Info Quest, Inc. – Some workers exempt from employer immigration checks

Unclear about immigration laws?  In my daily duties as an employment screener, the question comes up a lot. An E-Verify employer agent such as Info Quest, Inc. – a nationwide background screening provider accredited by The National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS®) – can assist employers with E-Verify compliance and help them avoid government audits and penalties for non-compliance.  Info Quest, Inc. Employment Screening offers a comprehensive list of services including an employment background checks and verification services.

Here’s what’s in the news this week:

Sunday, Mar. 18, 2012
Ag workers, nannies exempt from employer immigration checks
Critics say loophole was sneaked into bill out of public eye
By NOELLE PHILLIPS – nophillips@thestate.com

A loophole in the S.C. immigration law exempts farmworkers and private maids and nannies from a mandatory immigration status check.

The law, which went into effect Jan. 1, requires all private employers in South Carolina to use the federal E-Verify database to check newly hired employees’ immigration status. However, a little-known loophole provides exceptions for four categories of workers — agriculture laborers, domestic workers in a private residence, ministers and fisherman working on crews of 10 or fewer people.

The agriculture industry and the legislators who supported the exemption said it was necessary because migrant farmworkers would be difficult to check, and no one wanted South Carolina to encounter a shortage of workers to pick peaches, strawberries and watermelons, as Georgia and Alabama recently did.

Read more here: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2012/03/18/2723601/ag-workers-nannies-exempt-from.html#storylink=cpy

Tammy Besherse, an attorney for the S.C. Appleseed Legal Justice Center who monitored the bill’s impact on racial profiling, attended every hearing or debate.

“I do not remember that being publicly stated,” she said of the loophole. “I don’t think I missed a meeting.”

The exemption did not generate much debate, Martin said,

“It was not discussed in a big way, but it did get mentioned,” he said.

The law requires businesses to use the federal E-Verify system, which checks people’s names and Social Security numbers against an electronic database. The S.C. Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation enforces the law, and those caught breaking it risk having their businesses closed.

When a name and number do not match, the federal government has a procedure for an employee to contest the ruling before he or she is fired.

Winkles said the system often incorrectly indicates a mismatch, which creates a hassle for farmers who need a ready workforce to harvest crops.

It’s hard to quantify how many farm workers would be allowed to work in South Carolina through the exemption.

Farms that participate in the federal government’s agriculture visa program would not be hiring illegal immigrants. Since Jan. 1, 22 S.C. farms have enrolled in the visa program to request 1,649 immigrant workers, according to a U.S. Department of Labor database.

Winkles said he did not know how many laborers are needed to harvest the state’s crops.

“I’d hate to put a number on it, but we’re not talking about a mass of people,” he said.

S.C. farmers cannot find enough local people to work their fields, Winkles said. Migrant workers are an essential piece of the agriculture industry, and a mandate to check their work status might scare them out of South Carolina.

That’s what happened in Georgia and Alabama after those states passed mandatory employment checks. Some Georgia farmers reported leaving crops to rot in fields because they could not find enough people to harvest the produce.

“We can hold those up and say, ‘We told you so,’” Winkles said.

Info Quest, Inc. – Report: Hiring to grow with customers’ demand

Hello from Surfside Beach, SC and Info Quest!  While reading the headlines this morning, I was happy to see reports that hiring is on the upswing again.  With that, Companies are even more in need of a good Background Screening Company.  I suggest you try Info Quest Inc., a leader in the field for the past 17 years.  Hiring decisions are tough, with the number of candidates growing daily.  Hire the best and trust Info Quest to assist you.

WASHINGTON U.S. companies will have to keep hiring steadily to meet their customers’ rising demand.

That’s the message that emerged from a report Wednesday that employers are finding it harder to squeeze more output from their existing staff. It also helps explain why ADP, a payroll provider, estimated Thursday that companies added 216,000 workers last month.

