by admin_lauth | Oct 16, 2014 | Tips & Facts
(Source: inter.com)
Vetting is a process most often spoken of when it comes to political candidates. A potential candidate can go through extreme forms of background checks and research into anything from family matters to finances. Because they are backed by political parties and face media scrutiny, this process remains essential and goes unchallenged.
Why then do people of similar position in the private sector often go through the hiring process unchecked? In 2012 Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson was one such case when he was found to have lied about his educational history when he added a dual major for a degree that didn’t exist at his alma mater. After this information was made public, he was fired, others in charge of hiring forcibly resigned, and thus became a monster headache for the struggling corporation.
Former Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson (Source Cnet)
This is just one example in long line of upper management being improperly hired, leading to scandals down the line: impacting the company, the brand, and the bottom line. In order to avoid such public pratfalls, a thorough vetting process would be wise to implement for the most influential positions of a company.
Proper Vetting Techniques, Facts, and Myths
1. Make sure the right employees are involved in the hiring process. Especially in large organizations, certain members can do more harm than good. For instance, in Yahoo’s case board members were heavily involved in major hiring decisions, causing strife with the HR department (aka people who are trained to hire others). This led to some obviously poor decisions including informal interviews without HR knowledge and/or going through proper vetting channels.
2. The higher the position, the more detailed and stringent the hiring process should be. Makes sense right? You’d be surprised at how this can often be reversed. Some suggested this occurs from not wanted to upset your potential CEO who might find it undignified. An HR exec at Pepsi-Co Suggests that the “more senior you are, the more its about relationships and less about filling out an application.” Whatever the case may be, this backwards thinking has lead to many a company’s PR department having endless migraines.
3. Vetting process isn’t just for the companies benefit. Being properly vetted helps the potential hire and not only through avoiding embarrassing public scrutiny. By having certain exaggerations or falsities come up through vetting, it allows the candidate the chance to correct the error and move on before it can scar them for life.
4. Utilizing a third party for this process can avoid in-house biases. Hiring objective, experienced investigators can produce the best results without leaving hiring or HR department of the company in compromised positions. However, said department should still work closely with the investigators in order to receive the necessary information.
5. Trying to understand the candidates psychology. Just because they passed a background check and have the necessary credentials doesn’t mean they should become the face for your organization. Trying to suss out cases of candidates too consumed with power or narcissism can be tricky, but there are options available. Going beyond a person’s references can stem from asking a reference particular questions or interviewing the potential hires previous employee underlings. Taking the time to go through such measures can help determine if he/she would be proper fit for your company.
6. Not just CEOs. Vetting techniques can and should be used for candidates of many industries. From the coach of professional sports organizations to higher ups in various form of academia, if you can be hired in a position of power, then the organization should take the time and due diligence to make sure you won’t come back to haunt them.
(Source HRonline)
by admin_lauth | Oct 16, 2014 | Private Investigations News
(Source: AP)
As of this posting Ebola is continuing to rear its contagious head. Reports of that sort usually deal with news bit and investigations as to how you can prevent forest fires getting sick yourself. Not that those stories lack significance, but we aren’t given the full picture.
Besides the nurses, doctors, and medical professionals who are on the front-lines so to speak, it is more likely that the so-called “disease detectives” are most responsible for stopping the spread of the virus.
Though some may have a background in science and virology, the methods for catching this invisible killer are decidedly through time-tested detective work.
So when Ebola tested positive for Dallas resident Thomas Duncan, investigative teams were dispatch to the scene.
As opposed to microscopes and running bacterial experiments, these particular detectives duties comes from interviewing potential infected individuals. Halting further spread involves working backwards through a process call contact tracing. This method beings with locating people within the Ebola patient’s (or this area patient zero) sphere of influence. From there they would be sorted into those who had most contact with the sick, especially after he/she began showing symptoms.
The headache of the contract tracing family tree. (Source: Huffington Post)
From there they will be monitored for a period of three weeks. This helps too quickly isolate the infected should symptoms arrive.
Though a seemingly antiquated (not to mention complicated) system, it has shown to be effective in combating the virus. Nigeria is one such example, with health officials going through methodical contract tracing measures after a Liberian man was visibly sick on a flight to Laos. Though the process wasn’t easy, (with as many as 900 contacts and 18,500 check-in visits) The results speak for themselves with no new cases in 30 days and the CDC declaring Ebola is officially contained in the populous African country.
Similarly private investigators have utilized such processes for various scenarios. From a missing person to background checks, private investigators need certain information in order to solve the case. Being detail-oriented, methodical, and the ability to obtain information from primary sources (interviewing those directly or indirectly related). It’s all in a days work for a detective of any sort, where ones method may not be as “cool” or gadget filled as the movies would make one believe, but evoking the theory of Occam’s Razor has helped solved cases and save lives.
by admin_lauth | Oct 2, 2014 | Tips & Facts
Private investigators, eyes, and detectives may seem like a profession that’s been around forever, but this is not the case. Perhaps because their famous fictional counterparts have been around nearly as long, but in reality private detectives have been in use for around 150 years.
First documented in France in the first half of the 19th century, the first known private detective was a former criminal and inspiration for writers like Victor Hugo. Eugene Francois VIdocq spent decades stealing, robbing, and escaping jails before turning his life around and using his skill set for good. After years of working with the police he eventually founded Le Bureau des Renseignements, which is considered the first private detective agency and was primarily staffed by ex-convicts.
