Accurate
Background Named to Nation’s Top Business List for 2009
In
recognition of the economic power of privately held businesses,
DiversityBusiness.com, the nations’ leading business-to-business
internet site, recently named Accurate Background, Inc. as one
of the top businesses in the United States. Accurate Background,
Inc ranked on both the Top 100 Diversity Owned Businesses in California
and the Top 500 Hispanic American Owned Business List for 2009.
This is the 9th annual listing of the nation’s top businesses
by DiversityBusiness.com. Rang- ing in revenue size from $20 million
to over $2 billion, the companies listed on the Top Business Lists
represent the nation’s top multicultural earners and challenge
the long-held notion that a privately held business is small or
insignificant. Winners are sought after by major corporations
wishing to increase spending with small businesses. The winning
companies will be honored at a special awards ceremony at DiversityBusiness.com’s
“9th Annual Multicultural Business Conference”, taking
place April 29 – May 1, 2009 at the Disney’s Contemporary
Resort in Orlando, Florida.
For
the complete list of winning companies, please visit: www.diversitybusiness.com
or For more information about Accurate Background visit their
web site at www.accuratebackground.com.
KRESS
Employment Screening Announces Document Verification Services
for Free
Consent
Based Social Security Verification & E-Verify Combined in
Program
Houston, Texas (PRWEB) February 19, 2009 -- KRESS Employment Screening
announced today a plan to offer clients access at no cost to the
Consent Based Social Security Verification (CBSV) service and
the E-Verify program offered by the Social Security Administration
(SSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) respectively
with the purchase of a standard background check package. These
programs give employers an opportunity to match social security
numbers, names, and dates of birth and, even, indicate if an employee
is eligible for employment in the US.
For
More Information Go To www.kressinc.com
United
States: Employment Alert: New York Enacts New Laws Regarding Background
Checks And Hiring
Effective
February 1, 2009, New York employers must comply with new notice
requirements regarding background checks for job applicants and
employees. These new notice requirements supplement existing notice
requirements under New York's General Business and Labor Laws,
and require:
Article
23-A prohibits employers from refusing to hire a job applicant
or from taking any adverse action against a current employee based
on a prior criminal conviction or because the employer believes
the job applicant or employee does not have "good moral character"
as a result of a prior criminal conviction. Despite this prohibition,
employers may still deny a job applicant employment or take an
adverse action against an employee if:
To
Read The Full Article Go To: http://www.mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=74824&email_access=on&login=true
February’s
Deep Freeze: Hiring Expectations Will Continue to Spiral Downward
Mass
layoffs and other cost-cutting measures have become the norm in
early 2009, and that won’t change in February for both the
manufacturing and service sectors, according to the Society for
Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) Leading Indicators of
NationalEmployment (LINE) survey.
- February
hiring expectations are at four-year lows for the month. Compared
with a year ago, hiring in manufacturing is down by more than
two-thirds and by more than one-third in the service sector.
- Recruiting
difficulty was virtually nonexistent in January. Among those
in the market for top-level talent, very few members of the
manufacturing and service sectors report having problems.
To Read The
Full Report of SHRM Leading Indicators of National Employment
(LINE), Go To” shrm.org/line
(membership may be required)
Fifth
Annual Screening and Assessment Usage Survey
For
the last five years, Rocket-Hire has surveyed talent-management
professionals who use Web-based screening and assessment products
to enhance and quantify their hiring processes. The results reflect
the increase in use of screening and assessment tools and the
positive benefits of these efforts continue to notate a strong
trend toward their popularity and value. This year’s results
confirmed what most of our previous surveys have found:
- 79% of
respondents employ an applicant tracking system. or will soon
have one deployed, or are considering one. For some, it’s
hard to even imagine the old stacks of resumes and bulging file
folders of applicant information.
- About 57%
of respondents use online prescreening and assessment to sort
through their job applicants continuing their gradual penetration
into the mainstream of recruitment and hiring.
