A person should not be prohibited from getting a job simply because they have a criminal conviction. However convictions for certain crimes might prevent a person from getting certain jobs. Let’s set some ground rules for our discussion. First we’re talking about convictions, not charges. To put it in simple terms, the judge said “guilty” and banged the gavel. Second, …
Let’s say you’re about to hire a new CFO. He’s been a CFO, comptroller, and vice president in the last 10 years at three different companies. All the right skills and qualifications are listed on his resume. He’s had several interviews, and he’s fantastic. He’s had the right answer to every question you’ve asked. You’ve heard nothing but good things …
Recently, we were working on a pre-employment background investigation where the scope of work was limited to a criminal search. When we looked at the criminal history of the applicant, we saw the image on the right. What do you see? The subject has charges and convictions for identity theft and drugs, but what else? I see a pretty decent …
We’re asked all the time if we offer a “nationwide criminal search” or a “multi-state criminal search”. The answer is always “No.” Why not? Because it just doesn’t exist. Let’s talk about courts and criminal records in the US. No national database exists Currently, there is no comprehensive national database for all the criminal records in the US. Yes, the …
We conduct a wide variety of background investigations for a lot of different reasons. Sometimes we’re conducting due diligence on companies who want to do business together. Other times it’s a threat assessment as part of an employment termination. Sometimes we’re conducting a background investigation in support of a larger investigation, like fraud or employee misconduct. Our most common …
What is a threat assessment? One of the things clients frequently ask us has to do with workplace violence. Usually it goes something like this. We get a call from a company. They’re going to fire someone fairly soon, and they’re not sure how he’s going to react. They’re contacting us to see what sort of support we can provide. …
A recent article from HPG provided excellent information about how companies and organizations can take a proactive stand against harassment (read the original article here). As part of the precautions to take, the article recommended an investigation of the complaint. We couldn’t agree more. Few organizations realize that private investigators offer a vast and virtually untapped pool of investigative talent. …
At Protus3, we believe that employers should have as much relevant information as possible in order to make the best hiring decisions. We have always prided ourselves on the fact that we report everything we possibly can when conducting pre-employment background investigations. This included everything from felonies all the way down to minor traffic offenses. The FCRA allows us to …
In a typical week, I spend a good part of my time conducting background investigations. So what’s different now that we’re all dealing with COVID-19? Honestly? Not much. Nearly every background investigation we conduct includes a criminal search. For locations where the process is automated (i.e. records are online), there is no change based on COVID-19. Records were readily available …
10 Times See Something, Say Something Saved Lives in 2019 Source: Campus Safety Magazine, www.campussafetymagazine.com We’ve all heard the recommendation: See Something, Say Something. Does it really work? Absolutely. Campus Safety Magazine reported the ten examples below. Each provides an example of how advanced reporting helped to avert a potential incident. So we’ll say it again: See Something, Say Something. …