feature story:

Resume Fraud on the Rise in Hard Economic Times

As the economy tightens, some applicants may begin to play fast and loose with the facts on their resumes. They may feel desperate times call for desperate measures as there is increased competition for available positions, and hence more pressure to find and keep a position.

It becomes extremely important to not cut corners in your background investigation program during economic downturns. Resume fraud is likely to be uncovered, if companies stay the course of being selective and more diligent in their pre-employment screening process.

Do not assume that resume fraud is only perpetrated by young, inexperienced job seekers trying to gain an edge over more seasoned candidates. Some of the most notable examples in the last few years have been top-level executives, including chief executive officers and chief financial officers.

“Inflated credentials can present a liability for companies when they affect critical executives,” said Corporate Screening’s President Dennis Drellishak. “Proper vetting of candidates upfront is an investment that will help reduce the risk of future litigation.”

Next Steps

If you have further questions about improving your pre-employment screening process, contact your Corporate Screening account representative today.

industry update:

Revised Form I-9 Now in Effect

Look for form changes and technical updates

Employers must use the revised Form I-9 for all new hires (and re-verifications) beginning April 3, 2009. The old edition of the Form I-9, dated “06/05/2007” will no longer be valid. Employers who continue to use the 06/05/2007 version of the Form I-9 on or after April 3, 2009 may be subject to civil monetary penalties.

The most significant change to the revised Form I-9 is that employers can no longer accept expired documents during the I-9 verification process. The interim final rule also narrows the list of acceptable identity documents.

The Revised Form I-9:
- In Section 1 - Employee Information and Verification, of the revised Form I-9, an employee can now attest to being either a citizen or non-citizen national of the United States. Non-citizen nationals are persons born in American Samoa, certain former citizens of the former Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, and certain children of non-citizen nationals born abroad;

- Requires that all documents presented during the verification process be unexpired;

- Eliminates List A identity and employment authorization documentation Forms I-688, I-688A, and I-688B (Temporary Resident Card and outdated Employment Authorization Cards; these documents are no longer issued by USCIS);

- Adds foreign passports containing certain machine-readable immigrant visas to List A;

- Adds to List A as evidence of identity and employment authorization valid passports for citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), along with Form I-94 or Form I-94A indicating nonimmigrant admission under the Compact of Free Association Between the United States and the FSM or RMI.

Technical Updates:
Two documents have been added to List A (Documents that Establish Both Identity and Employment Authorization) of the List of Acceptable Documents:

- A temporary I-551 printed notation on a machine-readable immigrant visa in addition to the foreign passport with a temporary I-551 stamp;

- A passport from the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) or the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) with a valid Form I-94 or Form I-94A indicating nonimmigrant admission under the Compact of Free Association Between the United States and the FSM or RMI;

- The new U.S. Passport Card, which USCIS earlier announced was an acceptable document for I-9 purposes.

Three documents were removed from List A of the List of Acceptable Documents:

- Form I-688, Temporary Resident Card;

- Form I-688A and I-688B, Employment Authorization Card(s).

Questions? Visit the USCIS website or www.CorporateScreening.com, contact Corporate Screening Support at 800-229-8606 and select option 3, or contact your Account Representative.

State-Level Watch

Vermont Court Records Go Online
Vermont’s online court record system makes it quicker and easier to find out if a person has ever been convicted of a crime in Vermont. The online system replaces a “mail-in” program that took from seven to 10 business days to receive inquiry results. The Vermont Criminal Information Center began building the online service in July 2008 and became available to the public in February of this year.

New York: New Rules Affecting Employment of Ex-Offenders
Three new rules outlined in Article 23-A of New York’s Correction Law went into effect on February 1, 2009. The rules are designed to give ex-offenders a second chance for entering the workforce. Article 23-A concerns the licensure and employment of persons previously convicted of one or more criminal offenses.

It requires an employer to consider and balance of six factors where an applicant has a criminal record.

- The duties of the job

- The relationship between the criminal offense and the job

- How long ago the conviction occurred

- The applicant’s age at the time of the crime

- How serious the offense was

- Information produced regarding the applicant’s rehabilitation and good conduct.

Companies in New York must now:

- Provide a copy of Article 23-A to all applicants undergoing a background check.

- Post a copy of Article 23-A in a place “accessible to his or her employees and in a visually conspicuous manner.”

- Provide additional copy of Article 23-A to an applicant if a criminal record is found.

New York employers that follow Article 23-A now have increased protection from lawsuits for negligent hiring after making a reasonable and good faith determination, as outlined in Article 23-A, that an applicant should still be hired.

Questions? Contact Corporate Screening Support at 800-229-8606 and select option 3 or contact your Account Representative.

cs client service news:

Go Green!

Paperless solutions for a greener planet

We just celebrated Earth Day, and would like to continue to celebrate each and every day! Here are two ways:

Have your invoice emailed instead of mailed. Email nprinz@corporatescreening.com with your request.

Email your background report requests instead of faxing. Contact CS Support at 800.229.8606 and select option 3.

We’re All Ears

Please contact your Corporate Screening account representative today with any relevant industry issues or questions.

We will make every effort possible to cover it in our upcoming newsletter. (And if we aren’t able to do that, we will still answer your question directly!) Thank you for your continued readership of CS Screening Solutions.