- Qualifications
screening, personality inventories, and skill and technical
certifications continue to be the most pop- ular online assessment
tools. Assessments of cognitive abilities as well as fit with
the company culture have ex- panded their footprint as well.
There clearly
is a growing interest in scientifically derived hiring tools.
This trend is encouraging but not particularly surpris- ing; these
numbers will continue to grow as more organizations understand
the value in properly evaluating the impact of screening and assessment
tools, seeing for themselves how quality hiring tools can improve
a workforce.
For More Information
Go To: http://www.ere.net/2008/04/15/results-from-the-5th-annual-rocket-hire-online-screening-and-assessment-usage-survey/
(This
article is brief summary of the results of this study. For more
data and an in-depth analysis of these trends, check out your
May issue of the print publication, the Journal of Corporate Recruiting
Leadership.)
Welcome
to the Legal Challenge Question! |
Sponsored By:
FETCH
Technologies
As
the background screening industry continues to get more competitive
the firms that will ultimately succeed will be those that create
competitive advantage through their people by offering continuous
learning opportunities to heightened their knowledge and capabilities.
We believe that having employees that are very knowledgeable about
the legal landscape of background screening is essential to continued
success.
We are grateful
to Pam Devata, Seyfarth
Shaw LLP for providing the expertise for this valuable
endeavor. For information regarding the answers to the Legal Challenge
Questions, please contact Pamela Devata at Seyfarth Shaw LLP at
pdevata@seyfarth.com
or 312-460-5000 or visit www.seyfarth.com.
Please choose
your answer by clicking on it:
We
Specialize in Promoting the Products and Services of businesses
in the Background Screening Industry. Click on the specific Marketing
Portfolio above that fits your business.
DATA
PROTECTION AND FRAUD |
Identity
Fraud Survey Shows ID Theft up 22%
Identity
theft rose by nearly 25 percent last year in the United States,
according to a new report released today.
The 2009 Identity Fraud Survey Report by Javelin Strategy
& Research shows that the number of identity fraud victims
increased 22 percent to 9.9 million people being hit, at a total
cost of $48 billion. According to James Van Dyke, president and
founder of Javelin, this is the first year since the report began
in 2004 that the numbers have gone up. "The industry was
surprised at the whopping size of identity theft when it was first
studied in the early part of the millennium, but it was beaten
back strongly. But now, with the tough economy, criminals have
become more desperate, and identity theft has gone up for the
first time since we began tracking it," Van Dyke says.
For More Information Go To: http://www.javelinstrategy.com/2009/02/09/identity-fraud-survey-shows-id-theft-up-22/
2
Big Risks Of Not Having A Reference Policy
There’s
a lot of debate about what companies should say when they’re
asked about former employees. Here’s one big rule to keep
in mind. Have a policy and stick to it.
One
of the big legal risk is being charged with discrimination. If
most employees just get a neutral reference confirming titles
and dates, but one manager strays from the norm to bash an ex-employee,
there’s a chance he or she could say it was based on race,
gender, religion, etc. Same goes if a manager refuses to give
a reference to one former worker be- cause of membership in a
protected class. Consistency is the key.
Another
pitfall for employers to watch is the “negligent reference”
— when a company fails to warn the new employer about a
threat posed by the worker. In one recent case, an ex-employee
got a glowing reference despite being fired for conduct that put
people’s lives in danger. The company was sued and lost.
For
Read The Full Article Go To: http://www.hrrecruitingalert.com/the-risks-of-not-having-a-reference-policy/
5
Ways To Make References Talk
Reference
checks can be one of the most valuable tools for making an informed
hiring decision — but as you know, it’s often tough
to learn anything from a contact besides employment dates, titles
and salaries. How can you convince reluctant references to open
up?
