Screening = Long-Term Aid to Temporary Hiring
By Jim Calahan

"I'd rather not fill a position than send someone who is wrong for it," states Joe Cummings of Royal Staffing, in Westlake Village, CA, "because that person represents you in the client's office." Joe is a fourteen-year veteran of the staffing industry and one of sixteen full-time employees in two offices the 33 year-old firm maintains. Joe is the screening "guru" for the firm which handles the whole gamut of employee placement from clerical employees to executive search and various points in-between, including financial and IT specialists.

"We began screening around 1993," Joe recalls, "when one of our larger clients began requesting criminal and DMV [Department of Motor Vehicle] searches on their placements." Screening continues to be primarily client-driven at the company to this day. "The quals for placing someone in an executive assistant position, for example, can vary quite a bit. Some firms request that background checks be done and some don't," notes Mr. Cummings. Another example is credit checks. "Some clients value them and others do not."

"Hiring" a screening firm to provide Royal with additional types of background checks was fairly simple. Royal has been using InfoLink Screening Services, located in Chatsworth, CA, since 1993. "Barry Nadell, the President of InfoLink, was acquainted with Mrs. Wolff, our Founder and President, through PIHRA [Professionals in Human Resources Assn.]," Joe Cummings recalls. "When he first came out to our offices it was very relaxed; there was no sales pitch. Barry answered our legal concerns very clearly. We updated our forms with InfoLink's suggested language and we have sometimes called Barry to get 'Do's and Don'ts about certain screening procedures. For example, we had some misgivings about collecting credit information on individuals, but Barry indicated it was perfectly all right to do so as long as our clients were consistent in requiring credit checks for where they could affect our client financially. We always want to make sure our procedures are legally correct in order to protect ourselves and our clients from needless lawsuits."

Although concern for correct legal procedure may have initiated the relationship between Royal and InfoLink, other factors have maintained the relationship over time. "InfoLink offers a complete program of background screening including drug-testing. Their rates are competitive and the quality of their research is very good," states Joe Cummings. "Turnaround time is crucial for us. To maximize billings, we need to have our temps out working. Also, while waiting on screening results you risk a temporary being picked up on someone else's assignment. InfoLink has been able to accommodate us on the occasional rush cycle."

Other contributions by InfoLink have included maintaining separate billing records for the two Royal Staffing offices as well as the development of web-based services. Screening requisitions can now be initiated and retrieved online through InfoLink's secure Web site as well as by fax, the method traditionally used by Royal Staffing.

After implementing the initial screening program with InfoLink, Royal staffers soon saw some surprising results. "One thing that always surprises me is how some of the applicants react or don't react to the screening procedure. I am very direct with them when screening is involved in their placement. I say, 'We are going to do a background check on you that includes a drug test, criminal history and credit check. Will you pass such a check?' They may say 'yes', but sometimes the results come back showing a lien, judgment, or conviction and I want to say, 'Did you forget about this?' I think for some of them, if not working now, they are willing to take their chances. However, for me it becomes a credibility issue after that."

While screening has become a part of the staffing business, it hasn't changed essential skills, but has enhanced them. "I am very experienced at interviewing," states Joe Cummings, "and very straightforward with my applicants. I tell them, 'I can ruin my reputation all on my own without assistance. I can help you get work, but you have to help me by being honest."
"I think a good interviewer is very skilled at detecting deception," he continues, "but screening still adds a lot. First, some people are just very expert at deception and they can slip by. Second, you have to make sure that you are asking the right questions; sometimes you can sense something is wrong without being able to exactly put your finger on it. Another major factor is the economy right now. With employment so high, most of the good ones are already working, so you may have to do ten or fifteen interviews to get two or three prospects."

The advancement of screening affects staffing in other ways, too. "When we take on a new employer," Joe notes, "it is not unusual for them to ask about our screening capabilities. Employers certainly realize that a person dressed up for an interview is not always what they seem to be. Also, I will suggest to them that when temporary staff is taken on with a potential of permanent hire, they should do any desired screening up front. This avoids issues arising once the person is already on the job."
Joe's experience with screening over the last eight years encourages him to offer several words of advice. "I think you have to be very careful to check an applicant's references and ensure they can do what they say they can do. It's very easy for someone to get a piece of company letterhead and write themselves a letter of recommendation with a forged signature. Some have even forged diplomas! I say, if you ever have an uncertain feeling about an applicant, or the references don't seem to add up, you cannot hesitate to do a screening on them."

"The other thing is to know the law," he adds. "We have never been sued by an applicant and I think this derives from the fact that we have been in legal compliance through InfoLink from the very beginning and we have maintained that compliance to the present day. If the applicant sees that you are fully knowledgeable of the law, then they are unlikely to attempt legal action. If they say 'That's discrimination!' I can immediately explain the situation to them and they'll recognize that it isn't."