It seems that every day, there’s another news story about an unscrupulous employee committing crimes such as fraud, siphoning money, selling secrets, stealing merchandise or a combination from a company for their own personal gain. So, if you’re in the middle of the hiring process and all of these tales of woe have got you feeling a little bit paranoid, here are the top four private investigator industry tips to help you better screen prospective new hires.
New Employee Screening Tip #1 – Consider pre-screening prospects through an accredited headhunter. While this process can sometimes be a bit on the pricey side, if you’re hiring someone who will be managing your assets or someone who is in the position to handle very sensitive information, isn’t it important to pay for a little extra due diligence? Professional headhunters will be able to verify employment and education details on a person’s resume. They’ll be able to call and verify employment references and perform a criminal background check. They can even pre-interview prospects with a set list of questions that you provide and offer you their professional insights as to whether or not the prospect’s candidacy should be escalated to a second round in person with your in house hiring manager.
New Employee Screening Tip #2 – Google them. It couldn’t be easier to do a quick web search of a candidate’s name and it’s certainly worth doing. Even better: do a web search of their email address and even enter their email address into the search bars of major social networking sites and “friend finders”. You might be able to learn far more about them than they ever intended telling you. The Internet can share vast information on people if used correctly. If you are computer savvy especially with searching the web you may uncover pertinent information that can guide in a decision to hire an individual. It is always batter to have a professional background check conducted as to make sure it was done properly and thoroughly.
New Employee Screening Tip #3 – Perform a credit check. If your new employee is going to be handling money or even taking on some sort of responsibility, it’s important to know if they’re responsible with their own money. Plus, if the prospect has multiple delinquencies, a bankruptcy or charge-offs in their recent past, it’s a telltale sign that they’re dishonest as well. That being said, considering the state of our economy today, there may also be an understandable explanation for credit problems, so, if everything else about the candidate adds up, don’t be shy about asking them what they have to say about their credit score. If they’ve permitted you access to their report and know their financial situation, good and trustworthy candidates are more likely to volunteer details before you even run the credit check in the first place.
New Employee Screening Tip #4 – Hire a professional private detective to conduct a thorough background check. These checks can protect you from potential lawsuits from clients as well as protect you as a possible victim from hiring someone you should not have. In this day and age every business in almost every industry should be prudent and conduct background searches on potential employees. This decision can possibly save you from disastrous situations and costly litigation.
A private investigation into a person’s background for employee screening usually consist of these types of checks although investigations are tailored for each client or industry needs.
- Identifying and confirming the vital information give to you by the applicant such as name, date of birth, social security number, addresses and citizenship.
- Criminal record
- Civil records
- Motor vehicle records
- Credit history along with bankruptcy, lies, judgments and tax issues.
- Verification of education
- Verification of prior places of employment and accuracy of resume provided
- Comprehensive internet and media search