Employment Screening on the Rise

In a world in which there are lawsuits for negligent hiring and negligent retention, it is not surprising that employers are doing more screening:

A recent survey by staffing firm Spherion found that 79 percent of companies said they conduct background checks on some or all job candidates, 50 percent perform drug tests and 33 percent said they perform credit checks.

My suggestions:

• Ask applicants to bring their last three performance evaluations to the interview. You often learn more from the evaluations than you do from the interview.
• Always make a reasonable attempt to contact former employers before making a job offer.
• Check with former peers as well as former supervisors. They may be more inclined to talk.
• Don't ask a third party anything that you cannot legally ask an interviewee.
• Take prompt action, coordinated with your organization's attorney, to deal with any employee who may pose a threat to safety.