Here
are some strategies experts recommend:
- Keep
it conversational. As with any discussion, it’s
important to warm up the reference before asking him or her
to divulge any information. You can start the conversation by
talking about your company and the position you’re filling.
Mentioning that the candidate spoke favorably about the reference
could also get the ball rolling. Another tip: Avoid using the
word “reference,” which raises immediate red flags.
- Try
a manager-to-manager talk. HR often does all the reference-checking
to avoid potential legal issues. But some companies say they
get better results if the hiring manager calls the candidate’s
former supervisor directly. Managers have a better idea of what
questions to ask for each position, and the reference may be
more open when talking to a fellow supervisor, rather than someone
from HR.
To Read About
The Other Strategies Go To: http://www.hrrecruitingalert.com/the-risks-of-not-having-a-reference-policy/
Pricing
Mistakes Most Companies Make
In tough economic
times, re-evaluating product pricing is a necessity to keep your
customers motivated, says Per Sjofors, managing partner at Atenga
Inc., a Westlake strategic pricing consulting firm. Here are 3
of the top10 most common mis- takes companies make when pricing
their products:
1. Basing
prices on costs, not customer perceptions of value: Pricing
based on costs invariably lead to prices that are too high or
too low.
2. Basing
prices on “the marketplace”: Management teams
must find ways to differentiate their projects or services to
create additional value for specific market segments.
3. Attempting
to achieve the same profit margin across different product lines:
For any single product, profit is opti- mized when the price reflects
the customer’s willingness to pay.
To See The
Full List Go To: http://jan.freedomblogging.com/2009/02/03/pricing-mistakes-most-companies-make/8572/
Winning
in Turbulence: Diagnose Your Downturn Strategy
Downturns
present strategic opportunities for well-positioned companies
along with the inevitable risks. Your most powerful moves in a
downturn depend on where you stand on the three critical dimensions--industry
volatility, strategic position and financial position. If your
company has a strong financial position, for example, you may
be able to out-invest competitors in marketing to increase customer
loyalty. You may be able to attack or even acquire weaker competitors.
If financial resources are scarce, you face a different set of
possibilities. Depending on your strategic position and your industry's
volatility, your best options may be to divest noncore assets
and restructure the balance sheet, or to accelerate decisions
around reducing cost and debt. You may need to seek alliances
or mergers partners and dispose of anything that is not essential
to survival. So where do you stand? Should you lighten the load?
Refocus and retool? Or is it time to extend your lead? As conditions
change, you may find it helpful to return to the diagnostic and
re-evaluate your options.
To Learn More
About The Practical Tools Companies Can Use To Address Their Specific
Situation Go To: http://ceomemo.harvardbusiness.org/2009/01/diagnose_your_downturn_strateg.html?cm_mmc=npv-_-WEEKLY_HOTLIST-_-JAN_2009-_-HOTLIST0202
Workplace
Vigilance - More Employers Turn To Drug Testing To Improve Safety,
Productivity
The number
of companies and industries requiring drug screening for employees
is on the rise these days despite some con- cerns about those
tests being an invasion of privacy. "It's a lot more common
than it used to be," said William Webb, director of Oasis
Behavioral Health Services LLC in Barboursville. "... Primarily,
it's about safety and productivity. When people are identified
early enough, they can be rehabilitated and saved." The discussion
about workplace drug testing has intensified re- cently as boards
of education, including some in West Virginia, consider adopting
or expanding the practice. An estimated 14.8 million Americans
are drug users, according to statistics from the federal Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. SAMHSA also estimates
that 77 percent of those users are employed, meaning about 9.4
million U.S. workers are using illegal drugs.
For More Information
Go To: http://statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=51390
Valuable New
Resource Available for Employers
Working Partners recently
added two new useful resources to its Web site to assist employers
and others in maintaining an alcohol- and drug-free workplace:
- Employers can now
view the latest statistics on worker substance use rates categorized
by industry and occupation. Industry and occupational data can
help employers learn more about how substance abuse may impact
their work- force and what types of policies and programs may
be most appropriate for their organization.
