Employment verification has become imperative not only for mid level employees but also for executives. The scandals of Enron and WorldCom have only bolstered the need for executive background checks.

Since most companies cannot do with hiring a wrong executive, almost all of them are conducting executive background checks. This process is a lot more stringent in multi billion corporations as companies have lot more to lose. In order to protect themselves from potential disasters, most companies now have an extensive policy regarding executive background checks.

As with all other types of pre employment checks, employers need to have the appropriate disclosures available. According to Federal law and the Fair Credit Reporting Act, applicants must be informed about the job screening process. Applicants are requires to sign and date specific disclosures regarding the various types of background checks that an employer may desire.

Although executive background checks are becoming more popular, there is still some hesitancy surrounding it. Most executives who have been in the upper echelons of a company for many years do not take very kindly to being subjected to pre employment screening. In fact, some top executives do not provide the disclosures necessary for pre employment screening.

Another problem is that Human Resources personnel often do not feel comfortable contacting the references listed in the executive's application. References always play an important role in pre employment screening. But most human resources personnel do not research them in the case of executives.

For those companies that decide to go the regular route of pre employment screening will conduct background checks, criminal background checks and social security traces. Some firms may also insist that executives undergo drug screening as part of the pre employment screening process.

Employers need to be aware of the Federal and State laws regarding pre employment screening. Many employers use the services of pre employment screening services for job screening. The advantage of using these vendors is that they are aware of all the state and federal legislation. In addition, they do most of the paperwork involved in job screening.