CODESP Background and Reference Investigations 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which type of background check is specifically designed to verify that a candidate possesses the academic credentials they claim?
- Criminal history check
- Credit history check
- Education verification (Correct answer)
- Professional license verification
Correct answer: Education verification
Education verification confirms that the degrees, diplomas, or certifications listed by a candidate were actually awarded by the stated institution.
Question 2: An employer conducting a background investigation for a position involving financial responsibilities should pay particular attention to:
- Driving record history
- Credit history and financial responsibility indicators (Correct answer)
- Military service records
- Social media activity
Correct answer: Credit history and financial responsibility indicators
For positions with financial duties, credit history can be a relevant indicator of financial responsibility and potential risk of theft or fraud.
Question 3: The concept of 'negligent hiring' holds that an employer may be liable if:
- The employer fails to offer competitive wages
- An employee causes harm that a reasonable background check would have revealed as foreseeable (Correct answer)
- The employer hires too quickly without posting a job opening
- A background check takes longer than 30 days to complete
Correct answer: An employee causes harm that a reasonable background check would have revealed as foreseeable
Negligent hiring occurs when an employer fails to exercise reasonable care in screening candidates and an employee's harmful conduct was foreseeable from available information.
Question 4: When conducting reference checks by telephone, investigators should document which of the following?
- Only the positive comments made by the reference
- The date, time, reference's name and title, questions asked, and responses given (Correct answer)
- Only information that differs from what the candidate stated
- The investigator's personal impressions of the reference's credibility
Correct answer: The date, time, reference's name and title, questions asked, and responses given
Comprehensive documentation of all aspects of the reference conversation creates an accurate record and supports defensible hiring decisions.
Question 5: Which scenario best illustrates a conflict of interest in conducting background investigations?
- An investigator who has previously worked in law enforcement
- An investigator assigned to check the background of a personal friend who is a job candidate (Correct answer)
- An investigator who specializes in a particular industry
- An investigator who uses multiple sources to verify information
Correct answer: An investigator assigned to check the background of a personal friend who is a job candidate
Investigating a personal friend creates a conflict of interest because the personal relationship may compromise the investigator's objectivity.
Question 6: Under CODESP guidelines, background investigation results should be used to make employment decisions based primarily on:
- The total number of negative findings, regardless of type
- Job-relatedness of findings to the specific duties and responsibilities of the position (Correct answer)
- The personal judgment of the hiring manager without documentation
- Comparison with other candidates' background findings
Correct answer: Job-relatedness of findings to the specific duties and responsibilities of the position
Employment decisions based on background findings must be grounded in the relevance of those findings to the specific requirements of the job.
Question 7: A candidate discloses a misdemeanor conviction from 12 years ago on their application. The best practice is to:
- Automatically disqualify the candidate
- Evaluate the conviction's nature, recency, and relevance to the specific job duties (Correct answer)
- Ignore the conviction since it is older than 10 years
- Refer the matter to law enforcement without further evaluation
Correct answer: Evaluate the conviction's nature, recency, and relevance to the specific job duties
Best practice requires individualized assessment considering the nature of the offense, time elapsed, and its relevance to the position rather than automatic disqualification.
CODESP Background and Reference Investigations 3
Which type of background check is specifically designed to verify that a candidate possesses the academic credentials they claim?