Industry & Occupational Substance Use Data
- A new fact sheet
addresses common pitfalls that can undermine the effectiveness
of a drug-free workplace program and strategies organizations
can use to avoid them. The Top 12 Reasons a Good Drug-Free
Workplace Goes Bad
Organizations are encouraged
to distribute this information and use these tools to learn how
to improve the effectiveness of their drug-free workplace efforts.
For More Information
Go To: www.dol.gov/workingpartners
BOOK
REVIEW: SECURITY MANAGEMENT MAGAZINE |
Background
Screening and Investigations: Managing Hiring Risk from the HR
and Security Perspectives
By Barry Nixon, SPHR, and Kim Kerr, CPP; Reviewed by
Peter Psarouthakis
|
Managing
risk in the hiring process can be a challenging task for
an organization’s human resources (HR) and security
departments. Having the right resources and experience to
properly conduct a background screening or an investigation
is vital. Fortunately, there is a growing amount of valuable
material available. Background Screening and
Investigations is one of them. Authors Barry
Nixon and Kim Kerr lay a good foundation by explaining the
risks posed by not having an appropriate screening process.
Next, they address how legal issues can affect background
screening and an organization as a whole. The authors then
explain how security and HR must collaborate in this important
process.
The chapter titled “Background Checking Policy”
is one of the book’s many highlights. Nixon and Kerr
explain the importance of having a policy in place and the
laws governing background screening.
|
The usefulness
of this chapter cannot be overstated. The reader could easily
use the authors’ detailed arguments in making the case to
management that a policy is needed. Later, the chapter provides
detailed examples of hiring policies, focusing on specific issues
the documents must address. Other chapters in this book are just
as detailed and informative. Those who conduct background screening
or investigations know the importance of keeping current on the
ever-changing environment of background screening. Background
Screening and Investigations is an important resource
that anyone involved in hiring or the background screening business
should keep close at hand.
http://www.securitymanagement.com/article/background-screening-and-investigations-managing-hiring-risk-hr-and-security-perspectives-00
Reprinted
with permission of Security Management magazine. This is not intended
to be an endorsement by Security Management magazine or ASIS International.
One
Site! Many Suppliers! |
Looking for the Top Suppliers in the Industry? Need to find a
new Supplier?
Visit
PreemploymentDirectory.com’s VENDOR SHOWCASE
which features suppliers to the Background Screening Industry
(go to www.PreemploymentDirectory.com,
click on ‘Click Here’ and then scroll down to Vendor
Showcase for Background Screening Industry Suppliers)
STOP
STRUGGLING WITH WRITING AND PUBLISHING YOUR NEWSLETTER: |
We can help
you have a high quality e-newsletter to help nurture your relationship
with your clients and attract new clients. Our customized newsletter
service will take over your newsletter task or create a new one
for you. We can manage the creation of your newsletter for you.
We are constantly
researching information to use for The Background Buzz and
you can put our research to use for you. Using the information
rich content from The Background Buzz (minus the ads
and competitors information) we will create a custom newsletter
for you.
Use your staff’s
time to do more valuable work and save all the hassle of researching
or writing articles, formatting and managing all the other ezine
tasks with our customized ezine process.
Contact Barry
Nixon at 949-770-5264 or at wbnixon@aol.com
for more information.
NAPBS
International Committee - Quick Update
Reid
Rodriguez, CEO, Softech Industries is the new Chair of the Latin
& South America Subcommittee for the NAPBS International Committee.
Reid is looking for volunteers to work with him on the subcommittee
to help build an alliance in this region of the world. We have
also started an outreach campaign to African Background Screening
firms to set the framework for building an alliance in this part
of world as well. If you are interested in working on either of
these subcommittees please contact me at wbnixon@aol.com.
