Posts by David Pfau
What a National Criminal Background Check Won’t Tell You About Your Potential Employee
A misconception in the employment background check industry is that a single nationwide database exists that can be used to immediately ensure the safety of your potential hire. In reality, no completely accurate national database exists and any that might be good enough, are not available to the public. Unfortunately, far too many businesses, churches,…
Read MoreWhat is an Individualized Assessment? Where does it fit into the background screening process?
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or EEOC created guidelines in 2012 that outlined the best practices for use of arrest and conviction records in employment screening. These guidelines were meant to avoid a disparate impact on protected classes considered under the EEOC. An article SHRM from January discussed how upcoming regulations would utilize the EEOC…
Read MoreWhat do I do if the background report I just got makes me not want to hire a candidate?
Whenever a negative report comes in it can stir a lot of mixed feelings, especially if the information in that report makes you consider not hiring. Before you decide, before you contact the candidate, before you tell your hiring manager to give them a call and definitely before you draft a rejection letter you need…
Read MoreLooking for a cheap background check report? Not so fast says US federal appeals court!
According to Reuters, the U.S. Supreme court will hear a case on whether a California company willfully violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) by publishing false online data. On Tuesday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals revived California resident Thomas Robin’s lawsuit accusing Spokeo Inc. of violating the FCRA by publishing a damaging…
Read MoreAn Employment Background Check is Your Companies Best Defense
We talk a lot about how companies can get in trouble for their procedures when conducting background checks. Things like gaining applicant authorization before conducting a background check, or proper adverse action procedures to keep your company safe from costly lawsuits. We usually don’t discuss how an employment background check is one of the best…
Read MoreCan I use a free background check for screening employees?
Many people ask, “Are there free background checks?” The simple answer is, NO! Especially not if you intend to use the information for hiring purposes Companies that offer free background checks online often aren’t providing what they promise. Deceptive ads lure people to websites to sign up then when it’s time to view the information…
Read MoreRetrieving background check information may be getting easier, are you getting the full picture?
Upcoming legislation may make retrieving background check information easier, especially for organizations that must file documentation for full screening of candidates. This affects many organizations that are not fully incorporated, like summer camps that parents are sending their children to as temperatures rise. A USA Today article describes a recent push by the Senate minority…
Read MoreState Employment Background Check Compliance
State regulations are entirely separate and in addition to the federal regulations enforced under the FCRA and EEOC guidelines. Many different states, counties and jurisdictions can have their own set of laws and regulations governing what is acceptable for application forms, background screening and interview questions. Luckily HireSafe is headquartered in California one of the…
Read MoreIncrease in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Visits, Protect Your Company with Electronic Form I-9
As promised the current administration has stepped up strict enforcement of US Citizenship and Immigration Services enforcement. Recent articles in the New Jersey Law Journal and Monterey Herald warn of increased audits and workplace visits, including relating to remote workers. This means it’s more important now than ever to ensure your company is compliant with…
Read MoreOh, how the times are changing in CA yet again! New regulations for employment background checks.
On March 27, 2017, the California Office of Administrative Law approved the Fair Employment Housing Counsel’s (FEHC) new regulations clarifying existing limitations on criminal background checks and conforming to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) position that criminal background checks may have an adverse impact on protected classes. Employers still retain the right to screen…
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