Top Level Executive Pre Employment Screening – Curious Cases of Scott Thompson & David Edmondson!

Pre employment screening has become a part of every single organization over the years, from larger corporations to SME’s; it is becoming the foremost criteria to rule out all the discrepancies before hiring an asset of the company.

Recently we have seen a major pre employment screening case where Former CEO of Yahoo.inc Scott Thompson (Resigned after allegations) was caught liable for exaggerating his resume. His computer science degree was found fake & forged, resulting a disrupt in online media about his misdeeds which also made Yahoo.inc to bear the great amount reputation loss as they were already in crisis.

Similarly, a case which was abandoned by the media tells about the story famous electronics retailer Radio Shack’s CEO David Edmondson who resigned in 2006 after a newspaper reported that his two supposed degrees were invented and that he was facing a trial for DUI charges.

These two cases, one from recent and one from 2006 helps us to determine that the problem of bad hiring still exists and it is needed to be addressed with a solution which is viable for the companies to acquire and implement with a pace.

Pre employment screening of top level executives is the need of time, as many directors; CEO’s and high level managers are usually hired on referential basis. Many corporations do not screen those capacities as they do on minor level positions. Results in creating a hoax like above two stories which brings prolong reputational damage.

By adopting a tight pre employment screening strategy any corporation can overcome the fear of above mentioned disaster and they can also select the best leaders for their organization, who can lead them from front with pride.

Pre Employment Screening of Top Level Executives: 5 Important Strategies

Pre employment screening Strategy 1 – Primary Source Verification of Education: 

As we have seen in the cases of Scott Thompson and David Edmondson that they have caught liable of lying about their education, so it’s necessary to verify all the educational credentials via primary source verification and through campus teacher references.

A reputed third party to background Checks Company cannot only help in reducing the threat but also manages to dig out the important information like any claims of degrees, verify dates, classes, and any graduation honors.

Pre employment screening Strategy 2 – Employment References and Follow-ups: 

Never use personal references while reference checking, use several employment references instead because they are found to be handy. Try to reach the mentioned people via phone especially through work phones. So it can zero the risk of fakeness.

Pre employment screening Strategy 3 – Asking the Right Questions: 

Resume must be checked completely and if a background checks company is doing the duty, they must verify specific duties handled, projects completed, goals attained, etc. Avoid asking irrelevant and vague questions.

Pre employment screening Strategy 4 – Assessment Surveys are Helpful: 

Looking into an assessment survey, recruitment managers can determine a top level executive’s inner core values and perceptions. This information will be extremely helpful in deciding whether or not a person will be a fit for the company culture.

Pre employment screening Strategy 5 – Social Media Screening is Valuable: 

Social media sites for background screening and hiring process are becoming popular these days. Micro-blogging sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn posts, and blogs can give a company insight on a potential new hire about their integrity and credibility among people. Negative things seen online can helps in raising red flags. And in Contrast positive comments, reputable social network presence can also show that a candidate would have a good impact on the workplace.

Muhammad Saad Khan is a Writer, Social Media and Business Management Thought Leader Working with Dataflow Group, the world's leading primary source verification company headquartered in Singapore. His current research is about pre employment screening of top level executives.