With Resumes on The Rise, It’s Time For a Better Microscope

 Today's guest blog post comes to you from Nick Fishman, Chief Marketing Officer and EVP of EmployeeScreenIQ. EmployeeScreenIQ is an industry leading global employment screening resource, as well as a valued iCIMS partner.

As recruiters and HR professionals, you know better than most the flood of resumes you’ve received since the economy took a turn for the worst.  You are evaluating more candidates for fewer jobs and your margin for error is nil.  Therefore, hiring the right candidate the first time is paramount to your success.  Many organizations have tightened their hiring standards in general and become much more vigilant with the background screening process.  They are looking for anything that will affirm their belief in a candidate or adverse information that will warn them of possible trouble.  We’ve seen significant spikes in crime rates over the last year and in turn, that has impacted the number of job candidates with criminal convictions. 

So now, here’s another unforeseen issue that has risen in light of our economy.  States throughout the country are considering the early release of thousands of prison inmates because it cost too much money to keep them incarcerated.  The state of California, for instance, plans to early release as many as 40,000 inmates to make up for budget shortfalls. 

 
It is our sincere hope that these individuals will have been rehabilitated and will begin to seek gainful employment, however recidivism rates would suggest otherwise.  If this trend persists, it becomes even more important for employers to rely upon employment background checks to help them make informed hiring decisions. 

However, this issue becomes a double-edged sword for employers.  There is certainly liability to organizations for making bright-line hiring decisions based on the presence of a criminal record.  Employers are encouraged to evaluate each piece of adverse information on its own merit.  They should consider how long ago the conviction occurred, job relatedness, the seriousness of the crime, whether the person is a repeat offender, etc.  Standards should definitely vary based on the type of job available and the industry.  Organizations should ensure that they continue to make consistent decisions.

This will be an even more impactful issue as the economy improves in the coming year.  You’ll be hiring more people for more jobs and won’t have the same luxury of time to dedicate to each candidate as you do now.  Start developing and, or refining your process now.  The effort will pay off in the near future!