunday, March 30, 2008

Detect Falsified Resumes with Comprehensive Background Checks

Falsified resumes are common, since anyone applying for a job, especially when there could be a lot of competition, will be tempted to exaggerate their experience or qualifications. Sometimes that temptation is just too much because most jobs worth having these days get hundreds of applicants.

Employers don?t actually need to receive hundreds of applications, since it the perception or belief that this is the case that triggers someone to be less than completely truthful, and there have been some high profile cases. Kenneth Lonchar, CFO and executive vice president of Veritas Software lost his job when it was discovered that he did not hold an MBA from Stanford as claimed in his resume. Many people are guilty of lesser exaggerations.

However, there is a world of difference between exaggeration and falsification which could be used in terms of length of employment to cover a period of imprisonment, for example. Falsifies resumes can be ferreted out by means of effective employment and criminal background checks.

It is frequently possible to cover up a poor criminal record by moving from state to state, since there is no effective national criminal records system. The only way to carry out a reasonably accurate comprehensive criminal background check is to check out the individual county court records. Some counties send their records to a state database, but not all, so a particular individual can only be properly screened if the records in each county of residence are examined.

If that individual has submitted a falsified resume, it will be difficult to do this unless a full residential check is carried out. This involves verifying each address given for the period you are interested in and filling in any blanks. Once you have established a full residential history for the past seven years, you can then check the court records in the counties concerned. Seven years is recommended since there is generally a statute of limitations whereby records more than seven years old are considered lapsed.

There are companies that specifically specialize in this type of background check and the fees charged are well worth the security that a proper pre-employment background check gives you against falsified resumes. Many resumes are falsified, not only to claim a higher level of suitability for a particular position, but also to cover up past criminal activity, or behavior, that could result in negligent hiring were a company to take them on.

It is very important then, that your pre-employment screening is adequate enough to detect any falsification. A failure to detect falsified resumes could cost you dearly. Apart from adequate background checks, one way to detect falsified resumes is to have them provided to you by post prior to interview. You can then ask each candidate at the interview to complete a job application including a history of addresses and past employment.

When people lie, they frequently do so without a great deal of thought, and find it difficult later to remember the precise lie told. A comparison of the application with the resume that you have previously received could show up differences which could then be queried during interview. On the basis of better safe that sorry, any suspicious or less than satisfactory answers, could result in you opting for another candidate. There are genuine reasons sometimes, but the interview should be able give you an idea if the differences were deliberate or accidental.

Once you have spotted an anomaly, your pre-employment screening should pay special attention to it if you still decide to go ahead. Without adequate screening, you are statistically certain to employ someone who has falsified resumes to hide something in their past, frequently a criminal record or a dismissal for theft or violence. It is believed that up to 40% of applicants submit falsified resumes, and over 10% of job applicants have a criminal record.

While everybody may deserve another chance, they should not be given one if they are lying to cover up. The only way to adequately protect yourself from a negligent hiring lawsuit is to carry out sufficient background checks to demonstrate that you have done all you could reasonably be expected to do to avoid it.

Advanced Research http://www.arsbackgrounds.com is made up of a team of experts in HR, Risk Management and Legal Investigations. We provide a free consultation to assist you in mitigating your potential hiring risks

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Thursday, March 27, 2008

Background Check FAQs

A background check provides a person with an opportunity to authenticate information provided by their candidate. It reveals a lot of information that was either mistakenly or deliberately omitted -- such as residency in other regions where a criminal record might be located. Background checks also help verify dates of attendance and degrees or certifications earned. It can also provide precise information about prior employment. An applicant's history will go a long way in predicting their future and a meticulous employee background check during the pre employment screening process helps save undesired consequences.

A number of questions are generally asked when it comes to background checks. The questions frequently asked relate to the need and importance of conducting a background check and the likely costs to be incurred. Questions relating to the method of screening candidates and use of database search to help enhance the in-person search of a background check package may also be asked. Since there are many different types of background searches, information regarding the same can also be asked. People may have queries regarding federal background checks, criminal background checks, nanny background checks and public background checks to name a few. The questions asked vary from one background check to another.

While hiring a company to conduct a background check the questions, which people tend to ask, relate to the period from which the company has been in business and details of their location. People may also want to know the source from where such companies get information on applicants. Information regarding the laws governing the collection and use of such information may also be asked. Since labor laws are strict in the US people may also want to know that even though it may be legal to get this information on a job applicant, is it legal to use it to make a hiring decision. Queries relating to the fees charged and procedure for billing may also be questioned. Information relating to the same can be obtained online or through the agency providing the service.

