Your company’s security begins at the hiring process

Your company’s security begins at the hiring process

It’s an exciting time for a company when business is growing and there is a need add more employees and start a hiring process. One organisation that was in such a position sought to make sure they were being diligent while hiring new staff. To that end, they engaged CRI® Group’s EmploySmart^TM services, providing thorough and extensive pre-employment background screening in verifying prospective candidates’ experience and credentials. What happened next is eye-opening for any business leader.

CRI® Group’s agents uncovered disturbing details regarding one of the applicants. When CRI® Group contacted this individual’s former employers, one of them reported that the applicant had been hired without any prior experience, was trained for a couple of months, and then terminated due to committing cash embezzlement as well as participating in harassment and workplace violence. In other words, he was an employer’s nightmare!

Further checks revealed more problems at other organisations – CRI® Group discovered that the individual had been terminated from a second position after causing a financial loss at the company. By using EmploySmart^TM, the client dodged a major bullet and avoided hiring someone who could have done serious damage, both financially and to the company culture.

What you don’t know can hurt you

A dishonest employee could be unqualified for the position, possibly endangering others on the job. Or they might be a fraud risk, willing to bend the truth in other ways in order to enrich or advance themselves on your dime.

At CRI® Group, our EmploySmart^TM pre-employment background screening process analyses a job candidate’s claims and credentials, and digs beyond the surface to make sure the facts match up. Our experts conduct extensive checks that examine all of the following details of a potential employee:

• Verification of address
• Verify name and date-of-birth
• National ID number
• Credit checks
• Previous employment verification
• Credentials verification
• Bankruptcy checks
• Civil litigation checks
• Criminal history
• Record checks
• Professional qualifications and memberships
• Criminal background checks
• … and more.

Resume fraud: More common than you think

In another case study, CRI® Group’s investigators conducted background screenings of employees who were working for a multinational organisation operating in Pakistan. While verifying education credentials is just one of the aspects of the EmploySmart^TM process, the investigators immediately noticed red flags and initiated detailed checks of the education degrees claimed by the subjects.

In this case, CRI® Group screened 18 degrees claimed from a single university. By contacting the university and conducting an examination of documents and records, CRI® Group found an astounding 5 of them (27.7 percent) to be fake and/or forged. As it turns out, the following are some of the most common areas of resume fraud:

• Stretching dates of employment
• Inflating past accomplishments & skills
• Enhancing job titles & responsibilities
• Education exaggeration & fabricating degrees
• Unexplained gaps & periods of “self employment”
• Omitting past employment
• Faking credentials
• Fabricating reasons for leaving previous job
• Providing fraudulent references
• Misrepresenting military record

Resume fraud is a widespread problem for employers in every industry, and at any size company. It’s persistent and sometimes even careful examination of a resume won’t immediately reveal red flags or problems. The only way to properly vet job candidates is to screen them with a thorough pre-employment background screening process.

 Hiring process is Trusting, but verifying

No organisation can afford to have employees on staff who aren’t what they claim to be. Even a seemingly innocent embellishment can indicate more background problems under the surface, and the potential for future problems down the road.

Every business leader should embrace the need to EmploySmart^TM. Your greatest resource is your employees. Make sure they are who they say they are, and that you only hire the best.

Take a proactive stance with the highest level of Employee Background Screening as a part of your essential business strategy.  Contact us today to learn more about our full range of services to help your organisation stay protected. Get a FREE QUOTE

CRI® Group has safeguarded businesses from any risks, providing investigations (i.e. insurance fraud), employee background screening, investigative due diligence, business intelligence,  third-party risk management, forensic accounting, compliance and other professional investigative research services.