The Ins and Outs of Hiring a Consumer Reporting Agency

The Ins and Outs of Hiring a Consumer Reporting AgencyThe Ins and Outs of Hiring a Consumer Reporting AgencyThe Ins and Outs of Hiring a Consumer Reporting Agency Berkowitz, Esq.There are many reasons that employers both large and small may wish to investigate the hintergrunds of job applicants and employees.Identifying job candidates who lie on their resumes or job applications is one reason complying with state or federal laws that require background checks for certain categories of jobs is another. But conducting accurate and timely background checks can be tricky and time consuming for many businesses.Hiring an outside company known as a consumer reporting agency, or CRA, to perform a background check can help almost any business, no matter its size. A CRA can helpuncover applicants who submit false information when applying for a job.The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) has a number of requirements for employers who wish to use a CRA to conduct background checks on job applicants or current employees.The report a CRA provides to the employer is called a consumer report. If an employer uses a CRA to perform background checks on job applicants or current employees, it mustClearly tell the candidate or employee that the employer is going to conduct a background check.The discloaya must be made on a separate document. It cannot be part of the employment application andThe individual must first sign a document authorizing the background check.If an employer decides to take an adverse action based on the information in the consumer report (such as not hiring an applicant or terminating an employee), the FCRA has other requirements an employer must follow when notifying the individual of its decision. First, prior to taking the adverse action (sometimes referred to as the pre-adverse action), the employer must provide the applicant or employee two noticesA copy of the report obtained from the CRA andA summary of the individuals rights under the FCRA. Thi s summary is a standard document created by the Federal Trade CommissionAfter giving the applicant or employee these notices, the employer is required to wait for approximately five days before actually taking the adverse action. After the adverse action is taken, the employer must provide a number of other notices to the applicant or employeeNotice of the adverse action takenThe name, address, and toll free telephone number of the CRA that provided the consumer reportA statement that the CRA did not make the decision to take the adverse action and is unable to provide the consumer the specific reasons why the adverse action was takenNotice of the consumers right to obtain a free copy of the consumer report from the CRA within 60 days andNotice of the consumers right to dispute the accuracy or completeness of any information in the consumer report furnished by the CRA.When ordering a background check from a CRA, employers need to be aware of particular laws regarding the use of such information. For example, although the FCRA allows the reporting of arrest information going back seven years, some states prohibit employers from considering whether a job applicant has ever been arrested (but not convicted) of a crime. Therefore, employers need to make sure they are familiar with the specific laws of their state before making an employment decision based on the information from a background check.Although instituting a background checking program can be a big step for an employer, the benefits are almost always worth the time and effort. The costs of instituting a good background check process are slight compared to the costs that can be associated with hiring an individual who lies on his or her resume or job application and who later goes on to steal from the company, drive a company car while drunk, engage in workplace violence, or worse. The background check process can help employers reduce or eliminate such risks.None of the information provided herein cons titutes legal advice on behalf of Monster.

