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Tampa Tribune, By MORGAN C. MOELLER
Friday, April 14, 2006 12:00 AM GMT

THEY LOOK INTO APPLICANTS' HISTORIES

SPRING HILL - People fib, stretch the truth and flat out lie.

That is the name of the employment game, according to statistics recently put out by InfoLink Screening Services. Nearly 13 percent of health care industry applicants lied about their education and about 40 percent lied about their past employment, according to the study. About 13 percent of those screened in the education industry did not pass their drug tests.

The numbers may be startling, but what is even more shocking are the high-dollar fines - into the millions - that many businesses have to dole out when they are leftin the dark about those slight exaggerations. Because of the costly litigation, background checks have become essential.

"It's really important since the negligent hiring doctrine was endorsed by Congress," said Nancy Kilburn, president of Tracers Info Specialists Inc. in Spring Hill. "It's a really scary thing. When you own a pizzeria, you don't think about checking their history to make sure they're not a rapist."

So what can businesses do to protect themselves? Using a professional screening service to conduct background checks is one option, but there are more ways to deter applicants who have a less-than-pristine history.

Barry Nadell of InfoLink Screening Services said the key is to scare off potential shady characters by advertising mandatory background checks. Web sites, job ads, online listings and job applications should prominently display a disclaimer that all applicants will be screened. The same goes for drug testing.

"These things are great deterrents, and they will generally walk out," Nadell said.

He also recommends a strong application-versus a two-sided generic from the office supply store-in addition to a resume. But as important as the job application is making sure that all blanks are filled in. That way employers can't be held accountable later on for information they should've had on file.

While most companies run basic background checks, it may be helpful to run motor vehicle reports as well, Nadell said. Those types of reports can tell you more about an applicant's character than a simple interview, he explained. After all, if someone were likely to miss their court appearance, what would make them likely to show up for work?

Kilburn echoed Nadell's emphasis on publicizing mandatory background checks, adding that in Florida it's relatively easy to get that information for free. Florida has extremely open public records laws, and, although time-consuming, employers can often find the information they need without the help of a professional. With the aid of Web sites such as Searchsystems.net, you can search nationwide records, Kilburn said.

Computer software is also available, as well as other Web sites such as the consumer-recommended netdetective.com and courtrecords.org. There are many sites, however, that claim to offer detailed information only to provide a phone book listing, so employers should choose carefully.

The real trick is ensuring that you follow legal standards in conducting the search, Kilburn said. For help with that, she recommends hiring managers visit ftc.gov to view guidelines for pre- employment screening.

"It's a lot of reading but it's worth doing," Kilburn said.

If the reading is too intense, employers can access a listing of screening professionals on the National Association of Professional Background Screeners' Web site, www.napbs.com.