"There are many types of pre-employment background checks or tests available to employers. These checks can assist employers in hiring applicants that are well-qualified and skilled for the positions for which they are applying. Some of these checks will also assist employers in identifying "red flags" and thus mitigating against certain risks--such as hiring an applicant that may pose a risk of fraud or theft to the organization. Other types of checks will help employers obtain a sense of who the applicant is as a person, so that they can better assess whether the applicant will "fit" within the organization. In recent years, employers have begun to check references with greater frequency and thoroughness. This book has been designed to help employers understand what types of checks are legally permissible, and how to conduct these checks in a way that minimizes risk to employers. The authors advise that interviews and reference checks be conducted before the employer extends a conditional offer of employment to the job applicant, but all other background checks and tests discussed in this book should be performed afterwards. The following types of background checks are reviewed in this book: personal interviews, reference checks ,education and professional certification checks, credit checks, psychometric tests, medical and fitness tests, police records checks, drug and alcohol tests, and immigration, terrorism and industry-specific security checks." --Publisher description.

Hiring highly qualified people is crucial to every company, and Background Screening and Investigations is an essential guide to succeeding in a turbulent business environment. A crucial part of any hiring process should be employment background screening, pre- and post-hire, which gives hiring personnel a glimpse into a person's past behavior patterns, propensities, and likely future behavior. Background Screening and Investigations describes all aspects of the employment background screening processes - its history and evolution, the imperative for implementing a screening process, and the creation of a comprehensive policy. Nixon and Kerr show how security and human resources professionals can work together to negotiate legal hurdles and make their background screening process successful. * Where do HR and security perspectives differ on hot topics like hiring convicted felons, data protection, and sexual predators? * What does state law allow when screening job candidates? * How should companies deal with emerging issues like international background investigations and continuous (Infinity) screening of current employees?

This comprehensive reference provides a practical and working understanding of the background screening process. The book covers public records; employment screening best practices; researching online social networking profiles; questions to ask prospective, current, and departing employees; as well as legal implications and the limitations of these practices. Throughout the text, the author outlines the differences between employment screening, consumer background checks, and investigative background checks to highlight what type of data may be utilized from each type of search. He also identifies the legislative limitations, including specific state variations in law and legislation.

A complete guide to creating a legal and effective safe hiring program.

Over 80% of companies say that discrepancies on a job application can take a candidate out of the running, yet half of the background checks run in 2005 found inaccuracies in the information provided by applicants. This new book takes job hunters inside a background check, explains how information gets verified, and shows them how to fill out a job application that will sail through pre-employment screening.