Checking the backgrounds of potential new hires is crucial to both workplace safety and success in hiring. However, this important area is still shifting and changing as employers define and redefine what it means for their hiring processes. Alterations to policies in governmental oversight is a factor as well.

The following are four of the top pre-employee screening trends to watch in the year ahead:

1. FCRA Lawsuits Will Increase

The FCRA, or Fair Credit Reporting Act, serves to oversee how consumer agencies report sensitive information. There have been a high number of violations in this arena, especially as employment screening has become more widespread. This trend is expected to continue in 2016. In many cases, the violations will be due to a lack of understanding of FCRA rules.

2. More Employers Will Outsource Background Checks to Professional Services

Other pre-employee screening trends in 2016 that will dovetail with the first will be an increased use of professional employment verification, credit and criminal background screening services in place of in-house methods. Businesses that outsource employment screening will enjoy better results, increased fairness when screening applicants and peace of mind that screening is being done correctly and in compliance.

3. “Ban the Box” Measures Will Continue

The pre-employee screening trend to keep the checkbox that would reveal an applicant’s criminal past off job applications had traction in 2015, and this momentum is expected to continue in 2016. For those states affected, it will become more difficult to pre-screen people based upon an initial application. While in some cases the Ban the Box measure will allow reformed criminals to get a fresh start in their employment history, in others, a violent person with a criminal record could be inadvertently hired. Employment screening can help with ensuring a trustworthy, high-quality hire.

4. Employers, Human Resource Departments and Screening Firms Will Refine Their Approaches to Accuracy and Compliance

The increase in lawsuits referenced in trend #1 will lead to a more targeted focus on complying with the rules governing background checks. This will also result in movement toward greater levels of accuracy in general.

Pre-employee screening trends and background check trends expected for 2016 involve regulatory issues as well as characteristics that will help raise the bar for both employers and screening firms. Ultimately, the result will be a higher-quality experience for everyone involved. Watch for these four pre-employee screening trends in 2016.

Disclaimer Statement: All information presented is for information purposes only and is not intended to provide professional or legal advice regarding actions to take in any situation.

It’s natural for people want to be seen in the best possible light. This is especially true when it comes to creating a resume. In today’s competitive market, people are doing all they can to gain an edge. Unfortunately, for some candidates, this means going beyond embellishment or exaggeration to lying on their resume.

Resume fraud is more common than most employers realize. An estimated 30% of all resumes have at least one misrepresentation on them, according to the Society for Human Resources Management HR Magazine. Hiring these individuals can open up a business to worker incompetence, lawsuits and a less safe workplace.

Here are five ways to keep a business safe from resume fraud and the challenges it can create:

1. Education Verification

Schools attended and degrees received should not just be accepted on faith; steps should be taken to verify that the applicant went there, graduated and received the degree described during the year(s) listed. The educational institution’s own accreditation should be verified as well.

2. Employment Verification

Calling the phone number listed for an employer is important, but the business’ existence and legitimacy should also be verified online.

3. Check Professional References

While the persons listed as references will likely be biased in favor of the applicant, they may also yield valuable insights about the tone and veracity of the items listed on the resume. Employers should ask relevant persons to help them verify what’s on the applicant’s resume and possibly identify resume fraud.

4. Watch Out for Fraudulent Supporting Documents

The providing of documents like diplomas, certificates, pay stubs or other “proof” of a qualification should be received with discernment as well. Bear in mind that technology like scanners, photo editing software and high quality printers make it easy to create legitimate-appearing documents. Employers should make the appropriate phone calls to verify the authenticity of any included document.

5. Use a Professional Employment Screening Service

A professional employment screening service can be extremely helpful in verifying an applicant’s qualifications and background. It can serve to determine if a person has a criminal background, a history of fraud, dishonesty or other troublesome findings. For certain jobs it can also alert employers of any potential financial or credit problems.

Resume fraud occurs more often than employers realize, but no business has to be a victim. These five tips can help keep your business safe from resume fraud and assist any company in creating a safer and more skilled work force.

Disclaimer Statement: All information presented is for information purposes only and is not intended to provide professional or legal advice regarding actions to take in any situation.

As the economy grows and improves, hiring processes seem to get more difficult to navigate. With state and federal laws ever-changing, businesses have more considerations than ever when screening employees in a way that is compliant and appropriate.

The following are four reasons professionally screening employees is more crucial than ever to safe, effective hiring:

1. Reducing Workplace Violence

Workplace violence is a very real concern for businesses today as evidenced by the alarming number of tragic and unexpected workplace shootings in the news. However, staff members who create a hostile work environment are also detrimental to the productivity of the business and morale of the work force. Professionally screening employees can assist in ruling out candidates who have a history of violent behavior.

2. Handling Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and “Ban the Box” Laws Correctly

Many states are making use of “ban the box” legislation to regulate and in some cases remove employer ability to inquire into a person’s criminal past. If you are not up to speed on these as well as all current FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act) laws, you might engage in incorrect screening procedures. Doing so could leave you and your company vulnerable to litigation for violating a candidate’s rights. Professionally screening employees with an employment screening agency can help to assist with navigating the laws.

