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Mastering I-9 and E-Verify for a Secure Workforce
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

Mastering I-9 and E-Verify for a Secure Workforce

As an employer, navigating the complex landscape of hiring and maintaining a compliant workforce can be daunting.

The I-9 form serves as documentation verifying the identity and employment authorization of individuals hired for employment in the United States.

E-Verify allows you to electronically confirm the employment eligibility of newly hired employees, further minimizing risk.

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Ensuring Safe Play: Background Checks for Parks and Rec
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

Ensuring Safe Play: Background Checks for Parks and Rec

Parks and recreation departments across the country rely heavily on the selfless efforts of volunteers to coach youth sports teams, lead exercise classes for seniors, organize community gardens, maintain trails and facilities, and more.

While the majority of these volunteers have the best intentions, the unfortunate reality is a small percentage may have criminal histories that could jeopardize the safety and well-being of your vulnerable populations.

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The Importance of SSN Traces in Background Checks
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

The Importance of SSN Traces in Background Checks

When hiring new employees, conducting thorough background checks is crucial for protecting your business and ensuring a safe, trustworthy workplace.

One of the foundational steps in this process is a SSN Trace - but what exactly is it, and why is it so important?

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Your Guide to Student Clinical Background Checks
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

Your Guide to Student Clinical Background Checks

The healthcare field is built on trust and responsibility. Every day, professionals work diligently to ensure the well-being of patients, especially those belonging to vulnerable populations.

As part of this commitment, student clinical background checks play a crucial role in creating a safe and secure environment for both patients and future healthcare professionals.

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5 Best Practices for Volunteer Background Checks
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

5 Best Practices for Volunteer Background Checks

Volunteers are the lifeblood of many organizations, providing essential support and driving meaningful change in communities around the world. However, ensuring the safety and integrity of these programs requires careful screening and vetting of potential applicants.

In this guide, we'll explore the key aspects of performing volunteer background checks, highlighting five crucial factors to consider for effective screening.

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Navigating the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure (IAPD)
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

Navigating the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure (IAPD)

In today's complex financial landscape, employers often find themselves seeking reliable investment advisers to manage company assets and retirement plans.

However, with the myriad of options available, it can be challenging to identify trustworthy professionals who prioritize your organization's financial well-being.

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Unpacking the Truth: Why Business Background Checks Matter
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

Unpacking the Truth: Why Business Background Checks Matter

The importance of business background checks is becoming increasingly evident, especially for franchisors and employers. These checks provide a comprehensive view beyond individual backgrounds, offering insights into various facets of a business.

For franchisors and employers, the challenges of hiring franchisees or employees who own businesses are unique, making business background checks a crucial tool in making informed decisions.

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The Sherlock Approach: How Identity Validation Solves Mysteries
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

The Sherlock Approach: How Identity Validation Solves Mysteries

Identity verification should be the first step in your background investigation process, but not all employers do their proper due diligence.

Name-only matching procedures do exist in background checks, and they put your business in jeopardy of a detrimental hire. Let’s dive into the issues with name-only matching, and how you can avoid this practice to protect your business.

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Why Some Skeletons Cost More Than Others
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

Why Some Skeletons Cost More Than Others

In the intricate world of background investigations, determining the cost of the check isn't a straightforward equation of dollars per search. It's a complex dance influenced by various factors. So, let's dive in and unravel why some people's background investigation comes with a higher price tag than others.

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Clean Slate Act: Decoding New York's Criminal Justice Reform
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

Clean Slate Act: Decoding New York's Criminal Justice Reform

In a groundbreaking move toward criminal justice reform, the Clean Slate Act in New York is set to automatically seal eligible criminal records, marking a pivotal shift in available opportunities for individuals with non-violent criminal convictions.

The legislation aims to provide second chances, but also complicates background investigations in the process. Let's explore the key provisions of the Clean Slate Act and its anticipated effects on individuals and employers.

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Choosing the Perfect ATS for Your HR Team
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

Choosing the Perfect ATS for Your HR Team

In the world of modern recruitment, Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) have become indispensable tools for HR teams. With numerous options available, making the right choice can be a daunting task. In this blog, we will guide you through what an ATS is, why they are used, and how to choose the right one for your business.