Those findings reinforced confidence that 2012 will mark a turning point for the long-suffering job market and the economy. Applications for unemployment benefits have tumbled. Consumer confidence is at its highest point in a year. And the stock market has been on a tear since the year began.

Feeding on themselves, those trends tend to fuel further economic growth.

Stocks rebound a day after big dive

The stock market reclaimed some losses from its biggest dive this year and returned Wednesday to its pattern of steady gains and  stable trading. Reassuring reports on productivity and hiring overshadowed worries about the Greek debt crisis.

Stock indexes made solid gains by mid-morning after the government said oil refineries are operating at a faster clip than economists had expected. Oil refiners Valero Energy Corp. and Tesoro Inc. were among the biggest gainers in the Standard & Poor’s 500.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed up 78.18 points, or 0.6 percent, at 12,837.33. The S&P 500 index gained 9.27, or 0.7 percent, to close at 1,352.63. The Nasdaq composite index added 25.37, or 0.9 percent, to close at 2,935.69.

Consumer borrowing up in January

WASHINGTON Americans stepped up borrowing in January to buy more cars and attend school.

Consumer borrowing rose by $17.8 billion in January, the Federal Reserve said Wednesday. That followed similar gains in December and November.

The gains for those three months were the largest in a decade and helped consumer borrowing climb to a seasonally adjusted $2.5 trillion. That nearly matches the pre-recession borrowing level.

American Airlines to freeze pensions

DALLAS Backing off from its original position, American Airlines on Wednesday told employees that it plans to freeze the employee pension plans rather than terminate them.

Termination means that American would have passed them off the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp., which would have picked up responsibility for paying American’s present and future retirees.

Freezing the pension plans means that employees would keep whatever pension they’ve earned to that point. They would not accrue a higher pension by staying more years, however.

-From wire reports

After you find the right candidate, contact Info Quest for your screening needs.

Need Help with Social Media, contact Stanton Media Group.

Hire the best and trust Info Quest, Inc.

Hello from Surfside Beach, SC and Info Quest!  Reports say the economy is improving, which is great news.  Companies are hiring again and need  a good Background Screening Company.  I suggest you try Info Quest Inc., a leader in the field for the past 18 years.  Hiring decisions are tough, with the number of candidates growing daily.  Hire the best and trust Info Quest to assist you.  Now, here’s a little tidbit from PRWEB.COM:

“FlexJobs’ Flexible Job Index (FJI) for September shows big fluctuations in the top 25 fields hiring for telecommuting, part-time, freelance, and flexible employment. Notable changes include an 87% increase in Data Entry jobs and a 32% decrease in available Writing jobs. The top five fields with the most flexible jobs include:

1.     Medical & Health

2.     Education

3.     Sales

4.     Computer & IT

5.     Administrative

In contrast, it’s been a tougher month for job seekers hoping to secure flexible employment in fields that saw a decrease in job listings, including Writing (which saw a drop of 32% in available job postings as mentioned), Web Design (with a drop of 23%), and Graphic Design (with a 22% drop).

On the positive side, applicants searching for jobs in Data Entry found 87% more postings in September than in August. Additionally, the other top career fields that gained the most volume of telecommuting and flexible job postings in September were Accounting & Finance (up by 28.4%), Consulting (up by 27.8%), Business Development (up by 20%), and Customer Service (up by 15%). The increases reflect growth in the number of available jobs in these fields.

“In our recent data, we’ve continued to see strong growth in professional fields that people might not typically associate with telecommuting and flexible jobs,” Sara Sutton Fell, CEO of FlexJobs stated. “But the truth is that telecommuting and flexible jobs are much, much more widespread than they’re given credit for.”

Along those lines, FlexJobs highlights some of the surprising jobs amongst their hiring for new telecommuting job listings in September, including: Marine Species Observer (telecommuting and flexible schedule), CEO (telecommuting), State Director of Nursing (telecommuting and flexible schedule), and a History & Ethnic Studies Instructor (part-time and telecommuting).

