Top 10 Background Screening Blogs of 2014

The end of the year is sneaking up on us quickly and before we know it, it'll be 2015. Before we bid farewell to the previous 12 months, we thought we'd do a recap of the most popular background screening posts from this year. In David Letterman style, we'll start at number 10. 

#10: How to Expedite your Background Screening Turn Around Times

Delays in background screening can cause a waste in time and money because new employees and volunteers can't begin work until their background checks are done. Rushing through the process, however, could be even worse. This post explains not only how to get a screening done efficiently, but comprehensively as well.

#9 Can You Include Social Media in Background Checks?

It's tempting for an employer or property owner to look into an applicant's social media to learn more about the person. It may not tell the full story of the person, however, and in fact may not be helpful at all.

#8 Seasonal Hiring? Don't Cut Corners on Background Checks

Just because an employee is temporary, it doesn't mean that you shouldn't know who's working for you. An employer still needs to consider the threats to their other employees and their business if they hire the wrong person. Besides, many temporary employees become full-time - wouldn't it be good to know that all of the background screening has already been done?

#7 Do You Need an Electronic Drug Screening Process?

When performing any sort of applicant paperwork, mistakes can be made. Now there is an option to reduce paperwork, increase turn around time and increase the depth of testing in the drug screening process.

#6 How to Obtain Applicant Consent and Authorization to a Background Check

Many large corporations are being sued by not following the basic tenets of obtaining a background check authorization. In this post, we cover background screening 101 and the regulations set by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to protect the rights of applicants.

#5 When Should an Employer Conduct an Employee Background Check?

The exact timing of a background screening request can be tricky to an HR manager. A thorough background check can cost a business both time and money so a hiring manager should have a set process in mind before moving forward. Certain states also have legislation to determine this timing. 

#4 Can you email Adverse Action Notices?

Adverse Action Notices are required by the FCRA to notify an individual of negative results during their background screening. We are asked regularly about the process of notifying the applicant. This post helps to explain Adverse Action Notices to help your business stay compliant.

#3 Deciphering a Background Check: What to Look For

Background screening returns a plethora of information about your applicant. Before a hiring manager looks at a background check, a scope of the job needs and requirements should be determined. In this post, we point out some things to look for and the depth of the information required to make a hiring decision.

#2 Employee Criminal Records: How far back should you look? 

Many individuals have backgrounds that may not be desirable to a hiring manager. The FCRA specifically explains time contraints on how far back you can look to make a hiring decision. In understanding this process, you can adhere to all federal and state legislation regarding what can be used in the background check. 

#1 Hiring Red Flags

Making a hiring decision is the most important job of an HR manager. The decision is based off of the interview, background checks and gut instinct. Here are some things to look out for during the process that should make your alarm bells go off.

But wait, there's more! As a bonus, we will share the #1 blog post OF ALL TIME.
This one is pretty self-explanatory:

Thank you to all of our dedicated blog readers for a wonderful 2014. In 2015, we will continue to provide quality content to help with hiring decisions and keeping your business compliant.