Employment Screening Services

It’s cliché, but true – the most important part of any business is its people. You could be running a firm with 150 machines and three folks. But guess who is controlling those 150 machines? You guessed it, the three living, breathing, human souls. We might be approaching a time where that is no longer true. But we’re not there let, and this is why employment screening services are so important.

Sadly, many companies do not take hiring decisions seriously. It’s odd, and when you see heavy rotation and turnover at a company, the common excuses you’ll hear are, “so and so just wasn’t a company man,” or, “Tim simply couldn’t hack it in sales.” Errors occur in hiring all the time. It’s certainly not a science. But a lot of Human Resource departments do not engage in the type of due-diligence that’s necessary to root out candidates who will never be “company men,” or setting up the “Timmies” of the world for failure in sales.

Employment screening hits at the heart of this. Prior to computers and Big Data, those who engaged in employment screening were akin to undercover investigators. These sleuths would dig up dirt they could uncover for employers on potential employees, and attempt to prevent bad hires from occurring. This evolved into something more formal over time, and once technology took hold, employment screening services took off.

A top employment screening service offers three things – fast turnarounds, accurate data, and they’re compliant. The issue with turnaround is employers need answers quickly surrounding a potential candidate. Many times said candidate is weighing employment options in multiple firms. A delay could cost you a super-star employee. Great firms minimize the wait time and provide lightening fast turnarounds. Second, data accuracy, especially as it pertains to a firm accessing national and international databases is critical. Poor data results in bad decisions. Top employment screening service companies deliver lots of data. This data is then synthesized and easy to absorb for the employer.

And lastly, compliance. This is a biggie. Nowadays, sharing data across state lines can be tricky. If we’re then talking across international lines, we’re suddenly in a whole different ballpark. Many large employment screening firms have entire departments directed at compliance. One false move and a lawsuit can shutter the whole operation. A big player in the screening sector is GoodHire. With a specialized online portal for candidates (and employers alike), GoodHire offers extensive credit and background screening as well as business products such as Social Security number searches and criminal searches.

Sterling Talent Solutions is another reputable choice, with pre-employment and monitoring services for businesses of all sizes. I-9 validation is big with Sterling, and more and more businesses are seeking I-9 support as employment verification fines are crippling. Having someone working who is not legally authorized can result in massive punishments. Many times, firms opt for an employment screening service for this reason alone – paying lawyers to get them out of a jam would be three times as expensive!

If you work in a company that is flying loose with screening, talk to your boss. Solutions are out there, and they’re not overly pricey. Time is of the essence …