Issue 2 - 2nd Quarter 1997                                               

Helpful Hint

Although professionally prepared resumes are customary today, it is vitally important to have a job candidate complete a company application as well. A signed and dated application serves as testimony that the given information is true and correct. In addition, a well-designed and detailed application provides an employer with the key components for obtaining a thorough pre-employment picture of a candidate's credentials.

As previously mentioned, each issue will include the details of one of our own infamous applicants, whose pre-employment profile results have earned a place in our Hall of Shame. This issue's inductee is a man we have come to know as "Lyin' Ryan." Every area of Ryan's profile gave way to a new and more surprising revelation, for every step of the process exposed yet another inconsistency. We will highlight those areas that proved to be most interesting.

The first eyebrow was raised after contacting Ryan's high school to confirm his graduation. High-school records indicated that he had completed up through grade nine. Ryan, however, was adamant about graduating from high school and provided a copy of his "diploma" to the employer. When high-school officials examined the document, they determined it to be a fraud. A number of discrepancies, including font and spacing modifications, were cited throughout the document.

Consequently, a wary eye was turned toward the numerous "reference letters" Ryan had provided, presumably written by his past employers. It was discovered that those, too, had been falsified. While the signatures and letterhead were authentic, the body of each letter had been rewritten to create a letter of recommendation. When Ryan's previous employers were contacted, not only were a number of discrepancies discovered, some of the employers had discharged him from employment--certainly a contradiction to the recommendation depicted in the letters.

While forgeries are becoming more common, Ryan's particular scenario became more interesting because of his continued insistence that the documents were authentic, even though all supporting records and documentation proved otherwise. Hats off to you, Lyin' Ryan...your creativity and tenacity have earned you a place in our very own Hall of Shame!

...that many two-year colleges do not require a high-school diploma/equivalent for admission? Merely confirming an applicant's enrollment in a two-year institution does not validate his/her graduation from high school.

Database Pitfalls

Today's technological advances have opened the door to vast quantities of information never before accessible. One area, in particular, that has become more pervasive is the availability of third-party, manufactured databases. Some of the most publicized databases imply that the user can thoroughly research a job candidate's criminal history, in lieu of searching records directly from the courts.

While access to these criminal databases is being hyped for pre-employment screening purposes, there are a number of reasons why they cannot be relied upon as an exclusive pre-employment screening tool:

A number of databases do not rely on information from the courts; rather, incomplete and unreliable data is compiled from indirect sources.

• Because many court systems are not yet automated, some databases consist of manually entered information, increasing the possibility of input error.

• The time span of information available from an automated source is often confined to very recent years, limiting the historical data being sought.

• Third-party databases are not regularly updated to include the latest information.

According to the May 1996 issue of Personnel Journal, "In recent years, the data-mining gold rush has reached frenzied proportions. Hundreds of companies now collect data on individuals, and then pass that information on to other database companies and employers interested in finding out who they might be hiring. Problem is, it's often fool's gold, because a lot of the data is old, inaccurate, or just plain wrong."

Utilizing third-party, manufactured databases for searching criminal records may prove to be a valuable supplement to thorough pre-employment screening; however, it is important to recognize their limitations. Always keep in mind that the most thorough and reliable information comes directly from the source itself, the court.