When you hire new employees , check their backgrounds. You may have candidates fill out application forms, but then what do you do? At the least, you should check all references given by each applicant to determine his past record, including reasons why he left those positions . Be certain to verify the dates of employment, and check any gaps in the record. One story we heard involved an applicant who had an eight-year gap in his record entitled "independent consulting." Further research revealed that this "consulting" was being conducted from inside a federal prison cell ”something the applicant had failed to disclose, no doubt because it was the result of a conviction for computer-based fraud. Another case involved a four-time offender convicted of computer intrusion charges performing IT consulting for a local police department through a consulting firm. You should also verify any claims of educational achievement and certification: stories abound of individuals who have claimed to have earned graduate degrees from prestigious universities that have no records of those individuals ever completing a class. Other cases involve degrees from "universities" that are little more than a post office box. Consider that an applicant who lies to get a job with you is not establishing a good foundation for future trust. 9.1.1 Intensive InvestigationsIn some instances you may want to make more intensive investigations of the character and background of the candidates. You may want to:
In general, we don't recommend these steps for hiring every employee. However, you should conduct extra checks of any employee who will be in a position of trust or privileged access ”including maintenance and cleaning personnel. We also suggest that you inform the applicant that you are performing these checks, and obtain his consent . This courtesy will make the checks easier to perform and will put the applicant on notice that you are serious about your precautions . In some locales you will need the explicit permission of the candidate to conduct these checks. 9.1.2 RechecksOnce you have finished the tests and hired the candidate, you should consider revisiting some of the checks on a periodic basis. You would then compare the old and new results and observe changes. Some changes should trigger deeper investigation. For example, if you have an employee who is in charge of your accounting system, including computer printing of checks to creditors, you will likely want to conduct more than a cursory investigation, including a credit check. If a recheck occurs every two years , and the employee goes from solvent to $600,000 in debt, or goes from having a modest mortgage and car loan to paying off the mortgage in cash and having two platinum cards, you should probably investigate further. |