The SS card is provided to every person shortly after birth. The hospital usually provides you with the forms before you leave with your newborn and in a couple of months, your child now has a 9-digit number that all American legally possess. Emphasizing the word legal is another story and the reason for this blog entry.

Identity theft has gone out of control in the last 10 years. Identity theft crimes are up and punishable by jail time along with hefty fines. The process to verify social security numbers has only become a necessity recently as job applicants may not truthfully represent who they seem to be. There are several ways to verify someone’s social security number in a matter of minutes and usually at a minimal or no charge.

Using your background screening vendor, inquire on a social security verification search or trace. What this search reports is a collection of addresses by each credit bureau that is compiled and sold wholesale to companies who in turn resell to background screening vendors. The accuracy on this type of search is fairly high however there could be situations where no information is returned in a search. This is not a cause for concern and it could very well be that your job applicant has little or no credit and there are no address records associated with the social security number.

Another way to verify the number is to use the service provided by the Social Security Administration, Business Services Online website. This service requires you to register online however the information you will receive is extremely valuable and the time it takes to register and learn the system will greatly benefit your organization since you will know the social security number is valid.

A real simple way to make sure your applicant has a valid social security number is to ask for the original card and match the name against another government-issued form of identification, such as a state driver’s license card. Copies made by your applicant should not be accepted as the copy could have been altered and if the appropriate steps are not taken to verify the authenticity of the number, your company could be in violation of federal and state laws governing the employment of legal employees.

It is extremely important to realize how important the social security number is when using to verify an applicant’s identity. People today have become extremely talented in altering documents and your company should be cognizant when it comes to making sure the applicant has a legal and valid social security card.

Legible copies of a state-issued driver’s license and social security card are the most popular forms of identification. One way to know you have a legitimate copy is to make the photocopy yourself. Having the applicant provide copies or having them faxed could be problematic since the originals may be damaged and any further copying could make the copies unreliable.

The driver’s license is also important because you know the applicant is permitted to legally drive. Positions such as operating a tractor trailer or making deliveries would constitute a requirement to have a valid driver’s license and verifying this information would be critical prior to offering the position to your applicant.

Another important document is a birth certificate. An original or certified copy can be used to verify an applicant’s date of birth and true name as it appears on the application. Of course the name could be different if the applicant married or legally changed the name.

A Permanent Resident Card (also known as a Green Card) is another form of identification that can be used in verifying your applicant’s identity. If the applicant has no proven address history and is coming from a foreign country to seek employment in the US, they must show this card as it establishes an immigrant’s legal presence and right to work. More to come on this topic in a future blog.

Legible copies of pay-stubs, bills/mortgage statements, and any legitimate piece of information bearing the applicant’s name and address can be used in conjunction with above-mentioned documents. They are not to be substituted for the driver’s license and social security card as these forms of identification are the most important since they can legally verify your applicant’s identity.

To legally comply with the federal government’s standards on employment eligibility, you can download a copy of the I-9 form that is provided to employers by the Department of Homeland Security, US Citizenship and Immigration Services. You can download the most recent copy from our Resources section.

House Bill HB31 CD1 took effect July 1, 2009. It is an extremely important piece of legislation as it directly pertains to credit reports and how they are part of the background screening process most employers use in screening the applicant. This legislation essentially prevents consumer credit reports from being used to determine if an applicant is qualified for a position. Those with credit issues can now be considered for a job they were once not qualified for since the employer had specific guidelines in what to accept in regards to specific credit criteria.

What’s important to understand is that credit reports can still be used in situations that pertain to federal or state law, managerial and supervisor positions, and certain financial institutions. Hundreds of job applicants continue to seek employment and without the use of credit reports, it forces employers to use other means to inquire about the applicant’s history. Hawaii does not make any mention to eliminate the other searches that can be used in determining the eligibility of an applicant for a position. Other searches include an employment verification, motor vehicle history, drug screening, criminal background, reference check, and an education verification.

With federal legislation pending approval pertaining to credit reports and how they may be removed for consideration for certain positions, many job applicants with poor credit histories will be re-considered for the job they once were not qualified. It is still highly recommended that employers continue to use other reports to determine if a job applicant can be hired and not become discouraged since credit reports may not be used in the process.

There are several different exclusions to the bill:

When a person applies for, or currently holds, employment that requires national security or FDIC clearance.

When a person applies for, or currently holds, employment with a State or local government agency which requires such a report.

When a person applies for, or currently holds, a supervisory, managerial, professional, or executive position at a financial institution.

When otherwise required by law.

The bill is designed to help those with financial hardships that have poor credit histories be eligible for jobs they would otherwise be denied due to their credit history. Although credit checks are one part of the background screening process, they have become increasingly popular over the years as people are losing their homes to foreclosure, not paying financial obligations, in addition to other financial dilemmas that affect your credit history drastically. Your credit history is your lifeline when you are trying to purchase your first home or buy a new car. Companies are looking at credit in greater detail and knowing the person has a poor credit history, may prevent them from landing a new position.

I guess the most important thing to consider if this bill gets through Congress and onto final passage is that credit reports are only part of the background screening process. The employment verification, drug screening, motor vehicle search, reference check, and more importantly, the criminal background, will remain intact. If the background investigation investigation is truly complete, meaning all the above mentioned pieces are done correctly and thoroughly, you should have really no issue in denying or accepting the applicant for the position.