Because he introduced modern practices such as updated record keeping, ballistic reports, and going undercover, he is considered the father of modern criminology.
The first well known agency was founded by Allan Pinkerton in 1850. So influential was Pinkerton’s National Detective Agency in fact, their logo was how the term “private eye” came about.
The “eyes” have it. (Public Domain)
The Pinkerton agency is said to be responsible for the mug shot, and contributions to law enforcement. At this time the agency was often used to mediate strikes and provide security, with Pinkerton himself saying they singlehandedly foiled an assassination attempt against Abraham Lincoln. By the end of the century PNDA became one of largest firms of its sort in the world, and is still around today as a subsidiary to Swedish security company Securitas AB.
At this formative time for private detectives, they often filled the role of law enforcement, acting as police when their clients felt the police were too ill-equipped to handle a need or situation. Agencies were rarely hired by average citizens at this time, perhaps to due the pre-modernization of America thus the lack of excess funds for such hires.
Agencies were also hired to find the most infamous criminals of the time, such as Jesse James, Butch Cassidy, and the Sundance Kidd. Not until the roaring 20’s was it possible for everyday people to seek the assistance of a PI, which was in part due to the expansion of the middle class.
The uses for private detectives often changes with the eras as peoples needs are altered and technology evolves. In the past 20 years, strides have been made to require more licensing and certification to become a PI, perhaps in an effort to authenticate the industry from it’s looser, less reputable past (or at least that what the movies make it out to be). Even the term “private detective” is less en vogue then the current “private investigator” or LPI’s for similar reasons.
What’s for certain, PI work is an industry that responds to the problems of today, and shall continue to do so, always around the help control the chaos.
by admin_lauth | Oct 2, 2014 | Private Investigations News
We’ve all seen the shows. From the numerous programs that use “pawn” with cheeky delight, to its original incarnation Antique Roadshow, Having that “priceless” item is easier dreamt then done. One way you could go about verifying your future fortunes is through a private investigator.
Utilizing PI services for such items can help locating long thought gone treasures. Take this example, where a 1967 Jaguar E-type convertible, stolen almost 50 years ago, was finally recovered en transit to the Netherlands. But recovering lost or stolen assets is only one option for vintage goods.
Often with these vintage commodities (such as cars), it can prove difficult to verify specifics which would indicate value (such as year, vin numbers, other markers) so hiring a professional in these scenarios would prove a worthy option.
Another example includes valuable works of art. These pieces have a very specific reach, both in the crime world and the art world. Stolen art is an upsetting trend, with as much as 6 billion in recent annual losses. To combat this, the government has even put together an art crime team, consisting of agents and specialists responsible for investigating cultural property theft (think a 21st century version of The Monuments Men).
Based on the story of the recovery of the largest art theft in history (Source: Wiki Commons)
More often though, it is the private detectives being sought after for art recovery, inquiries, and investigation. Because of the international recognition of some of these pieces, and the global aspects of black market art exchanges, PI’s will often collaborate with government organizations and various art communities. This provides additional challenges as one must deal with international laws and practices for several countries.
Fictional recreation of art specialists PI’s (Swords optional) (Source: Fanpop)
Besides lost art recovery, PI specialists have been used to verify if a piece is authentic or forged, even mediating the art buying process between two parties.
These methods can also be transferred to locating/verifying other antique goods, such as furniture, firearms, books etcetera. Basically, if a good has value or can be considered a “collector’s item”, chances are the underbelly of society will seek to steal it or copy it. Which means private investigators will continue to be assistance to those who seek authenticity, as well as a combatant for those thieves who don’t.
PI’s: Providing truth, justice, and the way of authenticating cultural artifacts.
by admin_lauth | Sep 18, 2014 | Private Investigations News
Private Investigators have been hired for a variety of reasons. Most often, the public thinks this takes the form of solving “cases” such as infiltrating organizations, finding information on individuals, all while using Holmesian powers of deduction. In reality, investigators can and have been used for a variety of specified occasions.
Here are a few intriguing examples:
Secret Shopper – A secret shopper or mystery shopper is typically hired by businesses to investigate it’s employees and their treatment of customers. Investigators are hired for their professionalism, and impartiality. Customers giving their unbiased opinion can often only be achieved through methods such as these. Legally, some states require private investigator status in order to be a mystery shopper. Another bonus is a private investigator’s ability to legally gather evidence, providing data and reports of his/her findings upon the investigations conclusion.
Finding Birth Parents – Though modern day media has allowed people to find others themselves, sometimes you need to bring in the big magnifying glasses. Private Investigators have more means, resources, and know-how to find the people once thought lost. PI may use different methods in cases like these because instead of looking for people not wanting to be found, you are searching for someone whose information is dated or vanished. Besides finding long lost relatives, other peculiar cases have cropped up, from locating lost pets, to inspiring teachers.
Locating Items – This can take the form of birth, death, and legal records. Another common reason includes unclaimed assets, which can stem from safety deposit boxes or bank accounts.
Finding Facebook – Yes PI’s have been hired to locate a person’s social media profile. Usually this is done by employers seeking out information on potential hires.
Historical Findings – From finding historical news footage, to historical property holdings, private investigators often become a historian sleuth of sorts in order to find information or items from days of yore.
Obviously this is just the tip of the investigative iceberg, and a PI’s services can be as wide-spread and diverse as the people who desire such services.
