Okay, so you have recruited just the right candidate.   According to his resume his credentials are impeccable.  He has all the required skill sets and vital experience in dealing with all the disciplines the job will require.   His references provide you with glowing reviews.   You have conducted background checks as part of your employment screening process, and your candidate emerges squeaky clean.  Nothing that is noteworthy.

Or maybe there is some kid stuff type offenses on…

Last week,  the New York Times ran an editorial regarding employment screening and how employment background checks are often inaccurate and cause otherwise innocent people their chances for employment.   The editorial requested that the supervising agencies get a tighter control around the CRA's or Consumer Reporting Agencies.    Upon reading the editorial, more than a few recruiters and employers, to say nothing of Consumer Reporting Agencies,  had their proverbial bowels in a…

Most people at least know someone who has padded his business expenses and filed for "creative" reimbursements on their expense accounts.  In some cases, employers do not have much oversight.  And in cases with which I have been familiar, often the employers don't care or turn a blind eye, thinking it's a better way to offer raises without having to pay the additional taxes and benefits.  In fact, if anything, it's a tax write-off.

Padding your business expenses can be regarded as a…

Many are aware of diploma mills. Diploma mills are nefarious services that either issue forged diplomas from legitimate universities or have bogus online unaccredited colleges that sell your a diploma earned for "life experience.   For a certain fee you can get a Bachelor's Degree.  A few bucks more and you can get a Master's or Doctorate.

It's a scam.  As Corra Group, a background checking agency, we uncover bogus degrees issued from diploma mills with relative frequency.  Some are…

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has initiated a new campaign to thwart the increased use of  industrial espionage.   According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal ,  the new campaign will focus on the prevention of  corporate espionage.   The FBI will feature…

Fish got to swim, and birds got to fly.  And some employment candidates have to lie.  About their education, mainly.   Given the competitive job market, small wonder some will...ahem...stretch the truth in order to gain leverage when looking for a job.   It's understandable.  It's also pretty stupid.

Today,with most employers conducting education verification background checks as part of their employment screening programs, most likely the fictitious claim about having graduated or…

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…

Once upon a time a dear friend told me about the issues he was having in his apparel manufacturing plant where certain employees were in business for themselves.  This meant their raking off inventory, dresses, blouses, and such, and selling the stolen merchandise to anyone who would pay cash.   Upon doing researcher, my friend found is otherwise unaccounted merchandise in the flea markets in downtown Los Angeles and with different off price venues.   The stealing or shrinkage, as it was…

Once upon a time, a college degree was considered a ticket to success.  If you had a diploma, a sheepskin, if you will, you could easily find a job.  You would make more money.  You were almost guaranteed a promising start to a career.  Not so much anymore.

An article in the …

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…

The Occupy Wall Street Movement has caused its fair share of consternation to a good many persons and organizations.  In certain areas where Occupy Whatever is taking place, small business owners are losing business due to the congregations outside their doors.  Often regular customers will not patronize businesses where large crowds are gathered outside or nearby.   People are intimidated.  It's that simple, really.

Then, of course, there has been vandalism where various businesses…

This is one of those stories where it can be seen either as a sad commentary on urban America or a hopeful spot in the American job market.  The Newark, New Jersey City Government approved a new law requiring small restaurants in the city to have an armed guard on the premises, during the evening hours.  This comes in the wake of a drive-by shooting at a Newark restaurant where an off-duty police officer was killed.

According to the article on Reuters, any restaurant serving fifteen…

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…

Illinois has decided to make Workers Compensation benefits more difficult for those  who may be inebriated on the job.  The state has passed the "Presumptive Denial Law."  Which means if you test positive for drugs or alcohol  you are denied your workers compensation benefits.  The State's Governor is expected to sign this legislation, which would take effect September 1st.

According to the new statute,  it must be demonstrated that intoxication is indeed the "proximate cause" of the…

Last week I posted an article. The Process and Pitfalls of Education Verification, about the ins and outs of education verification.   I directed it toward recruiters and staffing groups as well as to human resources managers.  Among other things, I wrote about various instances where employment candidates try to fudge on their degrees.   I wrote about the different ways they may stretch the truth. 

Alright, sometimes they just downright lie about having a degree when that…

While employers have long conducted education verification checks on their employment candidates, it appears that increasingly more staffing and recruiting groups are being made responsible for conducting this and other background checks as part of the employment screening process.

Education history, of course, outside of criminal records, is one of the more significant searches.   For many positions,  education is not just a prerequisite but also vital to employment candidate's…