Volume XIV
December 2007

employeescreenIQ’s 10 Background-Screening Trends to Track in 2008

As posted on the employeescreenIQ Blog September, 2007

As you know, employeescreenIQ prides itself on its ability to be on the forefront of our industry when it comes to emerging trends whether related to legislation, compliance or market demands. Therefore, we have created a list of the Top 10 trends in employment screening in the coming year.

Privacy, data protection
Privacy issues will continue to dominate the news and industry dialogue. Several bills are currently before the U.S. House and Senate, and although they will probably be tabled during this session, the issue continues to be a hot topic on the Hill.

Verification of right-to-work
The government is discussing mandating electronic verification of the I-9 form, the form used to verify citizenship and right-to-work in the United States. Currently, employees fill out the form, show documentation that proves identity and are then eligible to work. The new system, dubbed The SAVE Program (Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements), debuted two years ago, is electronic and allows instant confirmation. employeescreenIQ believes it is likely this new system will be mandated for use by all employers by the end of this year. The system has already been mandated for use in Colorado.

Blogs and Social Networking Sites
These Web sites continue to be an extremely hot topic, with the question being, how should they be used in the hiring process?

International screening
While not a new facet of the industry, international background screening continues to gain in importance as U.S. companies open offices globally and/or recruit overseas candidates to work in the U.S.

Credit reports
Should an applicant’s credit history factor into his or her background check? If so, what determines hirable or non-hirable credit?

Universities
Following the tragedy at Virginia Tech, the topic of screening students, faculty and staff has been raised and will continue to be discussed as educational institutions look to avoid future catastrophic events. Universities are beginning to see the value in screening staff and even branching into screening new students.

Disputing records
As employers look for more information during the hiring process, they and their background-screening agents must continue to protect consumers by providing avenues for them to dispute background reports.

Application tracking systems
The prevalence of applicant tracking and HRIS systems will continue to increase, especially among mid-sized companies. These systems allow HR departments to consolidate work.

Industry growth
Before 9/11, only the largest companies did background checks. Today, nearly all large- and mid-sized companies are employing the use of background checks. Over the next year, this practice will continue to trickle into the small-business arena.

Balancing rights
Finding ways to balance comprehensive background reports with consumers’ rights so as to not create a class of people with records who cannot get jobs.

Nick Fishman is the Chief Marketing Officer for Cleveland-based employeescreenIQ, a best practices provider of pre-employment screening services throughout the U.S. and worldwide. Nick can be reached at (800) 235-3954 ext. 438 or by email at nfishman@employeescreen.com.