February 2024 Summaries

Checkr has appointed Ilan Frank as its new Chief Product Officer, bringing over two decades of leadership experience to the role, having previously led product teams at Airtable and Slack, and played a key role in SAP's cloud transformation. The appointment is seen as strategic, with CEO Daniel Yanisse stating that Ilan's approach matches Checkr's vision for customer-first product delivery and innovation. Ilan aims to drive speed in bringing exceptional customer experiences, ensuring quality, and pushing product innovation boundaries at Checkr, where he will lead the company's multi-product expansion strategy.

In response to growing concerns over privacy, certain US state and county courts have started redacting personally identifiable information (PII) from public records in jurisdictions such as Michigan and California, with a notable example being the Los Angeles County Superior Court's decision to remove the month of birth from criminal case records starting February 23, 2024, which can delay background check processes.

An SSN Trace is a type of background check search that helps inform other searches by identifying potential aliases and addresses associated with a Social Security number. This information can be used to "point" to county courthouses to search for potential records, but it does not verify whether the SSN belongs to the candidate or indicate identity theft. To ensure accurate results, employers should consider enabling alias searching as part of their background checks and remind candidates to provide correct information. For W-2 employees, Form I-9 verification is required to verify identity and employment authorization, while for other types of workers, similar documents such as a driver's license or passport can be used. Implementing identity verification as part of the hiring process can help meet trust and safety goals.

Checkr has introduced Checkr Academy, a free learning hub that provides quick videos, courses, simulations, and live training webinars to help businesses efficiently use Checkr for hiring and background checks. The platform aims to equip users with valuable skills to navigate hiring processes, leading to better outcomes for organizations, candidates, and employees. Checkr Academy is accessible to both existing and new customers, offering bite-sized learning content hosted by Checkr experts. The platform will continue to expand its resources and training offerings as it builds people infrastructure for the future of work.