ISO Certification: Why Your Background Screening Company Should Be Certified

When background screening companies present services, they tend to put their best foot forward. Most companies state they have quality management systems, detailed processes and formalized training programs; however, without comprehensive audits these comments can be a mile wide and only an inch thick.

Due to this inconsistency in market messaging, top tier background screening companies are implementing International Organization for Standards (ISO) to drive a formalized quality management system so clients can rest assured their screening partners are focused on quality and continuous process improvement.

From the Blooper Book

They say ‘honesty is the best policy’, but these applicants have us questioning that philosophy.  Here is the latest installment of real responses we’ve seen on job applications.

This should clear things up:

Have you been convicted of a crime in the past ten years, other than minor traffic violations? (checked yes)
If yes, describe in full: “Had Many Problems During a very difficult Time.  Which is and had been in the past.”

You’re not going to press charges, are you?

Bath Salts and Synthetic Marijuana

There has recently been much press about Synthetic Marijuana and Bath Salts. These are the latest “Designer Drugs” to hit the streets.  Synthetic marijuana is not marijuana and bath salts have nothing to do with soaking in a tub. 

Colorado Becomes the Ninth State to Prohibit Employers from Using Credit Information in Employment

Effective July 1, 2013, Colorado will be the 9th state to restrict an employer's right to use credit reports in employment decisions.

Some Important Information About the Act

Specifically, the bill:

Prohibits an employer's use of consumer credit information for employment purposes if the information is unrelated to the job;

Maryland Passes New Ban the Box Legislation on Public Job Applications

Ban the box is official in Maryland for state government employees only.  Governor Martin O’Malley signed SenateBill 4 (SB4).  This legislation does not apply to private employers.

Washington State Legislators Withdraw Bill Allowing Employers to Access Social Media Accounts During Investigations

A proposed bill amendment in Washington’s state legislature that could have allowed employers the right to demand access to employees’ social media accounts during company investigations has been withdrawn this week. In January, state senators introduced S.B. 5211 to prevent employers from asking current and prospective employees to provide their social media passwords.

Minnesota Enacts “Ban the Box Law" Prohibiting Employment Application Criminal History Checkmark Boxes and Restricting Criminal Record Inquiries Until After Interviews or Conditional Job Offers

Effective January 1, 2014, recent amendments to Minnesota law will restrict the timing of pre-employment inquiries by most private employers into a candidate’s criminal past. Employers who are not exempted from the law may not (1) inquire into or consider or require disclosure of criminal record information until the applicant has been selected for an interview or, if there is not an interview, until a conditional job offer of employment has been extended to the applicant, and (2) use any form of employment application that seeks such criminal record information. 

Minnesota §364.021, the law reads: “A public or private employer may not inquire into or consider or require disclosure of the criminal record or criminal history of an applicant for employment until the applicant has been selected for an interview by the employer or, if there is not an interview, before a conditional offer of employment is made to the applicant. This section does not apply to the Department of Corrections or to employers who have a statutory duty to conduct a criminal history background check or otherwise take into consideration a potential employee's criminal history during the hiring process.

This statute does not prohibit an employer from notifying applicants that law or the employer's policy will disqualify an individual with a particular criminal history background from employment in particular positions.”