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

This precaution also protects an organization against legal action that could arise from an incident involving an unscreened employee.

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

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

The following is a list of 10 trends that hiring, risk management and security professionals need to be aware of during the year ahead.

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

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

These new employees will be expected to fulfill a wide range of jobs and responsibilities, making it imperative that the items listed on their resumes truly reflect experiences they are claiming.

#2: Should social networking sites should be considered?

The social network revolution has changed many communication channels, but should it affect the way job applicants are screened?

Social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn contain a wealth of personal information, allowing hiring professionals to view home pages to gain additional information about job candidates. However, using this information to evaluate applicants is not recommended.

Using it could result in legal action from an unsuccessful applicant who feels the information was used against him or her.

#3: Screening outside contractors.

One of the most important reasons background checks are conducted is to make sure an employer's workers, customers and contractors 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's workforce? And how can all those involved be sure the screening provider hired is using best practices?

With more and more outside sources being used by staffing managers to fill positions, this is sure to be a hot topic in 2009.

#4: Screening for existing employees.

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

Continuous employee screening can help employers stay abreast of personal activities that can play a role in an individual's employment standing.

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

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

In fact, it should be used as a complement to a countywide criminal search. National criminal databases are aggregated by individual companies and are limited to only those resources willing to share such information.

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

Hiring professionals must confer with their screening company to make sure the provider is using the best practices for conducting county records searches as its primary information source. This, along with researching a national criminal database as a secondary source, will provide the information needed for accurate employment screening.

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

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

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

#7: Proper international screening.

Many multinational companies operate in a global economy, and are therefore not only focusing their screening efforts on the employees they bring into their home countries but also the applicants trying to obtain positions at facilities they operate overseas.

Navigating through each country's laws and regulations can be a long and difficult process for employers, so they need to make sure their screening will be evaluated and interpreted for countless international laws and regulations. The complexity of the international privacy laws, in addition to the accuracy of international records, has created several issues for employers.

As the world is beginning to embrace the concept of background-screening beyond the United States, employers are now faced with myriad issues–mainly that they are following proper legal procedures of the countries in which they are conducting background checks, especially concerning privacy laws.

#8: Using the electronic I-9 process.

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

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

#9: Addressing adjudication modules.

Some hiring managers use adjudication modules–grids or charts that dictate specific reactions to convictions for identified crimes–to assist them in the hiring process.

While the modules are perceived as a helpful tool to use during the employment review process, a pitfall for developing an accurate adjudication module is that different jurisdictions define crimes differently. These inconsistencies can result in a flawed system and possible employer EEOC infractions.

#10: Staying educated about the employment screening marketplace.

Human resources, risk management and security professionals have many responsibilities associated with their positions. Even though hiring and selecting a background-screening provider is a small portion of their overall duties, it is important to keep current on the industry and the integral role it plays in mitigating an organization's liabilities.