Internet Background Searches – Should YOU Use Them?

Posted on August 10, 2011 by firstcontacthr

It’s no surprise that basically anyone and everyone can conduct a simple background check on whoever they like. With companies like EasyBackrgoundCheck.com and nationally-recognized BeenVerified.com, individuals and companies can input basic information about a person and obtain “background” information on that individual.

While it is fine for people to use internet background check services like these for personal use, it is important to realize that these companies are simply “public record aggregators,” and thus not a replacement for traditional pre-employment background screening or private investigative services.

Internet aggregation services are a cheap and quick way to get a bit of information on a stranger or person of interest, but are certainly not acceptable for hiring purposes. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) information that is supplied by a 3rd party vendor for hiring purposes needs to be both accurate and current (not older than seven years). Furthermore, companies and organizations that are in fact going to use the information obtained from these internet aggregation sources for employment purposes, must obtain the applicants consent before doing so. In the case of hiring, the job applicant must provide an organization with signed written consent for performing an internet background check.

Companies and organizations that have written consent from applicants to do a background check still need to make sure that the information is accurate – in many cases, the information is not. BeenVerified.com for example even states: “we do not represent or warrant that the results provided will be 100% accurate and up to date.”

More often than not, those conducting internet background checks via aggregation services are not able find the right person to investigate either because their name is too similar to another person (think, “John Smith”) or the person has taken steps to protect their internet privacy (think, “do not call list”… but more like the “do not internet background check me online list”). How could an individual do this without countless hours spent searching online? You might ask.

Well, there are a number of ways individuals can hide, block and even remove information about them so that internet background check websites cannot find them. Read this article by BGR.com explaining all the ways you can put yourself on the “do not internet background check me online list” for all the major internet aggregation sites such as BeenVerrified.com.

The best practice available for a company or organization that is looking to conduct background checks on job applicants and employees is to use a trusted company such as First Contact HR. To see what background screening services First Contact HR can provide to individuals and companies, Visit: FirstContactHR.com

Steps for Employers on complying with the FCRA when Conducting Internet Background Checks

Posted on July 22, 2011 by firstcontacthr

Untitled Document

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently gave an official thumbs up for the use of Internet background checks on job applicants from search engines and social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

However, conducting Internet background checks comes with some risks. Employers and service providers utilizing Internet background checks must comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which is charged with regulating the use of consumer information.

To make sure you are complying with FCRA regulation and to minimize the risk that come with using the Internet for conducting background checks, consider the following steps:

Consult with a reputable human resource professional and/or attorney to develop a written policy and fair, non-discriminatory procedures designed to locate information that is a valid predictor of job performance. Employers should focus on objective criteria.
Consider the use of Internet material later in the hiring process to avoid suggestions or claims that the information was used to discriminate. A more conservative approach would be to use the Internet only after a conditional job offer has been made.
Take steps to ensure that the information uncovered online does not adversely impact persons in a protected class based on prohibited criteria such as: race, creed, color, nationality or age (40+). All of these and other protected criteria of applicants may be revealed inadvertently by an Internet search.
Avoid accessing information protected by state law that is considered legal “off duty” conduct. Many states have specific statutes that protect applicants and employees who engage in certain lawful activities, such as tobacco and lawful product use.
Request job applicants to complete a consent form to enhance your legal protection, and perform the Internet search only after a job offer is made, contingent upon completion of a background check that is satisfactory to the employer.
Take steps to have a written policy in place. For employers who recruit at colleges, there is a growing trend to require employers to notify students in advance as to their policy for searching the Internet for an applicant’s online identity.
Avoid use of any fake identities or engage in “pretexting” to gain access to online information. For instance, a recruiter should not be tempted to use a co-worker, friend or family member’s Facebook account to gain access to information about a job applicant.
Access and use only relevant and permissible information for making employment decisions. When using in-house staff to conduct Internet searches, ensure they are trained in the non-discriminatory use of online information, knowledge of the job description, and use of objective methods that are the same for all job candidates for each type of position.

Employment background screening reports can include information from a variety of sources: credit reports, past employment and salary history from employers, federal and county court records – and these days, even social media.

But regardless of the type of information contained in a report you use when making hiring decisions, the rules remain the same. Companies that provide reports to employers, and the employers using those reports must comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

For the full article and for more articles like these, please subscribe to the First Contact HR Newsletter.

The Importance of Comprehensive Criminal Records Searches

Posted on July 18, 2011 by firstcontacthr

When bringing a new employee on board, there’s no telling what their previous employment or criminal background was, apart from what they told you. As a hiring manager, it can sometimes be difficult to read a person who may be lying during the interview process or even trust that the background check you did was 100% accurate.

Sometimes state repositories for criminal convictions are inaccurate and not up to date, so companies can end up hiring individuals with criminal backgrounds. Another loophole in criminal record background checks is that companies will only conduct the search within the hiring state. Nowadays, most employers will conduct background checks on new employees, but if the search is limited to only the current state of residence, they could end up hiring employees with criminal records – some of them with very serious charges.