Our
Education Subcommittee Chaired by Janet Ackerman has put together
another outstanding set of sessions for the conference. Due to
the popularity of our sessions we have been given four sessions
this year.
1.
Country Screening Essentials will cover Nigeria/Africa, UAE/Middle
East and UK/Europe
2. International Best Practices will cover a review of the Best
Practice Developed by our ‘Best Practices Committee’
and the Wiki that is being proposed to share this information
3. International Compliance - The impacts on global screening
including an update on Safe Harbor from US Dept of Commerce
4. An International Case Study - A Practical Approach to Your
Global Screening Program
Hong
Kong: Cabin Crew And Personal Data Privacy Issues
On
28 August 2008, the High Court in Hong Kong found for Cathay in
quashing decisions of (i) the Privacy Commissioner of Personal
Data and (ii) the Administrative Appeals Board in respect of Cathay's
policy requiring cabin crew to consent to disclosure of private
medical records. In November 2005, Cathay instituted an Attendance
Monitoring Programme ("AMP"), to investigate why a small
minority of cabin crew members had levels or patterns of absence
from work, purportedly due to illness. Cathay sought medical and
other information as part of its obligation to ensure that cabin
crew members remain medically fit to discharge their duties (Directive
360 of the Civil Aviation Directive). The AMP stated that any
cabin crew member who did not co-operate and participate in the
program could be subject to disciplinary action. The judges found
that Cathay, in informing all cabin crew members of the possible
consequence of failure to disclose relevant medical records, was
doing no more than meeting the requirements of the ordinance and
that such advice does not thereby, of itself, constitute a threat
or the exertion of undue influence. The application for judicial
review was accordingly allowed, and the decisions of the Commissioner
and the Board quashed.
For
More Information Go To: http://www.mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=74064&email_access=on
INTERNATIONAL
RESOURCE CENTER |
The
International
Resource Center is a valuable resource
resource for anyone looking for information on
international background verifications, vetting or verifications.
New Posting
The Act on the Protection of Personal
Information and its Enforcement Status in Japan
January 23, 2007
Cabinet Office, Japan
Outline of Act, History of enforcement,
Scheme of the System, Duties of Entities,
Handling of Complaints, Exercise of Authority
http://www5.cao.go.jp/seikatsu/kojin/foreign/outline070123.pdf
International
Training Resources:
World
Federation for Personnel Management, Events, http://www.wfpma.com/dates.html
To
view the International Section go to http://www.preemploymentdirectory.com/
look in the middle of the page for the gray bar like the one below.
Workplace
Assaults 'Big Problem' In New Zealand
The Massey
University survey on violence in the workplace, released this
week, said that healthcare workers and passenger transport workers
were most vulnerable to attack. Researchers received responses
from 62 employers around New Zealand who reported 143 cases of
employees being physically assaulted in the workplace and 254
attempted assaults over the past year. Workload and stress rates,
alcohol or drug use, mental instability and harassment were the
main risk factors for work- place violence.
For More Information
Go To: http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4852053a13.html
Background
Screening Important To Checkmate Fraudulent Staff
The practice
of checking the background of individuals before hiring them is
becoming increasingly popular among corporat- ions in Nigeria.
Mr. Kola Olugbodi, the Managing Director, Background Check International,
a professional background screen- ing firm shares his thoughts
in are recent interview with Jonah Iboma Background Check International
regarding his pioneer- ing professional background screening in
Nigeria.
Mr. Olugbodi
added that the implication of falsification of qualifications
by individuals is that corporate organisations that employ such
persons are gathering an army of individuals that is dishonest
and lacks integrity. If someone goes to the extent of forging
documents to gain employment, there is nothing stopping the individual
from forging documents for promotion or personal gain. Furthermore,
someone who lacks the requisite experience and has falsified his/her
years of experience will not be able to perform and deliver. This,
of course, will affect the output of the organisation. One thing
that is gradually creeping into corporate organisations in Nigeria
is for them to be sued for the negligence of their staff. Some-
times, losses and damages are paid by such organisations due to
lack of experience and misbehaviour of their employees. He further
added that his firm pioneered professional background screening
in Nigeria and has become the first background screening firm
in Africa to become a member of the National Association of Professional
Background Screeners. There are several outlined programmes for
members and the global networking has also impacted positively
on our operations.