The ongoing Flexible Job Index demonstrates the growing diversity in the employment market for flexible jobs, and provides reliable data on top career fields that offer work flexibility. Data includes positions listed on the site directly by employers as well as jobs found by FlexJobs’ trained staff of researchers who scour hundreds of online sources, including industry blogs, employer websites, job boards, job feeds, and more. Only professional jobs that can both be confirmed as legitimate and as having some kind of work flexibility (telecommuting, part-time or flexible schedule, or freelance contracts) are included in the job database.”

If you’re not already a customer, contact Info Quest today and ask about their specials and customized packages.  Visit www.in-foquest.com or call 800-5907-9628 TODAY!

Info Quest, Inc. New Hiring Trends

In this article Mr. Stanton give some great new tips and ideas for hiring and recruiting.  Remember the saying “build it and they will come”, well that is not so true anymore, you must seek them out.

September 14 2010 – Organizations are planning to increase hiring as the economy recovers but are making significant changes to their recruitment strategies according to research from Job Search Television Network (JSTN), a leading video and social media based recruiting company. Cuts to recruiting staffs and budgets during the recession have resulted in a greater emphasis on lower cost, efficient technological solutions. The report notes increasingly targeted use of social media in the recruitment process. Roger Stanton, CEO of Job Search Television Network, commented: “LinkedIn and Facebook with links to video has been hot for a while, but now we’re seeing clients ‘micro-target’ employees using niche blogs and LinkedIn groups. For example, one of our clients successfully uses niche blogs to locate workers with very specific types of financial service backgrounds. They started doing this when a new blog showed up on JSTN’s client metric report. When they posted a video to the blog, it quickly became a ‘home run’. Clients are finding sites they weren’t aware of because JSTN’s video provides highly detailed traffic metrics and they can make changes on the fly.” The study also considered the proportion of viewers who go on to apply for the position advertised. Roger Stanton explained: “We will usually see an enormous spike in viewership for a position right after a video is placed on websites and social media. With clients hitting average conversion rates of viewers to applicants around 18.8 per cent, the video is far exceeding other sources. In some cases, the conversion rate is as high 45 per cent! That can mean thousands of people have seen the video for a job, at very little cost to the employer and it provides very powerful employment branding. The candidates who do apply are more likely to be a more qualified fit for the job, since they’ve seen the video and have responded based on the compelling information they have viewed.” The study foun
d renewed interest in Employment Referral Programs (ERP) in the recruitment process, but again with a different emphasis. Roger Stanton said: “The idea of ERP programs is coming back in a big way, because it is so much faster and cheaper if you can get a referral from your current employees. The difference this time is that since e-mail readership is going down, particularly among younger employees who prefer social media, companies are using video messaging. The video can be placed on a company’s Facebook page, blogs, etc. and is far more likely to get watched and sent to friends via mobile phones. And again, the traffic results can be closely tracked for ROI [return on investment] purposes.” The study identified mobile phones as the third major trend in hiring for 2010. Roger Stanton explained: “We knew when payment systems started being developed for cell phones that mobile would replace computers as the center of our digital lives. This is why JSTN was created with the ability to TEXT ID videos to mobile phones. Now with smart phones penetrating the market at exponential rates, we’re seeing this really take off. Looking forward, research states that by 2014, over 66 per cent of all mobile data traffic will be video [Cisco Visual Networking Index: Forecast and Methodology, 2009 - 2014]. One of our clients regularly sends job videos to prospects on cell phones with amazing results. Not only does the receiver actually view the video, they also usually forward it to numerous contacts in their network. The video quickly goes viral.” Roger Stanton concluded: “What these trends point to is that we are truly becoming a video-centric society, with much of that centering on mobile phones. Companies are recognizing that if they want to reach prospective hires, this is where they need to be. And with tight budgets, it’s not surprising they would turn to these technologies now to reach new candidate pools at low-cost while maintaining professional ident
ity. As we come into the fall hiring season, which will ramp up in earnest right after Labor Day, you’ll really see these trends as play out in the workplace.”

