With nine states having legalized the recreational use of marijuana, and 29 states legally protecting the use of medical marijuana, can an employer deny employment to a job seeker who tests positive for marijuana or, for that matter, terminate an employee for marijuana use? In states where employment is “at-will,” meaning companies can dismiss workers without…
A recent court case shows why both employers and employees need to be very careful in their handling of employment policies and practices, as well as any decisions they make based on state or local laws. Daniel Scales, an employee working for hydrovac excavation company Badger Daylighting Corp., had a rude awakening after he quit…
I just read an ad from a firm that claims to provide a complete criminal history check that covers all federal, state and county government databases for less than $15! The ad also claims that the information is fully accurate. Barada has been in the background and reference checking business since 1979, and I can…
Employee referrals are potentially a great recruiting tool, and the conventional wisdom is that it’s unlikely for an employee to recommend someone they wouldn’t want to work with, themselves, or who wouldn’t be a solid hire. However, employee referrals also come with risks. For instance, a current employee may not know enough about the potential…
I wrote this blog to help educators get past an old dodge, used particularly in public education, that avoids the real reason why a teacher is looking for a job. The following example is based on a real-life incident. A high school teacher was caught with a student in an entirely inappropriate situation. The teacher…
Social media is becoming a powerful tool that employers increasingly use as part of their background checks on candidates for employment. Networking websites often contain more information about a job applicant than is typically provided on a resume or job application. However, websites can also disclose information that shouldn’t be part of an employment decision.…
When is the right time to run a background check on a candidate for employment? Before any job offer is made, after the offer is made, or after the new hire is actually on board? Here’s what Susan M. Heathfield wrote just six months ago, while speaking of the value of candidate resume confirmation and…
In April, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, which has jurisdiction over Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin, issued a groundbreaking judicial ruling in Hively v. Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana (Ivy Tech). In the decision, stemming from a suit by an adjunct professor for the college (Kimberly Hively), whose contract had not been renewed in…
These next couple of questions address one new skill that is vitally important, and another that is essentially another version of an earlier question, to examine whether or not the responses to both are consistent. It’s important to understand that these questions are not designed to “trick” a reference, but rather to help the prospective…
Now we’re coming into an area where the questions are a little more objective, but not totally! I intentionally bounce back and forth between objective and subjective questions so the reference doesn’t get the impression that I’m just asking questions that require the reference to just express his opinion and becomes uncomfortable with the tone…