For
More Information Go To: http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200902038185437
Kroll
Launches Screening Register
Research
from global risk consulting company Kroll reveals that more than
2m Britons have missed out on a new job opportunity because former
employers have delayed or failed to provide them with a reference.
Kroll’s Background Screening division has launched a National
Reference Register (NRR) to give organisations a referencing system
in which employment data from all past employees is centralised
and stored electronically. With one in three Britons (35%) claiming
they have had to chase their former employer at least once for
a reference when changing jobs, Kroll’s findings highlight
the backlog in administering references for past employees within
the UK’s busy HR departments. The cost of administering
employee references can run into thousands of pounds each year
for large employers such as those in the financial services, retail,
hospitality, professional services and public sectors.
For
More Information Go To: http://www.recruiter.co.uk/1000821.article?nl=dailynews
World-Check
Announces Acquisition Of Integrascreen
London
- World-Check today announced the acquisition of IntegraScreen,
a leading provider of due diligence services to corporations and
governments worldwide. With the addition of International Enhanced
Due Diligence (IEDD) reports to its existing portfolio, World-Check
is positioned to provide an end-to-end risk management service
providing Know Your Customer (KYC) and Know Your Employee (KYE)
identity authentication, reputation screening, customized country
risk assessments and comprehensive due diligence reports for in-depth
analysis, reporting and monitoring across multiple industries.
IEDD reports are specifically designed to cater to market needs
and provide KYC and business partner screening that meets Anti
Money Laundering (AML), Anti Corruption and Counter Terrorist
Financing (CFT) compliance obligations such as those required
under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), Sarbanes-Oxley
Act (SOX) and the USA Patriot Act. Due diligence reports are essential
when: conducting pre-merger and acquisition inquiries and pre-IPO
research; entering into a new international joint venture; engaging
a critical business partner in an emerging market; reviewing international
hedge funds and implementing best practices for regulatory compliance
and corporate governance. With offices in 19 locations across
10 countries and over 400 employees, our wider global research
network and expanded coverage of emerging markets including the
Middle East, Asia Pacific, Eastern Europe and Latin America will
undoubtedly provide us with a leading competitive edge”.
For
more information please visit www.world-check.com
Data
Loss Could Rise During Downturn
A recent
report from KPMG showed higher losses from August to November
2008 than the previous eight months and predicted a doubling of
data loss incidents during 2009. Organisations have been warned
to prepare themselves for a data loss deluge during the economic
downturn. Jeremy Barker, executive director, Overtis Systems,
said: ‘In effect, anyone with access to internal systems,
organisational structure, processes and procedures or with trusted
access to systems and networks now poses a threat and unless radical
steps are taken, intellectual property will continue to be misappropriated
at an alarming rate, share prices will suffer and economic confidence
will be further eroded.’
Overtis
issued the following advice to prevent data leakage:
1. Implement
a strong employee joining and exit process – email and network
access needs to be revoked quickly and mobile devices recovered
when an employee leaves. New members of staff need only be given
access to the resources they need to perform their role.
2. Educate
staff – ensure data is only accessible to staff on a need-to-know
basis or push data to relevant individuals
3. Avoid
remedial action – Don’t seek to address a security
breach with a point security product but take a systematic approach
to the whole enterprise. Controls need to be in place between
the user and the data not on the network or gateway.
