Yesterday, I received an email from a candidate that I placed one year ago with a long-standing client. This candidate, let’s call him Ray, phoned our office and he was transferred to me because of it’s “uniqueness” (I get all of the “unique” calls).

Anyway, back to Ray. He told me that he called every…

In the event you have a criminal record that continues to follow you around, what are your chances of being gainfully employed in today’s day and age?

While a criminal record is nothing to brag about, there are cases where you can still find work despite having run afoul of the law at one time or another.…

Completing the final classes to earn your online degree is an exciting time. It can also be nerve-wracking as you prepare for job interviews. You may feel unprepared, especially if you are moving into a new industry. Luckily, there are common job interview tips that apply across a variety of fields, even if you’re trying to change industries after earning a business degree online or an online criminal justice degree.

1. Dress the Part. Flip flops on the beach are…

We are here at last!  Moving.  The "M" Word.   Rule of thumb, whatever you think you have to move, multiply it by five.  And then allow for surprises.  But here we are in El Segundo.  

Corra Group has moved in to its larger office space in order to better service its growing list of clients. The employment background checking service is now headquartered at 201 Continental Blvd, Suite 107, El Segundo, California.

“We are in at last,” said Nick Gustavson, Co-Founder of…

Workplace violence can take place in different forms.  The more common variety of workplace violence is more or less the hazards of the job.   Healthcare workers and emergency medical workers often face abuse.  some of it is physical, but most of it is verbal abuse from ailing and often drugged out patients.    Taxi drivers, retail clerks, and others having to deal face to face with the public are subjected to robberies and battery, sometimes murder.  Law enforcement and…

Criminal records background checks are not a one size fits all.   While most employers do conduct criminal background checks as part of their employment screening program, the idea is to use them wisely.  Wisely, in this case, means don't be indiscriminate to where you can get yourself in trouble with the  Equal  Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).   Pepsi Beverages just found its blanket policy, regarding criminal records background checks, cost them a hefty $3.1 Million in settlement…

In some ways avoiding the kind of  abusive and criminal sex practices that have been plaguing Penn State University is a fairly easy task.  It is a matter of conducting background checks not only for pre-employment screening but periodically to determine if your staff has been convicted of any criminal and sexual offenses.  But then what about the first timers?  Or, rather, those who were never caught?

Determining whether sex abuses are taking place, particularly in the employment…

Apparently, there are flaws in the Texas State Criminal Records System.  This is the state-wide criminal search put out by the Department of Public Safety.  As many investigators and employers use this both for research and employment screening, one would think these background checks would be accurate and up to date.   Not the case.

According to an article on KENS, Channel Five, in San Antonio, there are some alarming discrepancies in the criminal records.  One…

These are dire times.  The economy is sketchy, and employees can do foolish things in desperation.   Many people need money, and more often than not,  a fair portion of an employer's staff is probably in straits with overdue payments on everything from mortgages to the telephone bill.  So in some ways it should be no wonder that employment theft is on the rise.

Employment theft is on the rise and industrial espionage has actually increased significantly during the past few years.   In…

San Francisco is the latest city to present legislation that would prohibit employers from asking job applicants if they had any prior convictions.  If the legislation is passed, San Francisco will join about twenty one other cities in banning the box, as it is known.   Banning the box refers to the check box on job applications, asking if an applicant has had prior criminal conviction.

Among the twenty one cities, Cincinnati, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia,  and Austin, Texas,  are…

Employers and recruiters are aware that hiring an applicant with a criminal or civil background or who has falsified credentials may carry enormous legal thus a large economic loss.  To avoid this, employers and recruiters are relying on pre-employment background screening.  This makes sense because pre-employment background promotes a safe and more profitable workplace by protecting the employer form negligent hiring litigation, incidents of harassment or workplace…

A good article from Elaine Varelas of  the Job Doc in the Boston Globe or Boston.com as it is known.  A job applicant wrote her asking, basically, if an open container misdemeanor from 2008 would nullify his employment candidacy.   Not  necessarily the crime of the century, but an open container is a serious enough offense as it implies possible intoxication that can lead to serious traffic…

As a background checking service we see our fair share of physical and sexual violence that can be related to the home  or domestic environment.  But domestic violence is not necessarily contained within the home.   Domestic violence may originate in the home, but it can affect the workplace.

Studies claim that one in four women are victims of domestic violence.   Homicide  is the second leading cause of death among women in the workforce.  While women constitute the majority of…

There are notable issues where you latest recruit, the bright candidate with stellar skill sets and a clear background check appears the excellent candidate for middle management or the upper executive level.  This employment candidate is bright, articulate, and he has wonderful presentation skills.   He is charming and well connected, networked forever and an excellent prospect for your company.

But then, several months later, it is discovered that he is the the defendant in several…

When conducting county criminal background checks for employment screening purposes, be aware that you, the employer, are hnot suppose3d to consider sealed or expunged records.   This would seem simple t first, as sealed or expunged records should not be returned to you.  

But, like with many things, it is not always as clear cut as it first appears.Sometimes when conducting background checks for clients we will find that records show that a record has been sealed.  Or there is a…

Apparently certain employers discriminate in their hiring practices.  According to a recent report in the National Employment Law Project, or NELP,  their survey of Cragi's Lit reveals that no hire policies are routine.   According to their Press Release, NELP posted the following--

"The new report highlights the widespread and illegal use of blanket no-hire policies by providing…

Sex offenders are not the most welcome employees with most employers.   While some employers we talk to believe that sex offenders should be given a second chance and that consideration for a position should be based on their talents and not their sex offenders, others believe quite the opposite.

Certain  employers believe sex offenders are toxic to the workplace environment.    I tend to agree.   Office morale is often diminished and there is often undue focus placed on the sex…

In an economic downturn, there are some employers and many state and local governmental concerns that look to cut costs by avoiding background checks on public officials and political candidates.  Invariably, it seems, such avoidance of background checks comes back to haunt them.   Ugly stuff about an employee's political history is later discovered and this proves embarrassing and in certain cases costly.   There are often civil litigation and liability issues to be considered.

All…

CBS News did a study and found that ninety percent of the nursing homes in the nation hired employees with criminal convictions.   According to CBS News, when the government ran background checks on employees in some 260 nursing homes, 92 percent of them had criminal records.  Pretty remarkable.

This is not some curious group of do-gooders reporting that much of the healthcare industry is populated by convicted…

While in some sectors there is a call to ease up on background checks, the obvious question that comes to mind is who bears the brunt of it if an employee who snaps out and commits to violence in the workplace turns  out to have a history as a convicted felon? Why the employer, of course.  The employer will incur the damages, the litigation and liability issues the public embarrassment and the knowledge that employees were harmed in the working environment.

When violence is committed…