An ATS, or Applicant Tracking System, is a software application designed to streamline the recruitment process. Essentially, it serves as a central hub for managing job applications and candidate information, making it easier for HR teams to handle every aspect of the hiring process.

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5 Ways to Supercharge Your Hiring Process
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

5 Ways to Supercharge Your Hiring Process

Unlocking the full potential of your workforce begins with an effective hiring process. As HR professionals, you know that bringing in the right talent and seamlessly integrating them into your organization is a critical aspect of success.

From conducting a thorough interview to implementing a robust Preadverse and Adverse Action Policy, these steps are designed to ensure that your organization thrives from day one. Let's dive in and discover how to elevate your hiring process.

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Continuous Monitoring: Your Shield Against Risks
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

Continuous Monitoring: Your Shield Against Risks

Once you hire an employee or bring on a volunteer, it's easy to assume their background has been thoroughly vetted. However, to truly protect your organization, it's essential to maintain continuous oversight of individuals' records.

Why is monitoring your staff vital? It provides an extra layer of protection for your organization. Employers can proactively identify arrests made within the United States involving employees, volunteers, tenants, contractors, or board members.

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Using AI to Get a Bird’s Eye View of Applicants
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

Using AI to Get a Bird’s Eye View of Applicants

The world of hiring is changing. As businesses compete for top talent, they need to find new ways to streamline the onboarding process and ensure they are hiring the best possible candidates.

One area where AI is having a major impact is background checks. New tools can have a major impact on the speed of an investigation. While the best background investigation companies always use a touch of human intervention, AI helps gather information to review.

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The Impact of Consolidation on Your Background Screening Services
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

The Impact of Consolidation on Your Background Screening Services

Consolidation is a natural step in the evolution of all industries. Larger players identify opportunities to fortify their strengths or fill gaps in their offerings, and, at the same time, smaller companies recognize they simply don’t have – and can’t acquire – the resources needed to meet future market demand. The Background Investigations industry is no exception.

As the demand for background checks continues to rise and the complexity of these screenings increases, there has been a corresponding amount of merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the industry.

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Today's Background Investigation: Cyber and Social Media Checks
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

Today's Background Investigation: Cyber and Social Media Checks

In today's digital age, where information is readily accessible and technology permeates every aspect of our lives, background investigations have had to adapt and evolve. As a result, Cyber Investigations™ and social media checks have emerged as vital tools.

With a few clicks, one can access an abundance of personal information, professional profiles, and online interactions that were previously unavailable.

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Artificial Intelligence is Here. Now What?
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

Artificial Intelligence is Here. Now What?

Whether we know the details of where or how, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been part of our lives for many years. However, the acceleration of AI development, and most notably, its entrance into the mainstream through public-facing tools such as ChatGPT, has placed this technology on the doorstep of nearly every consumer and business.

As with many new technologies, AI offers the promise of great advances balanced out by varying degrees of consequences – both seen and unseen. Sam Altman, the chief executive of OpenAI, the company whose platform powers ChatGPT, testified to a Senate committee that “if this technology goes wrong, it can go quite wrong.” Yikes.

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The Price is Right? Third Party Fees in Background Investigations
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

The Price is Right? Third Party Fees in Background Investigations

A background investigation often involves third party government fees that vary based on the jurisdiction, the type, and extent of the investigation. These fees are imposed by government agencies, and other third parties, and cover the cost of accessing and retrieving specific information.

When conducting a background investigation, third party government fees come into play when accessing records such as criminal history, driving records, employment verification, credit history, or educational credentials.

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Screening Your Background Investigations Partner
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

Screening Your Background Investigations Partner

Similar to the way a background investigations’ company screens job candidates prior to their hiring, employers should do their own due diligence before choosing a background investigations partner.

Many employers wrongly assume that each company is providing the same basic offering, so they are likely to prioritize pricing or turnaround time as the key factors in their decision. However, this approach ignores an important, and largely unknown, capability that can make the difference between a valuable partner and one that misses critical information.

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