Marijuana legalization is here. There’s just no other way to look at it. In 1999, only five states had legalized medical marijuana. Today that number … Read more
Hiring Ralph Northam: How Much of a Candidate’s Past Is Relevant?
The story of Ralph Northam — the Governor of Virginia — is familiar to most. News of a picture in his yearbook from 1984 resulted in calls for … Read more
Do You Google Every Candidate You Screen? A Cautionary Tale
The Assignment: Find a site director for a 250+ employee pharmaceutical contract manufacturing site in the Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, area. The … Read more
Envisioning a Blockchain Future for Recruiting
The road ahead will be paved by blockchains. Great things will happen. Like what? Patience, wait for the revolution. When is it coming? Soon. We’ve seen … Read more
The Top 10 Reasons Why Social Media Background Checks Are a Dumb Idea
The latest addition to the modern recruiting process, social media background checks, may be the dumbest element. Unlike most background checks, they don’t … Read more
Recruiters Should Adapt Background Screening Methods for Growing Gig Economy Workforce
The fast growing “gig economy” that focuses on temporary work — or “gigs” — accounted for 30 percent of new jobs and created new income sources … Read more
The New New Thing: Blockchains and Recruiting
If reading about AI is making you feel like Alice in Wonderland, then take heart, there’s something new on the horizon — Blockchains. The technology … Read more
3 Rules of Thumb for Screening Candidates Without Crossing the Line
Bringing in the best talent possible isn’t just about finding candidates who look the best on paper. To make sure they’re truly a fit for your … Read more
The 8 Things That References Say Candidates Need to Improve On
The New York Times had an interesting feature in the Sunday Review section on October 18, titled “Why What You Learned in Preschool Is Crucial at … Read more
Let’s Uncheck All the Boxes
You won’t often find a policy question where the conservative Koch brothers and liberal legislators like U.S. Senator Cory Booker are in agreement. But … Read more
How Many Jobs Are Too Many?
In this day and age, with a “rent-an-employee” corporate mentality, many candidates have résumés with what some interpret as too many jobs. In fact, many … Read more
7 Great Questions to Ask an Applicant’s References
Verifying the information on a potential employee’s application or resume helps prevent or limit the risk of making a bad hire. By talking to an … Read more
Court Says: Credit Check Rules Do Not Apply to LinkedIn
A federal court recently decided that LinkedIn’s search technology does not make it a “consumer reporting agency” for purposes of applying the Fair Credit … Read more
Verifying Employment Is Not Just A Good Idea
How often to job applicants lie in their resumes or job applications? While there’s no solid figure, every recruiter has discovered resume … Read more
What to Do About ‘Ban the Box’
“Ban the Box” is a national civil-rights movement backed by advocates for job applicants with criminal convictions. Proponents of these laws believe that … Read more
Examining the Growing Trend of ‘Ban the Box’
Employers often seek as much information as possible about their candidates and the strengths and competencies they can bring to the company. But is asking … Read more
Mr. Background Check’s Checkup
Scene: Antiseptic, hospital room filled with the latest diagnostic equipment. Mr. Background Check lies happily in bed, not a care in the world. By his … Read more
Worker Drug Test Positives Rise for First Time Since 2003
After a decade of slowly declining workplace drug test results, Quest Diagnostics said the trend reversed last year with more workers testing positive, … Read more
How to Help Your Criminally-Challenged Candidates
About that “new” EEOC policy about candidate’s criminal record in pre-employment screening. In a sentence, it means: File a charge of … Read more
Credit Reports in the Hiring Process: How to Bring Clarity to the Confusion
Employers use credit reports to assess a candidate’s stability and their propensity to be dishonest or commit fraud. But this implies that the … Read more