Effective investigative tips for performing past employment verifications<\p>
There are several reasons for employment history verification
being necessary, not the least being the lies that many
applicants tell in their resumes and employment application
forms. There are several reasons for this, and the verification
procedure should be designed to detect the falsehoods
and the reasons for them. You have a duty of care to your
existing employees and must ensure that you are not endangering
them with the employment of a new employee.
The false information provided can be with regard to
the dates of employment, the positions held and responsibilities
being exaggerated and even to fictitious employers being
listed. Why should applicants find it necessary to tell
these lies? There are many possibilities why applicants
should find it necessary to lie in order to secure a
job. Let’s have a look at some possibilities.
A major reason for falsifying dates of employment is
to hide periods of unemployment. This can take the form
of falsely extending the period of employment with a
specific employer to hide a period of imprisonment.
This is a common way of hiding this, and it is understandable
since most employers do not employ ex convicts. On the
other hand, it could be due to an employee being fired
for some reason or other, such as theft or violence
that should not be revealed to a subsequent employer.
There is an irresistible temptation to hide this in
a resume and interview.
The reason for leaving one job can be falsified, and
the history of employment can show the next position
to be found immediately, so the applicant can state
that the job change was deliberate, either due to a
change of address from one state to another, or for
advancement. Both reasons are frequently given when
this type of falsification is carried out. If an investigation
shows only when each employee finished working for each
employer, the lie will not be revealed. Only full employment
history verification will reveal this.
In such cases the resume seems genuine and the applicant
is generally believable during the interview. They will,
after all, have had plenty of practice at perfecting
their story. Sometimes only a professional is able to
ferret out the real truth, and companies paying for
a full employee background check to be carried out,
including employment history verification, will be taking
the safest and best route. Professionals will interview
previous employers, either by telephone or personally,
and generally get to the truth.
There are reasons for falsifying the position held
and level of responsibility, which frequently relate
to the requirements of the position on offer. If a certain
amount of previous experience in management is required
for the job offered, there are those that will falsify
the seniority of their previous post. This occurs at
all levels. The same reasons apply for employer listings
being fictitious: either to cover an unexplained period
of unemployment or a period of imprisonment.
An effective employment history verification is essential
to ensure that the employer is not guilty of negligent
employment in the event of an employee, or anyone else,
being harmed through the employment of someone where
the problem could have been foreseen. If it cannot be
demonstrated that effective employee screening has been
carried out, then the employer could be liable for damages.
These can be considerable, and have been known to ruin
companies and individuals, so all that can be done should
be done to make sure that you do competently what the
law requires you to do.
A telephone interview with a previous employer should
suffice, though it would be better if this were recorded
with the other party’s permission. Otherwise,
written confirmation of periods of employment will be
required from previous employers of the applicant. You
should also request details of the positions held, and
provide that your candidates must sign relevant release
of information forms to facilitate this. This in itself
might deter some people from applying.
If, for any reason, the employee fails to sign the
release of information form, or a previous employer
refuses to provide the required information, then you
should regard the application as suspect and refuse
it. Your own position and the safety of your employees
are more important that taking a chance on an applicant.
Adequate history employment verification must be carried
out – that is the long and the short of it, and
there is no excuse acceptable for you failing to do
this when vetting job applications. Full employment
history verification is essential so make sure that
it is carried out suitably and sufficiently.
Leave a Reply