Since the events that shocked our country on Sept. 11, 2001, theemployment screening industry has experienced immense growth.Indeed, post-9/11, screening an applicant's background went frombeing an option in the hiring process to a necessity–a measure toensure the safety of a company's workers, vendors andcustomers.

This precaution also protects an organization against legalaction that could arise from an incident involving an unscreenedemployee.

Like any maturing industry, the employment screening market hasexperienced a variety of ebbs and flows that have helped shape theprocesses and procedures of its service organizations.

Moving forward to 2009, the industry is readying itself toevaluate and address an array of trends, ranging fromeconomy-driven issues to screening via social networks toaccurately completing in-depth international assignments.

The following is a list of 10 trends that hiring, riskmanagement and security professionals need to be aware of duringthe year ahead.

#1: The importance of background checks in a shrinking jobmarket.

Considering the state of the economy, the job market is destinedto become even more competitive, which in turn could lead someindividuals to stretch the truth to secure employment.

These new employees will be expected to fulfill a wide range ofjobs and responsibilities, making it imperative that the itemslisted on their resumes truly reflect experiences they areclaiming.

#2: Should social networking sites should be considered?

The social network revolution has changed many communicationchannels, but should it affect the way job applicants arescreened?

Social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIncontain a wealth of personal information, allowing hiringprofessionals to view home pages to gain additional informationabout job candidates. However, using this information to evaluateapplicants is not recommended.

Using it could result in legal action from an unsuccessfulapplicant who feels the information was used against him orher.

#3: Screening outside contractors.

One of the most important reasons background checks areconducted is to make sure an employer's workers, customers andcontractors are safe from harmful actions.

But when a contractor is on-site at an employer's business,which party is responsible for screening the contractor'sworkforce? And how can all those involved be sure the screeningprovider hired is using best practices?

With more and more outside sources being used by staffingmanagers to fill positions, this is sure to be a hot topic in2009.

#4: Screening for existing employees.

While background-screening is a great method to analyzeprospective employees, recurring background checks on currentemployees are becoming more of a common practice.

Continuous employee screening can help employers stay abreast ofpersonal activities that can play a role in an individual'semployment standing.

#5: Using more than a national criminal database search.

A national criminal database search shouldn't be the sole methodused when performing a criminal background check.

In fact, it should be used as a complement to a countywidecriminal search. National criminal databases are aggregated byindividual companies and are limited to only those resourceswilling to share such information.

There is no governmental mandate to participate, and there is nocontrol over what information gets in or how often it is reportedand or updated.

Hiring professionals must confer with their screening company tomake sure the provider is using the best practices for conductingcounty records searches as its primary information source. This,along with researching a national criminal database as a secondarysource, will provide the information needed for accurate employmentscreening.

#6: The states' focus on developing privacy procedures forpublic records.

In the age of identification theft, states are taking measuresto protect their citizens' personal information.

While this seems like a good concept, these protection measurescan affect how much information employers can obtain and howquickly.

#7: Proper international screening.

Many multinational companies operate in a global economy, andare therefore not only focusing their screening efforts on theemployees they bring into their home countries but also theapplicants trying to obtain positions at facilities they operateoverseas.

Navigating through each country's laws and regulations can be along and difficult process for employers, so they need to make suretheir screening will be evaluated and interpreted for countlessinternational laws and regulations. The complexity of theinternational privacy laws, in addition to the accuracy ofinternational records, has created several issues foremployers.

As the world is beginning to embrace the concept ofbackground-screening beyond the United States, employers are nowfaced with myriad issues–mainly that they are following properlegal procedures of the countries in which they are conductingbackground checks, especially concerning privacy laws.

#8: Using the electronic I-9 process.

Electronically filing Employment Eligibility Verification I-9forms speeds up the process and improves accuracy when verifying apotential employee's citizenship and right-to-work.

Currently, more than 85 percent of paper I-9 forms are filledout incorrectly. With such a large margin of error, states arebeginning to mandate the electronic I-9 process.

#9: Addressing adjudication modules.

Some hiring managers use adjudication modules–grids or chartsthat dictate specific reactions to convictions for identifiedcrimes–to assist them in the hiring process.

While the modules are perceived as a helpful tool to use duringthe employment review process, a pitfall for developing an accurateadjudication module is that different jurisdictions define crimesdifferently. These inconsistencies can result in a flawed systemand possible employer EEOC infractions.

#10: Staying educated about the employment screeningmarketplace.

Human resources, risk management and security professionals havemany responsibilities associated with their positions. Even thoughhiring and selecting a background-screening provider is a smallportion of their overall duties, it is important to keep current onthe industry and the integral role it plays in mitigating anorganization's liabilities.