Often times, criminal records are not discovered if people committed the crimes out of state. Alternatively, employers can better protect themselves and their clients by conducting more comprehensive criminal record searches, to include but not limited to:

Conducting county-level criminal records research everywhere a person lived, worked or attended school;
Running a multi-jurisdictional database scan, along with county-level criminal records searches, and;
Conducting sex offender searches in each state of residence in addition to the research mentioned above.

Change of name and address also makes it difficult to background check employees or potential employees for criminal history. With a social security trace and/or address history search as part of the background check, hiring managers can make sure they are searching the right names, aliases, counties and states for a more complete picture of an employee’s background.

Background check loophole exposed: MyFoxBOSTON.com

Know your Online Reputation… Before your Potential Employer Does

Posted on July 12, 2011 by firstcontacthr

Simple online searches and social network profile browsing has hindered people’s reputations and even compromised employment opportunities in some cases. Whether you like it or not, articles, pictures, sound bites, videos and blog posts with (or relating to) your name are likely to make an appearance in the search engine rankings.

You may be asking yourself, “so what if an old picture of me surfaces in a Google search?” Well, a recent negative tweet and a couple vacation photos later, you may find that your online reputation appears less than stellar.

Employers have trusted background screening companies like First Contact HR for years, but some are taking a more serious approach to protecting themselves and their clients. Now, more than ever, employers not only want the top talent to fill their open positions, but they want those people to be squeaky clean in personal demeanor and in their online presence. While criminal record, motor vehicle history, and drug testing are all standard practices in background screening, some employers will manually search the social media landscape to determine your reputation online.

A simple Google or Yahoo! search can tell you if you are in the clear, but there’s no telling what will eventually surface when anyone can post something on internet sites like Facebook and Twitter without your knowledge. There are personal steps that you can take to prevent negative connotations associated with your “Googled” name such as kindly asking friends to remove embarrassing photos of you and even signing up on social media sites to prevent others from using your name.

If you think you might already be treading in the murky online waters with your reputation, there are more serious measures you can take to try and eliminate compromising online material. Internet profile aggregation companies, help job seekers minimize the amount of false or misrepresented information about themselves online. Other companies offering services to help you understand/clean up you online reputation are ClaimID, Profilactic, Spokeo and Ziki.

Check out the video below from abc.com detailing the importance of maintaining your online reputation.

Listen to First Contact HR Principal, Leon Singletary’s May 26 Talk Radio Interview

Posted on July 5, 2011 by firstcontacthr

On May 26, 2011, Leon Singletary discussed First Contact HR’s services as well as offered industry insights on Critical Mass: Coast to Coast on OC Talk Radio. Hosted by Ric Franzi, Leon and Ric talk about the role full-service background checks and HR security plays in mid-market company’s hiring decisions.

When asked about guiding principles used to grow the firm, Leon says “[we] have a number of values that really start with client focus, you know, [we] believe that it is the core of our business and it’s really a differentiator for us…” To listen to the entire interview click the play button below or click here.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

EMCCC Hosts 2011 “Chamber Choice Awards”

Posted on June 21, 2011 by firstcontacthr

Leon-Singletary-and-Award-Sponsor-Greg-Gast-PROXUS

Leon Singletary, First Contact HR and Award Sponsor Greg Gast, PROXUS

Last month, approximately 150 guests gathered as the Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce hosted its “Chamber Choice Awards Banquet” at the Huntingdon Valley Country Club.

Among the honorees were The Center for Parenting Education (Non-Profit of the Year), Verizon (Business of the Year), Business Development University (New Business of the Year), and others. The coveted award for Small Business of the Year was awarded to First Contact HR by the Chamber and was sponsored by Greg Gast of PROXUS.

On behalf of the company, First Contact HR Principal and Founder, Leon Singletary said, “[We] are truly honored to have been nominated for this prestigious award and recognition from the Eastern Montgomery Chamber of Commerce.”

First Contact HR is dedicated to providing fast, accurate background check results for its clients through a unique client-focused approach. To learn more about First Contact HR, visit www.FirstContactHR.com. For more about the Eastern Montgomery Chamber of commerce, visit www.emccc.org.

Philadelphia Signs Ban the Box Ordinance

Posted on June 17, 2011 by firstcontacthr

City of Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter signed an ordinance that will prohibit employers from requiring job applicants to disclose their criminal backgrounds until after the first employment interview.

After a first interview, employers may perform a background check or request the disclosure of an applicant’s criminal record history.

The ordinance prohibits city agencies and private employers from knowingly inquiring about criminal backgrounds, including arrest records on the employment application. The ordinance is applicable to all employers with workforces of ten or more persons in the City of Philadelphia. As a result, this ordinance will require applicable employers to update their interview and screening process, including the employment application.

Welcome to the FCHR Blog

Posted on May 16, 2011 by firstcontacthr

This is the official company blog for First Contact HR. Here, you can expect to find content ranging from hiring insights from professionals in the filed of human resources, company newsletters, information about upcoming events and industry presentations, and general information of what’s going on with First Contact HR!

About: First Contact HR provides employment screening services, including drug and alcohol testing, identity validations, criminal and credit records research, attitude and knowledge testing, driving records, identification badges and employment and education verifications.