For
More Information And To See Additional Advice To Prevent Data
Leakage Go To: http://www.strategicrisk.co.uk/story.asp?source=srbreakingnews&storycode=376818
Monster:
One In Four Workers Lie In Interviews
Around
a quarter of British workers have lied at interview, according
to a Monster poll. According to the poll, 28% of workers admitted
lying in a job interview, with a further 14% stretching the truth
in the hope of appearing better qualified for a job. Today’s
tough job market understandably heightens the temptation for jobseekers
to lie in interviews.
For
More Information Go To: http://www.recruiter.co.uk/monster-one-in-four-workers-lie-in-interviews/1000664.article
Jail
Time For Applicants Who Lie On Their CVs
London
- A senior director at the NHS has been jailed for exaggerating
his qualifications during his job application. In January 2007
Lee Whitehead was appointed director of planning and modernisation
at Stoke-on Trent Primary Care Trust (PCT) after falsely claiming
that in addition to being a member of the British Psychological
Society (BPS) he had a first class bachelors degree, a Master’s
degree and a doctorate, when in fact he only held a second class
BSc in Psychologyand was not a member of the BPS. 6 months after
bring appointed Mr Whitehead resigned his £78,000 a year
job after suspicions were raised by a coworker and Mr Whitehead
was unable to provide proof of his qualifications. The court handed
out a 12 week prison sentence after Mr. Whitehead pleaded guilty
to obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception and making a false
instrument.
For
More Information Go To: www.powerchex.co.uk
Manpower
Inc. Expands Into Vietnam With One-Stop Employment Service Solution
HANOI,
Vietnam -- Manpower Inc., a world leader in the employment services
industry, announced today that it has been awarded its license
for permanent employment services by the Hanoi People Committee,
making Manpower the first 100 percent foreign-invested employment
services company to enter Vietnam. "It's an honor to be the
first global organization awarded this privilege -- a key role
fueling the growth of Vietnam's actively evolving labor market,"
said Jeffrey A. Joerres, Chairman and CEO, Manpower Inc. "Offering
a more robust workforce solution in Vietnam -- and across the
Asia Pacific -- is a key part of our growth strategy, allowing
us to better help our clients increase their productivity and
win in the changing world of work."
For
More Information Go To: marcelline.pelzer@manpower.com
|
We
invite you to pull up a chair, grab a latte and take a break
and join us in The Background Bistro. This week’s
guest is - Jerry Thurber, President of Fetch Technologies’
FootPrint Group.
Jerry has always had a strong interest in technology and
has been working in the field his entire adult life. While
fresh out of college, Jerry, wanted to see how technology
could change the landscape of business. His first job allowed
him to develop products within the technological arena and
much of his work dealt with developing a product that would
work more efficiently with developing technology. He worked
for Avert, a background check company and helped them re-engineer
their business. While working at another background screening
firm in 1996, he joined the ranks of those impacted by an
industry acquisition with ADP acquiring his company. In
March of 2008, Jerry left ADP and began working at Fetch
Technologies.
|
Fetch Technologies makes the process of extracting information
easier and more efficient for their clients. Their solution-based
approach allows data to be collected from web sites, the
Internet, date bases and other tech-based platforms.
While Jerry’s job keeps him quite busy, he certainly
finds time to have a life outside of Fetch including spending
time with his wife of 26 years and has two children. In
addition, he stated, "I let the steam off in a variety
of ways." One of which is spending his free time volunteering
for the youth services and sitting on boards of several
not for profit organizations. In addition, Jerry is a very
avid hiker, skier, camper and all around outdoors man. "Rocky
Mountain National Park is less than a mile from my house,
I love to cross country ski and snow shoe up there. I ran
several marathons in my twenties, but now I just stick to
half marathons."
When not roughing it in the outdoors, Jerry says "Although
I like a lot of different types of music, if I had to pick
one it would be jazz. I also like any type of rock that
was created before 1980. One of the Highlights in my life
was seeing the Rolling Stones live, that was a great show.
I have actually seen them on IMAX. The rest of my live music
experiences have pretty much been at coffee shops."