After you find the right candidate, contact Info Quest for your screening needs.

Need Help with Social Media, contact Stanton Media Group.

Trust Info Quest, Inc.

Dispelling the Myths of Searching Public Records Online
From Public Records blog http://publicrecordsblog.typepad.com/brbs_public_records_blog/urban_myths/

There is no Free Lunch!

“Tempe, Arizona – September 17, 2008 –The scope of information that exists online about people and businesses is staggering. If one needs to search for a public record or to do a background check, one merely has to Google and the problem is solved, right? Not so fast, according to authors Cynthia Hetherington and Michael Sankey. Their new book – The Manual to Public Records Online – reveals how public records and public record searching websites are not created equal, and teaches how to professionally use government and vendor online resources.

According to the authors, “There are four important truths about searching public records online from government agencies—
1. Less than 50% of the available public records from the government can be found online.
2. Government sites can be free or fee-based. Generally, the fee-based sites are more robust.
3. Most free government public record websites contain no personal identifiers beyond the name.
4. Usually the searchable and viewable information found online is limited to name indexes and summary data rather than document images. Most access sites – especially the free access sites – permit the former, not the latter.”

The authors also present public record searching guidelines when using sites maintained by private entities. The public is often fooled by websites that tout misconceptions or unrealistic features. The Manual gives an information edge on how to evaluate sites and also on the best sites to use based on topic or record category.  The 600 pages of insight and evaluation place the reader on the right path to become an expert.

Cynthia Hetherington, a licensed private investigator and President of the Hetherington Group, is a nationally known speaker and she is the author of  Business Background Investigations.  Michael Sankey is the founder and CEO of BRB Publications, Inc. and he is author or editor of more than 60 publications including The Sourcebook to Public Record Information and The Public Record Research TIPS Book.”

Trust the background screening company, Info Quest, Inc.   For over 18 years, our staff has committed themselves to providing the best pre-employment screening, background investigation and safety solutions for businesses seeking to reduce their liability risk in their hiring procedures. Their clients include healthcare organizations, non-profits, banking, financial, construction, hotels, and more.  For more information about Info Quest Inc. and the services offered, call 800-507-9628 or go to www.in-foquest.com.

Background Checks a Necessity for Volunteers

Employee and Volunteer Background Checks deal with special concerns faced by non profit organizations.  Most non profit organizations have limited staff.   Therefore, we at Info Quest try to make it as easy as possible to properly background your employees and volunteers.

Background Checks for Volunteers

Unlike their for-profit counterparts, non profits often have a corps of volunteers who represent their organization and their respective causes in the eyes of the public. Indeed, in many cases there is little difference in the eyes of the public or the law between employees and volunteers who perform essential functions of an organization. Therefore, volunteers should be screened just as carefully as employees who would be performing similar roles.

Avoid Negative Publicity

Many Non profits are charitable foundations promoting an important cause or organizations serving a special constituency. Bad publicity caused by an errant employee or volunteer can severely damage a non profit organization’s reputation among its funding sources, the public, and its constituency. Proper background checks greatly reduce the likelihood of a bad employee or volunteer. For more information, see Avoid Negative Publicity.

Protect the Infirm, the Elderly, and Children

Non profit organizations often deal with those members of society who are the most vulnerable and the least able to protect themselves. The public, the courts, and regulatory agencies expect extra vigilance during the selection process of those dealing with the infirm, the elderly, and children.

Access Residences and Living Quarters

Many non profit organizations either help provide living quarters or have access to their constituencies’ residences. Organizations whose staff have access to living quarters or residences are held to a higher standard by the public, the courts, and regulatory agencies. Such staff should be carefully screened. For more information, see Screen Employees with Access to Living Quarters.
The benefits of comprehensive employment background screening include: increased applicant quality, reduced workplace violence, reduced negligent hiring liability, reduced losses from employee dishonesty, making the right hire the first time, and avoiding negative publicity.

