Maybe you’ve hired an employee who has been sleeping on the job during the in the graveyard shift. Or, perhaps you’ve worked with someone who constantly asks for help with their job responsibilities and gets things done half of the way because they don’t have the skills to do the job assigment correctly. Maybe you’ve worked for someone who simply did not have management skills and you helplessly watched as your co-workers left and right because of the manager’s incompetenance. All of these scenarios are real and are happening in the workplace each day at various workplaces throughout the globe. But these problems could be avoided entirely if the hiring managers used an employment screening company before hiring people.
The best thing we can do as human resources professionals is to really scrutinize as applicant’s resume. Let’s face it, you know that the resume is simply a marketing document from the applicant to get their foot in the door, you take the information with a grain of salt. It is wise to take a skeptical eye when looking at a resume and consider that this person is trying to “sell” their qualifications and experience in order to get an interview. That’s why I always use an employment screening service to get to the truth. Even what some may consider as a minor discrepancy, such as the dates the applicant worked may be covering up gaps in employment is reason for concern. If the applicant is willing to lie about their dates of employment, then what else is the applicant misleading you about?
I always set aside my possible candidates’ resumes in a separate pile from the rest. It is a visual reminder to me of how many people I have as a “maybe”. I then sort them out from most-qualified to lesser-qualified and call the top picks first. I listen for inconsistencies in their backgrounds, employment history, hesitations in answering questions, or simply wrong answers when asked how they would handle a particular work situation. These are sure ways to tell if someone truly has the skill set and qualifications they’ve claimed on their resume. I always ask the interviewee to answer something about the “Most Difficult…” to see if they have a good answer for me. Qualified people will have the experience to answer that question with ease. Employment screening ensures that you will finds these things out in the end!
Once you’ve decided on a few people to come in for an in-person interview, make notes on their resume that will help you later when you are considering several different applicants. Did they arrive on time for the interview? Were they wearing professional business attire (unless you stated it was a casual interview)? Have they brought you a copy of their resume and a cover letter? These are the top 3 things I look for in someone making a good first impression. Some other qualities I look for are making good eye contact, knowledge about the industries they have worked in, and how they interact with me and my co-workers. I usually allow them to meet a few other employees and ask questions and then I poll people to see what they think.
Employment screening today is a must to help you hire a truly qualified employee who can do the very best job in that position and benefit your company. Whether I need a pre-employment drug test performed, a criminal background check, or if I need a degree confirmed, the experts at Accu-Screen are who I go to before I hire anyone!
