#SHRM18 Vendor Spotlight: First Choice Background Screening

Sponsors and exhibitors help make great conferences like SHRM Annual Conference & Expo possible. Exhibit halls allow for conference attendees to explore potential vendors that may suit their business needs or a break for the extensive amout of information being received, some even come for the cool swag!

I had the distinct pleasure of speaking with Nicole Roedel, Executive Director for First Choice Background Screening, a vendor for this year’s SHRM Annual Conference & Expo. This will be Nicole’s first time joining and she’s super excited about the chance to meet with conference goers! Read on to find out more about Nicole and her organization and why they should be your first choice when it comes to background screenings!

JR: Nicole, please tell me a bit about yourself and your role with First Choice Background Screening, Inc.?

NR: I’ve been with First Choice Background Screening for 7 years. I’m the Executive Director and part owner of the firm. I manage the CRA (consumer reporting agency) operations involving all things compliance, sales, everything on the day-to-day.

JR: Can you summarize for us all of the services and tools available through the organization?

NR: First choice has been in business for 22 years, the offer a comprehensive list of services. They pride themselves in being a “one stop shop” offering nationwide criminal background screenings, education verification, employment drug screening, fingerprinting and I-9 & E-Verify solution. Their platform integrates with any ATS platform that a client has in place, it eliminates the need to use multiple vendors for a firm’s screening and verification needs.

JR: Background & Drug screenings are a hot topic in the HR & employment law arena and there are many vendors in this space, what is the one thing that differentiates your firm from the competition?

NR: Finding the vendor that works for you as an employer, partnering with clients, compliance is our #1 goal, education of clients in both federal, state & industry specific regulations. Unlike many background screening firms, we pride ourselves in the avoidance in data scraping, which is the use of computer systems to search for data instead of using an actual person to do a criminal search by going to courthouse,for example. We have a network of resources that can physically obtain the information by conducting live searches. Additionally, we do not off shore or outsource our needs around the globe, instead we keep it all in-house in the local South Florida office. By doing so, it avoids language barriers and/or connectivity issues when servicing clients.

JR: In your industry, what do you see trending that can have a negative impact on employers?

NR: Currently, background screening is a very litigious field for employers. The most common are class action lawsuits regarding compliant Authorization and Disclosure Forms, Adverse Action, and Title 7 Suitsin relation to employers hiring policy. For these reasons, and may others, is why it is so important to frequent review screening policies to mitigate employers’ risks.

JR: Can you share one of your favorite success stories where an organization benefited from the services and tools that your firm provides?

NR: We have a large transit authority client that created new background policy and adjudication process and asked for us to be their business partner and assist them throughout the policy development process. As a result, we were invited on site to spend the day with our client to provide input on this new policy and process and asked to share what we see trending in the industry. We were able to have an interactive conversation with our client about this new change prior to roll out with the opportunity to catch red flags that may have been missed during the original draft. First Choice Background Screening was proud to have been considered an integral partner in the process and witness the value of the relationship we have with our client.

JR: What is the #1 takeaway that attendees expect when visiting your booth at SHRM18?

NR: Attendees can expect to speak with our industry experts that can provide solutions to address problem areas and an opportunity to demonstrate how we can develop the partnership with their firms and/or employers and make the most of the relationship. Attendees can also obtain hard to get information and assistance in addressing pain points.

JR: If this your first time attending the SHRM Annual Conference & Expo? If so, what are you looking forward to most about the conference? If you’re returning to the conference, what brought you back?

NR: This conference will be my first but not the company’s. First Choice Background Screening continues to return to the SHRM Annual Conference & Expo because of the relationship building. It’s an opportunity to meet with attendees face to face and create relationships and partnerships instead of corresponding via phone.

Background checks and drug screenings are a hot topic in HR and one that comes up regularly in conversations with my clients and mentees. It gives me great comfort knowing that I have industry experts that I can call upon in my own backyard!

When you’re mapping our your visit to the expo hall, be sure to stop by their exhibit booth and speak with their staff! Learn more about First Choice Background Screening and all they have to offer their clients:

Originally posted on Resilient HR blog.