The bottom line is that pre-employment background checks help an organization be more successful. That means greater profits to for-profit organizations and greater impact for non profits. Our experts at Info Quest, Inc. verify an applicant’s history and claims by thoroughly researching primary and secondary information sources, including prior employers, schools, and relevant private and public databases. For more about the benefits of background checks for non profits and other companies, contact Info Quest on the web or call 800-507-9628.

Reference Checks-Never Assume Anything

References are a vital part any pre-employment screening process and they are extremely significant to any employer.  Trust a screening company like Info Quest, Inc. to handle this important step.  At Info Quest, we try our best to make contact with former bosses and supervisors to obtain verbal references.  Some are restricted by company policies on how and what they are allowed to release.

In my post last week, I shared part of an article by Anita Bruzzese.  This week I’m posting the remainder:

“[Jeff Shane of Allison & Taylor Inc.] says it never ceases to amaze him that more than half of the references on a candidate come back with negative. Former colleagues or supervisors can be very vindictive when providing references.

“It explains a lot about why good people aren’t getting jobs,” he says. “Any negative thing can knock you out in this job market. There are lots of very good candidates for most positions, so any weak link is often fatal.”

Employers use Shane’s company to check references. But job seekers who can’t figure out why they’ve been rejected for several jobs when they’re well qualified and have good interviews are also clients.

That’s when some digging turns up references who are trash-talking or leading a potential employer to believe the hire would be a bad idea.

“You may even have a reference say, ‘Let me check the legal file to see what I can say,’ and that tips off the recruiter that there may be something negative about you,” Shane says. “Even hesitation in the voice can tip the scale against you.”

So what can you do to combat negative references killing your job chances? Shane suggests:

• Cultivate relationships. “Try to find out what (former colleagues) will say about you. Talk to them about the job description and how you’re qualified for the job,” he says. “Make sure you always check in with your most recent supervisor.”

• Google yourself. Do you see anything that can be perceived as damaging?

If someone has written something negative about you online, try to reason with the person about why you need it removed.

“Tell them their off-the-cuff remarks are hurting you. If they won’t listen, tell them you may take legal action if they don’t rescind them,” he says.

• Confront vindictive sources. Shane says his company has sent a number of cease-and-desist letters to people providing negative references about someone, and in all those cases the people have stopped making the comments.

Since company policy forbids many to reveal more than employment dates, they realize they’re violating the rules and could lose their jobs, he says.

“My final advice is to never assume anything. References are key, so be proactive and do your due diligence. Find out what people are saying about you,” he says.”"

Trust a background check Company like Info Quest for your Pre-employment screening needs.  Since 1994, has been servicing large and small companies here in the U.S. and abroad with customer service that goes above and beyond.

Make Sure Former Boss Doesn’t Killing Your Job Chances

Background checks and reference checks are two different approaches to screening applicants for job openings. A thorough background check generally involves determining whether an applicant may be unqualified for a position due to a criminal records, motor vehicle violations, poor credit history, or dishonesty regarding education or work history. A reference check generally involves contacting applicants’ former employers, supervisors or co-workers.  to verify previous employment and to obtain information about the individual’s skills, reliability, knowledge, and character.

There’s a reason why employers all over trust Info Quest, Inc. to perform their background and reference checks.

Enjoy reading part one of this article by Anita Bruzzese:

If you’ve been frustrated that you haven’t managed to nail a new job despite your qualifications and solid interviews, your references could be the root of the problem.

“You should never assume what other people will say about you,” says Executive Vice President Jeff Shane of Allison & Taylor Inc., a professional reference-checking company.

References from former workplaces, especially supervisors, carry a lot of weight with a potential employer. But even a hint from a former boss, such as an unenthusiastic tone of voice when talking about you, is enough to kill your chances of landing a job, he says.

While you may believe that a former employer will follow its policy and provide only dates of service to someone checking your references, don’t count on it.

“Those who call to check your references know once they get someone (from a former workplace) on the phone, they can get them to divulge more — especially supervisors because they tend to be more talkative,” Shane says.

