Many area employers use professional screeners to check backgrounds
Finding the right person for the right job used to be an art. The boss looked you over, eyed your application, maybe called a reference or two, made his decision.
Now, it's a science that has fostered a $1 billion-a-year global industry with many businesses, hospitals and governments "outsourcing" pre-employment background checks to professional screeners.
There are a myriad of reasons why employers use a screening service, but most say it's a cost-effective way to confirm applicants' information and protect themselves from being victimized by workplace crime.
Several incidents illustrate why many local employers use screeners: A Charlotte County Sheriff's deputy has been charged with allegedly shooting her husband to death; a Punta Gorda nightclub manager has been accused of using a stolen credit card to finance a binge; a school district bus driver was captured on video fighting with students; a former Charlotte County Airport custodian will stand trial for allegedly molesting girls -- while on the job.
"Just simply checking identity has been eye-opening," Charlotte Regional Medical Center Human Resources Director Jean Juchnowicz said. "Someone presenting herself to be Mary Jones may not be Mary Jones."
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Employers now have the option of collecting employment verification electronically
The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently published guidelines for employers that wish to use electronic employment-eligibility verification forms (form I-9). All employers in the US, including those who recruit or refer people for employment, are required to verify the identity of every employee and that they are eligible under the immigration laws to work in the US. The law also requires that such I-9 forms are retained for up to three years.
Now such verifications can be performed with an electronic signature, and employers also have the option of storing the forms in paper form, on microfilm or microfiche or through electronic means. The new electronic options can save employers money and space (previously used to store records) and have also been shown to increase accuracy. Although there is no government-wide standard for electronic signatures or record keeping, some agencies, such as the IRS, have established electronic standards that may be used as guidance by employers wishing to implement their own policy.
The most important thing for employers to remember is to draft a policy that maintains the integrity, accuracy and reliability of the electronic forms and signatures. The ICE Web site explains that an electronic signature may be "captured" by such methods as an electronic signature pad, a personal identification number (PIN) or a "click to accept" dialog box on the computer. Electronic storage programs should include regular evaluations of the systems. An experienced labor and employment attorney can help your company develop a policy for collecting and storing electronic employment verifications.
-- Marty Marta, Labor and Employment attorney, Seyfarth Shaw LLP, with assistance from Melanie H. Berkowitz, Esq., Seyfarth Shaw LLP.
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phony diploma mills
phony diplomas easily boughtUSA - There's one thing wrong with the diploma from Cal State Fullerton, accompanied by transcripts showing its owner got straight A's:It's a lie.
The records, which look impressive and show the owner earned a master's degree in engineering, were bought by The Orange County Register last month for $295 off the Internet, to show how easily they can be obtained.
The selling company, which hides behind an anonymous offshore Web address, is one of a growing number of Internet sites where people can buy phony credentials from real schools, including Harvard University, the University of Southern California and some in Orange County. You can even hire a service that claims it will verify a fake degree.
"It's a national phenomenon," said Christine Helwick, general counsel for the California State University system. "Whenever we found someone out there purporting to offer our degrees, we demand they cease and desist."
Experts in the field say resumé fraud is on the rise, along with other ethical breaches in the workplace. As college degrees become mandatory for more jobs, more people go shopping for phony ones.
"I have run into scenarios where companies hired chief engineers that have problems with design issues, where they find out they don't have a diploma," said Philip Barquer, president of HR Alternatives in Newport Beach.
For decades, people have been able to buy fake diplomas from ads in the back of magazines. But the Internet has made the process easier, both for companies that print the fakes to hide their identities, and for buyers to find and order them.
Universities worried about their reputations have hired lawyers to halt the practice. Employers are hiring private-investigation firms to do background checks.(read more) Let Corra Group verify your job applicant's education