What I believe to be an argument to the charge by the FTC is how does verifying employment history be classified under a consumer report? Consumer reports are usually credit-based however the scope is broadened to criminal, eviction, or any type of pre-employment background investigation. Asking someone to verify if an applicant worked at their company could be misconstrued as just a verification of employment and not a consumer report however in the eyes of the FCRA, it is a consumer report and you have to follow the rules set forth.

An excellent place for information regarding consumer reports can be found on the FTC website. Click here and you’ll have the most current information direct from the FTC.

It would be wise for any background screening company to make sure all the i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed, especially when it comes to complying with federal and state laws regarding consumer reports. And if you’re not sure, by all means, check with your legal counsel as it’s better to be compliant so you’re not investigated by the FTC.

“I, the undersigned applicant, hereby authorize the company to obtain and verify verbally, in writing, or electronically such information about my background and qualifications for employment as the company, in its sole discretion, deems relevant to its decision whether to hire me for the position I am applying for, including without limitation professional and personal references, employment verifications, educational verifications, license and credentials, criminal records, motor vehicle records, credit reports, and Social Security number verifications.”

If you want a full consent document, you can find it here or Contact Us and we’ll send it to you directly.

Why did we say employment verifications are simple? Well, if you call the previous employer and they don’t answer your call and no follow-up attempt is made, they’re simple. One attempt and you’re done. The only problem here is the full background investigation is not complete. Although the applicant may be the most qualified for the position, often you won’t be able to proceed with hiring until you get the information verified. If, for example, a salary for a previous job looks suspicious, it is absolutely imperative that every attempt to contact the previous employer is made. Once you know that the information is confirmed, you may proceed with either hiring or denying the applicant for the position.

Then, why are employment verifications daunting? Many HR professionals agree; the labor involved outweighs the value. After hearing time after time, “we only verify dates of employment,” you start to feel like you are getting the corporate run-around. Many also feel that inquiring on an applicant’s credit and criminal background is sufficient. We all know that information costs money, however, some HR departments seem to think that a $4.95 criminal background from the #1 result in Google for background checks is good enough. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that is not the case. In a future blog, we will discuss criminal data but in general terms, criminal information that is distributed from state-sanctioned sources is the same for each and every background check company. If you see an advertisement for a 50-state criminal search, you should be concerned as there are states that do not allow their data to be stored in a database.

In all honesty, tasking an HR analyst with background investigations for all job applicants is pretty exhausting. Think of the process that begins with the job application, then the criminal investigation, followed by the drug screening and finally, the employment verification for all the companies the applicant worked at over the past five years.

The employment verification process may vary based on your protocols, but follow the general steps for a given applicant:

1. You have to call previous employer number one, leave a message.

2. Call previous employer number two, leave a message.

3. Call previous employer number three, speak to someone and get transferred to someone else in HR because the first individual is not authorized to provide any information related to previous employees.

Between all of the voicemails, transfers to someone else, and the line, “we only verify dates of employment,” it’s no wonder you are exhausted.

Let’s face it; information is crucial and quality information costs money. No one would disagree with that statement. Searching for the most cost effective vendor may save you money but the old saying goes “penny wise, pound foolish” has a very broad meaning and companies who tend to follow that statement tend to be burnt in the long run. Not saying that’s the case 100% of the time but you get what you pay for and when you see a report for $4.95, it’s probably worth that and not a penny more.

The VeraTrack Solution
VeraTrack was designed to help HR professionals and hiring agencies effectively verify employment history. The concept was developed to make the process easier and streamlined by taking the majority of the labor off of the person responsible for this step in the background check process and allowing VeraTrack handle the verification from start to finish.

1. The process begins with entering the job applicant’s information into our system and then typing in the previous employer information. Our system has compiled thousands of companies with their respective contact information so if you type in the first few letters, we’ll start searching for the company that matches the letters you typed in and the remaining fields are populated with the appropriate contact information after the correct company is selected.

2. Hire and termination dates are required since most companies will only verify dates of employment. Supervisor name and salary information are requested however not required.

3. To complete the request, your contact information is requested.

4. Now the work starts and you just sit back and wait for our email that the verification is completed.

5. When the verification is Complete, you will receive an email that links you to the request instantaneously.

The automated process to contact previous employers starts with an email requesting they click on a link that directs them to our secure site where they can begin verifying the information. If no response is given within 24 hours, a second email request goes out. A total of 5 emails set apart by 24-hour intervals are sent to the previous employers and if no response is given, the status of the verification is marked “Incomplete.” Every attempt is made to contact the previous employer — one of the main reasons we are so persistent is because we understand the importance of the information and want our clients to have a complete background investigation on their job applicant.

An email is automatically sent to our customer when the final status of the verification is Complete, Incomplete or Pending. We are working on some additional functionality that will place the completed request in a PDF and will be attached to the email informing our customer that the request is completed.

There you have it, the VeraTrack model and how we have taken a complex process and simplified it by using automated processes to make your life easier and much less stressful. From start to finish, the process could take less than 15 minutes as opposed to countless hours playing phone tag. Ask any question on the blog or Contact Us directly for further information on the process or just have a question in general. We look forward to hearing from you and having you as one of our loyal customers who will use VeraTrack for years to come. Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful day!