Even if a supervisor or human-resource manager tries to avoid giving any additional information because of liability worries, recruiters often can find a way around that requirement.

“They’ll ask questions like ‘can you enthusiastically recommend this person?’ or ‘what were this person’s strengths and weaknesses?’ ” Shane says. “They’re going to ask if there is someone else they should talk to. They’re going to find people who will talk.”

You may think that one way around this is not giving a potential employer permission to contact a former employer.

That’s a big mistake, Shane says.

“That’s just a red flag to them,” he says. “That may kill your job chances right there.”

Take the guesswork out of making sound hiring decisions. From social security number verification and I-9 compliance to employment, education and criminal background checks, Info Quest’s easy-to-use 24/7 system provides you with the important background information you need to make thoroughly informed hiring decisions.  Contact them today to discuss your Company’s needs.  Visit www.in-foquest.com or call 800-507-9628.

Higher Productivity, Higher Skills: Preparing for a New Hire

Companies that want to deliver effectively and efficiently look for ways to improve productivity but also keep costs low. When the Great Recession took hold at the end of 2007, organizations around the world looked for ways to reduce costs. For many, cut-backs in background checks, employee training and education were one of the first measures they put into place. After all, many organizations had just drastically decreased their workforce, and in many cases, their remaining employees were among the highest performing and most experienced members of their staff. And as it turned out, many of these reduced workforces were able to maintain output. This resulted in increased productivity and, as the economy slowly moved out of recession, higher profits for many organizations. In such cases, some organizational leaders viewed any employment screening, training and education investments beyond informal on-the-job learning as either unnecessary or something to deal with later, when business picked up again.

Employees themselves seem to understand this trend. Historical data from Job Satisfaction surveys report over the past few years show that over the course of the recession and beyond, employee job satisfaction has begun to depend more on issues like job security and the opportunity to use skills and abilities. Indeed, now more than ever employees view the ability to develop and demonstrate their job skills as an integral part of their job security. Many fast moving Companies trust in using background checks from a Company like Info Quest, Inc. to screen potential job candidates.

If you are currently running criminal background record checks or if you would like to begin, Trust Info Quest for your background screening needs. Visit us at our web site, http://www.in-foquest.com/

Hiring is up, let Info Quest, Inc. serve your Employment Screening Needs

Good news!  Employment was up again in December by some 200,000 jobs.  According to reports, the industries that saw gains included transportation and warehousing, retail trade, manufacturing, and health care.  This is the time for your Company to check out Employment Screening by Info Quest, Inc.  Enjoy the article below:

Few part-timers, but more are working multiple jobs
By Eve Tahmincioglu

“Hooray! There are fewer of you working part time.

Boo! More of you are working multiple jobs.

The job market continues to be a mixed bag for millions of workers across the country.

On a positive note, when workers are able to clock in more than 35 hours a week after being forced to take fewer hours because of the tough economy, that’s good news for the economy and for employees.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the number of part-time workers in the United States working reduced hours because they couldn’t get full-time work or had their hours reduced by their employers, declined by 371,000 to 8.1 million in December.

It’s unclear, however, whether this latest government data on part-timers is a light at the end of the crummy labor market tunnel, or continued murkiness. The agency doesn’t track whether those individuals ended up with full-time gigs, or lost their part-time jobs.

“It could be that some people working part time involuntarily had their hours restored to full time or it could also be that they became unemployed,” said Jim Borbely, an economist for the BLS.

Despite this, Borbely said the dip in part timers could indicate “a labor picture that’s improving” because the overall number of jobless in December declined to 13.3 million from 14.3 million in the same month last year.

Not everyone is hopeful. “

Background checks don’t have to be difficult. Info Quest’s Pre-Employment Background Screening Services take the guesswork out of making sound hiring decisions. From social security number verification and I-9 compliance to employment, education and criminal background checks, Info Quest’s easy-to-use web-based system provides you with the important background information you need to make thoroughly informed hiring decisions.  For information on services, please visit www.in-foquest.com.