Screening employees before you hire them can be as important to the success of your business as employee sourcing. But background checks, resume verification, documentation of eligibility and all the other tasks that go along with hiring can be more than you or your HR department can reasonably handle.

Employee screening consultants can take on much of this workload, and often do a faster, more thorough job than you could do yourself. Technology has kept pace with the rising complexity of screening requirements, and the best employee screening consultants take full advantage of technology and the Internet.

Competent employee screening consultants can help you:

1. Sort out the "bad apples" before they can harm your business.
2. Use assessment tests to determine which candidates will make the best employees.
3. Screen employees (potential or current) to ensure compliance with federal, state and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) eligibility requirements.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Use an employee screening consultant to conduct background checks on potential hires

Next to employee sourcing, screening employees for criminal backgrounds, inflated credentials and other serious problems is one of the biggest ways you can help your business. Background checks are your first defense in protecting your business from liability, and one of the simplest ways to get it done.

I recommend: BackgroundsOnline.com is a nationwide service that's completely online for fast turnaround and 24/7 access. ADP is one of the oldest, most trusted names in the employment services industry, offering background screening and a host of other personnel solutions.

Hire an employee screening consulting service to supply and/or administer assessment tests

You've done your screening and now you have several potential candidates. Your next job is to determine which one will be most successful in the position. Statistics support the business value of high-quality, properly administered assessment tests, which have become one of the more popular pre-employment screening services.

I recommend: Criteria Corporation not only sells their own tests, but also gives you the ability to generate a proprietary test for your business. PreVisor has a large library of pre-employment tests.

Utilize an employment screening firm to facilitate federal and state compliance

Several states now require businesses to verify employment eligibility through the DHS E-Verify system. To keep up with these regulations and manage all the other state and federal compliance requirements, it makes sense to rely on an automated, centralized system from an employee-screening firm. These systems, continually updated with current regulatory information, save you the headache of searching for the latest compliance requirements.

I recommend: HireRight's automated I-9 Solution electronically manages forms and verifies employment eligibility through the DHS E-Verify system.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  One size doesn't necessarily fit all when it comes to employee screening consulting services. Look for an employment screening company that offers solutions tailored to the size of your company.