Should You Hire a Pro?
Because of challenges posed by reference checking, screening has become a $5 billion industry, with more than 1,200 companies providing screening services, Berg says. A typical check costs less than $70, according to Berg.
Jeffrey Fick of The Fick Bros., Roofing & Exterior Remodeling Co. in Baltimore, turns checks over to Employment Background Investigations (EBI) of Owings Mills, Md., a screening firm headed by Rick Kurland that works with 1,600 companies nationwide. “He gets a lot more information than we could,” Fick says.
A standard new-hire screening for Fick’s company includes drug testing and checks on references, driver records, workers’ comp reports, criminal records, and credit reports (for sales or financial positions).
Fick says if something emerges, he discusses it with candidates. “We don’t expect everyone to be perfect,” he says. “But if you have something in your past, tell us about it, so we can be open and discuss how it might affect job performance. And also, ‘How has that behavior stopped?’”
Kurland says EBI brings a standardized approach and an unbiased perspective to screening. “If the hiring manager is trying to get people in the door, he might be lax on getting answers to questions,” he says.
He says the most important lesson EBI teaches its screeners is how to listen. “A lot of hints are provided by just listening and letting the person talk,” he says. “It takes diligence.” —Joseph F. Schuler Jr. is a freelance writer in Gaithersburg, Md.