The fourth of five installments of the Employment Screening Resources (ESR) Background Check Trends of 2011 Review features the number four trend, screening temp workers, and the number three ranked background check trend of the year, the use of fast and cheap online checks. To view previous installments of the ESR Background Check Trends of 2011 Review, visit Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

• Number 4 ESR Background Check Trend for 2011: Background Checks of Temporary Workers Cause for Concern for Employers as Hiring Increases.
• Number 3 ESR Background Check Trend for 2011: Employers Discover Fast and Cheap Online Background Checks Using Criminal Databases Not Always Accurate or Legal.

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The third of five installments of the Employment Screening Resources (ESR) Background Check Trends of 2011 Review features the number six trend, using social network sites for screening, and the number five ranked background check trend of the year, international background screening. The see previous installments of the ESR Background Check Trends of 2011 Review, visit Part 1 and Part 2.

• Number 6 ESR Background Check Trend for 2011: Using Social Network Sites Such as Facebook to Screen Job Candidates Increases Legal Risk for Employers.
• Number 5 ESR Background Check Trend for 2011: International Background Screening More Necessary Due to Mobility of Workers in Global Economy.

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The second of five installments of the Employment Screening Resources (ESR) Background Check Trends of 2011 Review features the number eight trend, offshoring Personally Identifiable Information (PII) outside the U.S., and the number seven ranked background check trend of the year, workplace violence prevention. To view previous installments of the ESR Background Check Trends of 2011 Review, visit Part 1.

• Number 8 ESR Background Check Trend for 2011: Increased Privacy Concerns Over Offshoring of Personally Identifiable Information (PII).
• Number 7 ESR Background Check Trend for 2011: More Workplace Violence Prevention Education Helps Protect Employers and Employees.

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With half of 2011 over, the time is right to revisit predictions about the background check industry made six months ago at the start of the year. Employment Screening Resources (ESR) – a background check firm accredited by the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS®) – compiles an annual list of top background check trends as predicted by ESR’s founder and President Lester Rosen. The first of five installments of The Top 10 ESR Background Check Trends of 2011 Review features the number ten trend, new accreditation standards, and the number nine trend of the year, E-Verify and I-9 audits. For the other installments of the 2011 ESR Background Check Trends Review, visit Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5.

• Number 10 ESR Background Check Trend for 2011: New Accreditation Standards Help Employers Select Background Screening Firms.
• Number 9 ESR Background Check Trend for 2011: E-Verify and I-9 Audits Help Government Find Employers with Illegal Workers.

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The Internet has recently buzzed with stories about how the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has given the official “OK” for Internet background checks of job applicants that would include up to seven years of information from social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter that are in compliance with the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) regulating the collection, dissemination, and use of consumer information.

However, contrary to reports calling the FTC’s action an official endorsement, a recent blog on the FTC web site, “The Fair Credit Reporting Act & Social Media: What Businesses Should Know,” indicates that Internet background checks using social media information simply must follow the same FCRA rules that apply to the more traditional information – employment and salary history, criminal records, and credit reports – that FCRA compliant background screening firms and employers have used in the past. (more…)