By Thomas Ahearn, ESR Staff Writer

The Employment Screening Resources (ESR) online course for “safe hiring” has been approved for recertification credits by the HR Certification Institute (HRCI) for 2010. 

The internationally recognized certifying body for the Human Resources profession, HRCI has awarded more than 116,000 credentials in more than 70 countries in the field of human resource management to HR professionals who are recognized throughout the world for their high standards of competence. 

ESR’s “Safe Hiring Certification Training” is an intensive, self-paced online educational and professional development course designed for employers, human resource and security professionals, and anyone responsible for risk management and due diligence in hiring and pre-employment background screening. The course may be accessed at any time from anywhere, including while at work.  The entire course provides 20 hours of credits, or the course can be taken in four 5 hour modules.  

Since employee problems are usually caused by problem employees, employers realize that hiring workers with criminal records, falsified credentials, or otherwise undesirable backgrounds can create legal and financial nightmares. Without due diligence in hiring, employers may make hiring decisions that could lead to lawsuits for negligent hiring, workplace violence, theft, embezzlement, and various other workplace problems. 

However, employers and human resources and security professionals face numerous challenges when it comes to safe hiring policies, including:

• Heavy regulation by federal and state laws;
• Numerous privacy and discrimination issues;
• What information is available and how to get it, and;
• How to utilize and analyze information in a cost-effective manner. 

Participants in the course will obtain the knowledge and skills necessary to implement and manage a legal and effective safe hiring program. For more information about ESR’s “Safe Hiring Certification Training” course – which is free to ESR clients – please visit http://www.esrcheck.com/ESRonlineSafeHiringCourse.php. 

ESR is pleased to be an approved provider by HRCI.