• Higher Level Management , Tips and Tricks ,
• 22 Apr

It would be nice if we lived in a world where we did not have to check references when hiring for a job but with so much on the line, the risk is to high to not check them. Whether you are looking to hire someone to work as an employee, do your taxes, a contractor, subcontractor, etc., making sure you have the best people to do the job is very important. Many small companies can’t afford to hire a Human Resources department and this duty often falls on office managers and bookkeepers in smaller companies as one of the many hats that they wear.

Here are some quick tips and links to help you navigate this road.

Need to search for a Diploma?

http://www.studentclearinghouse.org/

When it’s time to check references, have you ever wondered if they actually have the degree they say they do? What would it look like to your boss/staff if you hire somebody and come to find out that they DON’T have the degree they claimed to have? Pretty scary stuff but there is help but their is a cost as this website does cost money. It’s $22.50 to check someone for a degree and they will want to know what year they graduated, major, school, and what actual degree you are looking up. We suggest you take a look at the website and make sure that you request what’s needed to fill out a form.

What about your “CPA”? Does the person who does your taxes have an up to date certification? What about the new tax wizard you want to hire?

https://apps.oregon.gov/Application/OBTPSearch

Not only can you can check if an individual has an active license with the state, you can also see what their License type is and when it expires.

What about a Criminal record?

For $10 you can check a limited amount of information through the State of Oregon on their Oregon.gov website. For a full report, you must provide fingerprint identification. You can also run an FBI check on yourself. Click here for the link. It does look like they want you to register with them before you can run a check on someone.

There are some websites that look really official and make you input a lot of information to take you on this little journey just to try and get you to pay $23.00 or something a month for a “membership” that allows you unlimited reports and searches. For a larger company this may not be a bad idea but if you are a small business, these SAAS or Software Subscription models that have been trending lately can really add up and if you don’t use them often, they don’t really carry much value for the end user.
Examples of these sites are DMV.org which is a private company, not the dmv links you to their beenverified.com site. We do not endorse these companies and can’t suggest you use them or not because we didn’t pay them any money in our research.

Depending on what country you live or decide to work in, there may be unique hoops you need to jump through. For example, if you live in the United Kingdom, and you want to get a job they may ask you to get a CRB or DBS check. A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is done typically by a 3rd party service which was previously known as a Criminal Records Bureau. It allows a way for people to look up a person’s convictions, cautions, reprimands, warnings along with other intelligence that relates to the individual.

What about your Contractor?

If your contractor makes a mistake, it could be very expensive especially if you come to find out that they don’t insurance, are not bonded, or do not have the correct licensing or permits.

You can check Licenses in Oregon at http://search.ccb.state.or.us/search/

For California check here http://www.cslb.ca.gov/

For Washington check here https://secure.lni.wa.gov/verify/?SAW=False

Please note that we are not your HR department or your legal team so you should know what you can ask, how you can ask it, and what you can and can’t do as an employer.