The Rise of Executive Background Checks

With the recent corporate scandals of Enron and WorldCom, the popularity andnecessity of executive background checks has greatly increased. In order to protectthemselves from potential disasters later on, many companies are now requiringextensive investigation on prospective executives to verify their employment andeducational history as well as information regarding any past wrongdoings.

As with any other type of pre-employment background investigations, employers needto have the appropriate disclosures available. According to Federal law and the FairCredit Reporting Act, applicants must sign and date specific disclosures regardingthe various types of background checks employers desire. It is important to respectthe privacy of potential employees while maintaining the company s hiring standards.

Although executive-level background checks are becoming increasingly more popular,there may still be some hesitation as to how far to take them. Many high-levelexecutives seem to think of their atmosphere as more of a society, or country-club feels. They may not feel comfortable about performing checks on executives and inmany cases, do not feel it is necessary. Human Resource managers in the executivelevel seem to also have some hesitations to conducting extensive background checks.Many of them feel as if their network of peers is enough to get the information theyneed and may neglect to further investigate a potential employee. The Wall StreetJournal suggests that many top-level hiring managers may ignore the reference listprovided by the would-be-executive to utilize their own connections in their pastcompanies.

Whatever the reasoning behind conducting background checks, employers need to beaware of the Federal and State laws regarding such investigations. Most reputableinvestigation firms adhere strictly to these guidelines. Using one of the top firmscan save headaches in the future while being sure that the information is fair,accurate and thorough. The employers themselves, however, can obtain someinformation. Educational references can be verified by contacting the academicinstitution, work and salary history can be obtained by contacting former employers,and character references can often be sought by contacting various people who knowthe prospective employee. Regardless of the method used, it is certainly in thecompany s best interest to know who is working for them. In the case of top-levelmanagement, an executive background check is necessary and vital to the ongoingsuccess of the establishment.

Source: Express-Press-Release.com

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