3. Avoiding Intellectual Property Theft

With many industries expanding exponentially in terms of technological advances, there is more sensitive data and information than ever before. With these advances arises the need for trustworthy staff members who will not pilfer ideas and information for their own use or for sale to competitors. Professionally screening employees can assist with ruling out candidates who have any history of dishonesty or a lack of integrity helping to protecting the company’s present and future.

4. Reducing Risk of Costly Litigation

Just one bad hire can open a company up to costly and stressful negligent hiring litigation. The damage to the company reputation as a result is harder to quantify, yet also very damaging. Quality, professional screening helps to reduce the odds of such lawsuits.

While agility in making hiring decisions is crucial in today’s economy, so is intelligent hiring. Avoiding workplace violence, protecting company assets, handling regulations correctly and reducing the risk of litigation all hang in the balance. Partner with a proven pro for professionally screening employees, and you’ll rest easier knowing applicants are being professionally vetted.

Disclaimer Statement: All information presented is for information purposes only and is not intended to provide professional or legal advice regarding actions to take in any situation.

Technology tools, internal systems consolidation and a changing work environment are fueling a technology revolution for human resource professionals (HR Pros). These HR technology trends include a revamping of existing human resource tech systems to new-cloud based software applications, mobile apps, social media, analytics, collaboration tools and training. With these changes, human resource managers are adapting into strategic corporate managers in charge of employment development and human capital.

Today, human resource departments are expected to be tech-savvy web whizzes in addition to good personnel directors and talent finders. Transitioning to the technology revolution and leveraging HR technology trends, human resource agents are now using online tech tools to help employees. HR pros are using Google Hangouts and Skype to re-configure meetings. Some even use online services like Time-Off Manager to help employees manage personal time off and vacations.

Social Media HR Technology Trends

Social media platforms like Facebook are now being used to find and engage prospective talent. Recruiters use automated job feeds on these social networks to announce job openings and also review resumes. Since 2012, the use of mobile apps by human resource departments has increased by 67 percent. Not only are mobile apps on tablets and smartphones being used for recruiting but also for performance tracking and record keeping. In addition, more and more human resource departments are designing mobile apps with employee training modules and performance support tools on mobile devices.

Virtual classrooms have taken the place of direct training. Employees can access company information and training classrooms from remote locations. It’s more efficient, and companies can train a large number of employees quickly and implement online computerized tests for assessment.

The trend of using software analytics is here to stay with human resource personnel. Human resource managers use software analytics to collect relevant data to be easily shared with various departments. Everyone can speak the same language and be on the same page. It’s a very effective leadership and human resource tool.

Another popular HR technology trend is the use of real-time management software tools. These tools allow for the continuing monitoring of employee performance. The traditional six-month employee review is becoming obsolete. With real-time management software tools, recognition and rewards are in place for those who perform while those who are not a good fit can be retrained or weeded out. It also enhances relationships between managers and employees.

Without a doubt, HR technology trends and the technology revolution has had a huge impact on human resources and changed human resource practices. It’s a new generation.

Disclaimer Statement: All information presented is for information purposes only and is not intended to provide professional or legal advice regarding actions to take in any situation.

It’s somewhat old news that “big data” is transforming the business landscape. But recently, the practice of mass data collection and analysis has taken a form known as people analytics. By jumping into this hot new field, human resources professionals hope to bring objectivity to the complex processes of recruiting, hiring and promoting.

What is people analytics?

People analytics is a discipline that assesses prospective candidates, along with current employees, using tools like digital tests, database queries and measurable performance metrics, notes The Washington Post.

As human resources pros know, bad hires can be exceptionally costly. The average length of the interview process jumped from 12 days in 2009 to 23 days just four years later, and companies are growing increasingly cautious, as The New York Times reports. Combined with constant striving to cut costs, the arduousness of the interview process has many companies turning to analytics software to pinpoint promising candidates.

How it’s being used

People analytics may be hot right now, but it turns out that the concept isn’t new. As Bloomberg notes, hiring professionals have always used data to assess candidates — but in the past, that data came from direct observation. Today, human resources managers increasingly are making use of people analytics to replace some of the less-reliable methods of hiring like use of personal networks and sheer intuition.

What are the downsides?

Critics of the new methods say that some good — or even exceptional — candidates may be turned off by use of what they perceive as an impersonal hiring process. Interviews can feel too mechanical, and some jobs require traits that are hard to measure, like people skills.

Using computerized tests to assess candidates also has the potential to rule out entire classes of workers. While millennials might be fine with a hiring process that feels like playing a video game, older workers might not feel as comfortable.

People analytics: Part of a comprehensive hiring strategy

Data-driven recruiting is helping boost the role of human resources departments and professionals in overall corporate strategy — avoiding bad hires is paramount in today’s business climate. People analytics serves as one available tool to bring further efficiency and accuracy to the hiring process.