Employment Screening Advice for Employers |
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What is Employment Screening?
Employers use a series of steps to guide them towards hiring the best workers. Matching the right skills to an open position is key, and effective selection can result in hiring the kind of employees that will boost company morale, add to your corporate culture, keep turnover low and contribute to the growth of the organization.
The purpose of employment screening is to determine if an applicant is the right fit for the position. Determining if an applicant is the ‘Right fit’ encompasses evaluating and assessing the person in a number of areas:
- Does the person possess the prerequisite skills, knowledge, experience, competency, temperament, education, etc. to perform the requirement of the available position at the necessary level of proficiency?
- Does the person ‘fit’ with the team they will be working with
- Does the person ‘fit’ with the company’s culture
- Does the person have the willingness and capability to continue to learn, adapt and grow with the organization to continue to contribute to its organization’s success in the future,
- Does the person have the necessary level of integrity, meaning can he be trusted to manage the organization’s resources (people, financial, technology, and information resources), Does and to behave in an ethical manner that will not tarnish the firm’s reputation?
Methods, Tools, and Processes Used in the Employment Selection Process:
- Resume Screening
- Reviewing resumes to determine at a macro level does the applicant have the necessary background to be considered for the position. Here are some of the information you can get from a resume while screening candidates.
- Organization skills (able to organize their thoughts into a cohesive and logical manner)
- Written Communication skills (possesses appropriate level or written communication skills to meet the job requirements, e.g., level of vocabulary, grammatical skills, spelling ability, level of mastery of English language.
- Previous work experience and/or education that matches stated job requirements.
- Interviews:
- Phone Interviews are a good method to learn more about someone without hassling the candidate to come in and worry about commuting and missing out from their ongoing job.
- Video interviews are useful in helping to assess oral communications and listening, presentation, and thinking skills.
- · One-way video interviews invite a candidate to videotape themselves answering a list of questions provided to them to respond to and to return to you. This way, the weight of the interview is on the candidate, while you can sit back and see what they have to say.
- In-person Interviews are conducted face-to-face. This type of interview provides all the benefits of the other forms of interviews with the added value of being able to directly observe the applicant’s behavior and to have an engaging conversation with the person.
- Employment Tests
The following are the most common types of employment test:- Ability or Skill test
- Personality test
- Integrity test
- Polygraph test (illegal for employment purposes with a few select exceptions)
- Medical test (generally not permitted on a pre-hire basis)
- Pre-employment Background Screening is designed to verify the information supplied by a candidate on their resume and application. A background check is a process designed to verify that a job applicant is who they claim to be (identity verification), verification of the validity of the information submitted by a job applicant on the resume and application about their:
- criminal record history,
- sex offender registry check,
- education,
- credentials,
- employment history,
- salary history (where permitted by law),
- credit history checks (where permitted by law),
- motor vehicle driving record,
- immigration status (right to work in the U.S.) and
- International checks,
- other employment-related activities from the person’s past.
Notable background screening providers include Employment Background Investigations (EBI), Shield Screening, Candid Research, Nationwide Screening Solutions, National Applicant Screening (NAS), and Neeyamo.
- Reference Checks
Assessing an applicant’s previous job performance, on the job behavior, and cultural fit.
- Drug Screening
Drug Screening is a common practice that involves testing applicants for various types of illegal drug use using oral, urine, and hair samples. Drug testing firms like Orasure are used to determine the trustworthiness of prospective employees, avoid workplace injuries, and ensure that hires will be productive employees.
- Social Media Screening involves reviewing the online footprint of an applicant to gather additional information about the applicant’s behavior not typically available via the other forms of screening. In most cases, this practice is best conducted by a trusted outsourced firm such as Social Intelligence to shield the hiring organization from viewing information that may be potentially illegal to use in the hiring process.
- Temp to Hire or Paid Trial Projects are probably one of the most effective methods available to observe if an applicant has the necessary competencies and experience to actually perform a job while simultaneously assessing their ability to fit in with the team in the department they will be working and with organizations culture. There is no better assessment process than actually seeing the person performing the work. The primary limitation of this approach is that it is often not available to use with applicants that are currently employed.
- Job Simulation
A job simulation is an assessment process that involves assigning applicant tasks to perform to get an accurate assessment of their capabilities to perform the task. Job simulations can take many different forms, such as in-person assignments, online exams, take-home assignments, role-playing, presentations, or even virtual simulations. The following are some of the different types of job simulations:- In-basket exercises: The candidate is required to complete certain tasks such as responding to emails, taking phone calls, and handling grievances within a set amount of time. Often, these exercises are best for administrative and managerial positions.
- Situational judgment tests: The candidate is presented with a work-related scenario and is asked to use their judgment to provide a solution that can amicably resolve the situation at hand. These tests lend themselves well to positions such as customer service and supervisory roles.
- Work sample tests: These, typically hands-on tests, require the candidate to complete certain activities that are similar to actual tasks they would perform on the job. Examples include writing code, take-home assignments, collaborating with others to design a website, or completing an onsite construction task.
- Role-playing: Role-playing is probably the most common of all job simulation formats. These exercises help to evaluate a candidate’s ability to navigate interpersonal challenges in a work environment.
Employment Screening Articles
by Background Screening Expert W. Barry Nixon
Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on Employment
By W. Barry Nixon, COO, PreemploymentDirectory.com

The New Frontier: Three Steps You Can Take to Improve Employment
By W. Barry Nixon, COO, PreemploymentDirectory.com

Continuous Monitoring Helps You Manage The Risk Associated With Hiring Employees
By W. Barry Nixon, COO, PreemploymentDirectory.com

At a Glance Some Key Employment Background Checks Employers Must Make
By W. Barry Nixon, COO, PreemploymentDirectory.com
Most employers conduct pre-employment background checks to help them hire the best talent for their business, to ensure they are providing a safe work environment, and to comply with legal requirements. Within this framework, each employer must select the specific types of employment background checks that will meet their unique hiring requirements.
Employers have numerous background screening options and this article discusses several types of employment checks that we believe are invaluable to helping you hire employees that will be successful on the job and to avoid making a bad hire.
Guest Post
Are You Making These Employment Mistakes?
By Carlos Crameri, CEO, CuriousCheck

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Additional Employment Selection Resources for Employers
Be sure to get a copy of the Quick Guide to Selecting a Drug Screening
Provider.
Click here
Be sure to get a copy of ‘In Search of Excellence in Background Screening: Best Practice Insights from Accredited Background Screening Firms’
Click here
Be sure to get a copy of ‘2020-21 Background Screening Industry Resource Guide’
Click here
Be sure to get a copy of the ‘Employers Guide to Implementing a Continuous Screening Program’
Click here