As with
many of the executives we profile, Jerry gets his fair share
of traveling in, both for business and for pleasure. He
recently returned from Spain and finds France to be his
favorite destination. "I am not for sure why, but I
love Paris," states Jerry.
With the explosion of information firms like Fetch are being
utilized by companies all across the country. Not only is
technology booming, but the information is growing by leaps
and bounds. This information needs to be filtered and broken
down in a manner that is useful to end users. Jerry explains
why a company would use the services of his firm stating,
"With all the information on the Internet these days,
what you get will either be valuable or useless. What we
do is try to make the information valuable. Information
from Facebook, Myspace etc., is almost voyeuristic by nature.
Once you get into the next level of information acquisition,
that is where you will find more useful information, and
this is where Fetch Technologies comes in."
Of course serving as the President of Footprint, the information
division of Fetch Technologies, comes with a considerable
amount of responsibility. Jerry’s day-to-day duties
are instrumental to the success of its clients. "I
am the person that bridges the gaps between science and
solution. I am all about the art of the impossible. Really
I am here to teach people how not to be afraid of data,
information and technology. For me creating solutions is
helping our clients understand what we do and not fear it,"
says the father of two.
Knowing that this is a very competitive industry, there
are several things that Jerry and his firm have to do to
stay ahead of the competition. Jerry, who has a Master’s
degree in International Business, states, "I think
generally companies have two problems. The first one is
that they get too wrapped up in how smart they are, but
are not always very practical in their execution. The second
is that, many companies tend to rest on their previous achievements
and sometimes become arrogant. Just because they have a
product that people are buying does not mean you don’t
mature and change with the times. In this fast paced world
of technology, if you do not keep inventing and re-inventing
your business, processes and tools, you will get left behind.
From the companies that have used Fetch in the past, the
feed back has always been great. Many of Fetch’s clients
feel that they got much more than they expected. "Our
clients often state that our products brought immediate
results and that they were very impressed with the people
that they worked with on our team."
When asked if he could look into a crystal ball to see the
future what would he see, Jerry answers, "I see a marketplace
of resources where people freely exchange talents. The traditional
corporation where the majority of the work is done by employees
will be replaced by a world of talent deployed for the hire.
I think that in the future only 20%- 30% of any corporation
will consist of traditional employees and the rest will
be virtual talent pools. There will be a host of companies,
such as Fetch, that will lead the way in building the tools
to accomplish their goals. "
Jerry Thurber can be reached at Jthurber@fetch.com
or you may visit their website at www.fetch.com
SELECTECH POWERED Reseller ProgramSM
2009 CRA INDUSTRY
TRENDS SURVEY |
Dear
Colleague,
INFORMATION IS POWER. Join your peers in
participating in ERC Dataplus' second industry-wide survey
by Clicking
Here. All responses are confidential and an Executive
Summary will be distributed to all participants prior to
the April NAPBS Conference.
Learn
- How
the economy is impacting others in the CRA Industry.
- Actions
others are taking in response to the economic situation.
- Industry
forecast for 2009.
- The
primary services producing revenue.
- And
other relevant and pertinent issues to those in the CRA
Industry.
Thank
you, in advance, for your help. If you have any questions,
please email me at carla.knoll@SelectechPowered.com.
Sincerely,
Carla
Knoll, Vice President-Business Development, ERC Dataplus,
Inc.
800-341-6636 I www.SelectechPowered.com
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UPCOMING CONFERENCES & EVENTS |
2009
Events (Click
Here to View full list of 2009 Events) – Updated Monthly
SHRM
State Conferences, visit
http://www.shrm.org/conferences/state/CMS_004287.asp
Drug
and Alcohol Testing Industry Association (DATIA), 2008 Training
Course Schedule, visit http://datia.org
World
Federation for Personnel Management, Events, http://www.wfpma.com/dates.html
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