Background Checks provides detailed information on Background Checks, Criminal Background Checks, Employment Background Checks, Online Background Checks and more. Background Checks is affiliated with Criminal Background Search

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Monday, March 24, 2008

A Vehicle Background Check - Why You Need To Run One On Yourself

Have you ever thought of pulling a vehicle background check on yourself? Might not be as dumb as it sounds!

Even though most people don't even think about it, having a vaheicle background check done on yourself can be one of the smartest financial, legal and emotionally therapeutic things that you can do. If you plan to apply for a job where you're required to drive or you need to insure your car, you can count on other people taking out such reports on you to make sure of who you are.

- Driving records help to determine if you are a safe, responsible driver. A vehicle background check may also be a report pulled on you to determine what type of vehicle you are driving.

- Your driver's license report is another very important report to pull on yourself so you can verify how clean your driving record is. You want to know if there are any mistakes there that could potentially affect your insurance rates or even worse, your ability to obtain a job that requires you to drive.

First and foremost, forget about the "I have nothing to hide" mentality where a vehicle background check is concerned. The fact is that mistakes happen all the time on these reports. Even if you have a completely clean history, you may have a black mark on your report that could potentially cost you a job or impact your insurance premiums. Mistakes happen for no reason other than inaccurate information has been provided or information has been incorrectly entered into the system.

It is up to you to find out if there is any type of mistake on your vehicle background check and to have it removed. No one else is going to do this for you. While the process of removing errors is not as simple as you may think, it is still well worth the work that it entails. Most of the time, you can protect yourself ultimately from these potential problems by just knowing what is on your vehicle background check so that you can provide this information to an employer and therefore prove your case with them.

You can visit your local Department of Motor Vehicles to find this information out. Often there is a small fee for pulling the report, but it is well worth it to check for errors. You don't want to be suffering from someone else's mistakes!

If you have been convicted of a driving-related crime, you should know exactly what you have been convicted of and what that means for your vehicle background check. For example, a DUI and a DWI are two things that are not considered minor traffic violations, something that is commonly asked about on an application. If you make the mistake of believing that they are minor violations, then you could be falsifying an application.

In addition, if your driver's record has improved over the course of the last few years, you may have been dropping "points" as they are often called, or marks on your license. When this is the case, you may qualify for lower insurance premiums, one resaon alone that it's worth running your own vehicle background check. If something doesn't come off your record in time, you should be able to file a claim asking for it to be removed so that you can improve these insurance and driving records.

If you don't know what is on your vehicle background check you are potentially putting yourself at risk. Mistakes happen regularly but you can repair them and give yourself the best possible opportunity to secure the job or position you're after, or cut those insurance premiums.

You can run a vehicle background check on youself at: RMV Records

For more information on why you should run a background check on yourself and verify that the information held on you is accurate, sign up for our 5-Day mini-course at: Background Checks Mini-Course

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Sunday, December 2, 2007

Free Background Search

 Various websites offer simple background searches for free. However, these free background searches are restricted by many terms and conditions, and normally do not come up with satisfactorily results, unless a particular background search product of the website is offered 'free' with another product of the website.

The free background checks on the various websites are not confidential. The results send an e-mail instantly to the subject to be checked, and when they give their consent, the results are sent via e-mail.

Therefore, for a confidential background check, paid checks are always suggested.

A free background search is a very important and easy-to-use feature. Sometimes it can tell a good deal about people we think we know thoroughly. Free background searches are very useful to learn minor details about individuals, which aren't worth the hassles and expense of a proper background search.

A properly done free background search can tell one whether their would-be employees are lying about their college degrees, whether 'the right one' is really the one, or whether one can leave their children safely alone in the house, with the next-door neighbors present all the time.

Some facts about individuals which are open to public knowledge are name, address, telephone number, a person's age, the validity of a person's social security number, criminal history for offenses like driving under the influence, personal credit reports, academic history and professional licenses.

Many of the above facts can be accessed through various websites, or through phone calls to various government departments.

Finally, a vital records search should be an integral part of any background search taken personally. A vital records search will include birth and death certificates, marriage certificates and divorce decrees.

These documents can also help one find the relatives of the individual, who can be helpful for further background searches.



Background Searches provides detailed information on Background Search, Background Search Engines, Credit Record Background Search, Criminal Background Search and more. Background Searches is affliated with Employment Background Checks .

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