The Pros and Cons of Attending an Aviation University

The Pros and Cons of Attending an Aviation UniversityThe Pros and Cons of Attending an Aviation UniversityA common question asked by prospective pilots is whether or not they should invest a lot of money to obtain an aviation-related degree from a top university flight school, or spend less for flight trainingobtained at a local flight school. Aviation universities are a popular option for people who want to fly and also want a four-year degree. While it might make sense to kill two birds with one stone, a degree in aviation limits you to strictly an aviation-related career. On the other hand, obtaining an MBA while flying at the local airport might be the less expensive and more versatile option. When weighing the pros and cons of attending an aviation university, keep in mind there are many ways to become an airline pilot. Pros of Attending an Aviation University Top-Notch Instruction Aviation universities hire only the most qualified professors and instructors. behauptung inst ructors are aviation experts and are usually retired airline pilots, aviation mechanics and acknowledged experts who have made aviation their specialty.Strict Standards Accredited universities have very high standards that they are required to meet or exceed. In addition to the FAAs standards for flight instruction, these schools have to meet their accreditation guidelines.State of the Art Equipment The best airplanes and simulators are used at universities including airplanes that are probably brand new, with the latest onboard technologies, like GPS and ADS-B installed. Planes and simulators are also well maintained with frequent inspections. Like-Minded Peers One of the major benefits to a university flight program is that you are completely immersed in aviation. You will likely have roommates that understand flying and make for good studying partners that you can learn from and collaborate with. Studying for check rides is much easier when you have a batch of people to brainstor m with.Networking The aviation industry is a relatively small one, and attending an aviation university will help you make contacts in the field. Professors, flight instructors, and peers are immersed in aviation and many following career paths to the airlines. These people can be valuable connections when it comes time to find a job. Internships The coveted airline internship is competitive and difficult to get, but becomes more attainable if youre attending an aviation university. Airline representatives like to scope out aviation universities for intern candidates and usually offer interviews on campus for internships This is an opportunity youd miss if you didnt attend an aviation university.Career sitzordnung Many airlines partner with aviation universities andoffer graduates hiring preference, or at least a guaranteed interview. Some airlines even lower their requirements for pilots coming out of an aviation university because they assume that the student was well trained in a dvanced flight operations, aerodynamics, air navigation, jet engines, and meteorology Cons of Attending an Aviation University Cost By far, the biggest negative of attending an aviation universityis the steep cost. Tuition can range from $30,000 to $130,000 per year, and this doesnt always include the cost of flying. Aircraft rental and instruction at a school like Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University or Purdue University can be too expensive for many people. Many students come out of aviation universities being over $100,000 in debt and will probably fly for a regional airline for less than $27,000 per year.No Back-Up Plan While its a good thing to have goals and want to work toward them, its also a good thing to have a Plan B. Getting a degree in flight will only help you if you ultimately become a pilot. Not only is it a tough industry as far as available positions, but you must consider what happens if you become disqualified or un-hirable at some point. This can happen if you are denied an aviation medical certificate, are charged with a felony or misdemeanor or fail too many check rides. For these reasons, many people recommend spending your time and money on a more versatile degree, like business management, before venturing into aviation. Less Flexible Schedule Universities are getting better at accommodating non-traditional students, but the majority of aviation university students are totenstill required to attend classes in person, during regular business hours. Its not as flexible as flying at your local airport whereyou makeyourown schedule. At a university flight department, your schedule is put together by a scheduling department, and you may incur fees if you cant make it to a flight.Strict Flying Rules The university flight department, and its insurance company, mandate the rules for flying, and they veer toward extremecautious. Instructors and management pilots are meticulous about details, which makes for a safe environment with no room for error. There are standards and procedures for everything, which can take some of the fun out of flying. The decision to attend an aviation university is a big one. Aviation universities can be very beneficial when it comes to learning, networking, and ultimately getting a job as a pilot. But theyre costly, and many people recommend a backup plan in case youre grounded in the future. If you have the financial resources and/or can get a scholarship for a university, it becomes a more viable, and good, option to consider.

The Surprising Disconnect Job Searches vs. Descriptions

The Surprising Disconnect Job Searches vs. DescriptionsThe Surprising Disconnect Job Searches vs. DescriptionsAs you might imagine, being in the business of hosting listings that are perused daily by millions of job-seekers, we here at SimplyHired come across quite a few searches and corresponding search strategies. This insight helps make us well situated to point out a glaring fact to would be recruiters and hiring managers youre doing it all wrongThat may be a bit of an overstatement, but it turns out that there is a surprising disconnect between what candidates are searching and what listings are, well, listing. Read on to delve further into the surprising disconnects we discovered between job searches and descriptions.Healthcare Searches by Job SeekersOne prime example is based in a fairly common job title and corresponding candidate search. Those looking for support roles in hospitals, doctor offices and other medical service industries most often use the term nurse in their se arch. Variations thereof are close seconds such as nurse practitioner, registered nurse, and nurse assistant. Specific subfields of nursing get some love, but not as much as youd expect. Modifiers such as dental, psychiatric, and ultrasound are fairly low on the list.Healthcare Job DescriptionsNow for a look at the corresponding job listings from a sample currently available on SimplyHired.com. The most popular words in job listing titles on the sight are terms such as care, health, patient, medical and experience. Unlike in the nursing job search above, the listings tend to have a much higher percentage of industry-specific tags. Procedures, management, pediatric and the like come in at 2-3 times the rate of usage as job seekers are inputting. Additionally, healthcare jobs frequently are looking for billing experience which doesnt even register on our list of top job seeker terms.The Bottom Line on Matching Descriptions to SearchesThis data has a ton to communicate with savvy hirin g managers looking to attract the best and most relevant talent. Avoid job titles in your listings that vary too much from the standard and traditional. Healthcare support professional may sound prestigious, but a nurse wont be looking for those terms in their job hunt necessarily. Additionally, consider leading with a generic title and breaking down in the description the specific skills youre looking for such as x-ray or orthopedic to get your listing in front of as many relevant candidates as possible.You dont necessarily have to use the exact same phrases as job seekers are targeting in order to locate talent, but it helps to be in the same ballpark and understand how qualified candidates think when theyre searching for a new position. As a hiring manager or recruiter, youre in the business of locating talent so it only makes sense that you would adjust and fine-tune your approach in order to maximize your success.