The Integrity News
Vol. XII No. 23
ISSN 1081-2717
August 1, 2003
July 28, 2003
"Corporate scandals that have rocked the
confidence of investors and forced the hand
of regulators the past two years have also
had another effect:" executive search clients
now "demand more scrutiny of candidates
for high level jobs than they did before the
revelations of fraud."
"Companies used to crave executives who were
renowned within their industry and could bring a
certain 'star quality'. They trusted that these
high-profile individuals didn't have any skeletons
or weaknesses that could cause problems."
"In this day and age, with what's going on out there,
everybody is a bit more on edge. Now, companies
seem wary of nearly everyone, even candidates who
have been in the public eye for years."
"Even before the scandals, companies and the search
firms they hired usually checked on candidate's
education credentials and work history. But now,
they probe deeper to see if a candidate has a criminal
record, poor credit, a history of driving violations or
other foibles that could raise questions about their
responsibility."
"There's good reason for corporations, particularly
public companies, to peek behind a candidate's resume
before handing someone the keys to the executive
suite. Fraud at once-revered companies has shown
that dishonest leaders can cost shareholders billions
and cause loyal employees to lose their jobs."
Editor's Note:
For years we have had companies tell us that they
didn't need to screen new executives "because
'someone' knew them", or that "they were highly
recommended", or "it seemed like it would insult
the candidate" to do a background check. Now we
are seeing the opposite. With the new corporate
governance laws in place, key candidates are being
much more thoroughly screened.
If you would like to discuss your coming background
check of a key candidate, feel free to call The Integrity
Center at (972) 484-6140. We can help you with
procedures and ideas to consider based on years of
experience.
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