Wednesday, June 24, 2009

The Filtration Group of RSI - parent company in the news

Mentor company says bad economy usually leads to dishonest applicants

As found in The News-Herald, Recruiter Solutions International's parent company Backtrack Inc., conducts pre-employment screening services for organizations in any industry.

"BackTrack co-owner Bob Gandee estimates that 40 percent of resumes carry some sort of lie in normal times. But now that unemployment has soared and job fairs attract thousands, the stakes are too high for some applicants not to stray from the truth. For that reason, Backtrack has billed now as the time to take preventive measures."

To read the full article
http://www.news-herald.com/articles/2009/03/13/news/nh607186.txt




Filtration Group RSI Recruiter Solutions International BackTrack

Friday, May 29, 2009

Filtration & Separations Recruiter - Passwords and Security

My name is Lisa Sprowls and I am a Filtration Recruiter. I work on many sales/ engineering/executive/ and management level positions serving the search and recruitment needs of both large and small manufacturers and distributors in the Filtration/Water & Wastewater/ Separations/and Environmental Industries.

With each and every finalist candidate that we present to our clients, we also provide a complete background check. Our background checks are provided by our parent company, BackTrack Inc., www.backtracker.com. All reports provided include employment verification, education verification, social security trace report, motor vehicle report, reference checking and criminal records searches.

Passwords and Security
Employee data breaches are becoming more and more common for companies. Lately there are more and more news stories about data breaches, averaging up to 4 or 5 per week in the media. Sometimes it is the missing laptop that was stolen from someone’s car/home/apartment ; sometimes it is the data tape that was being transported for storage and was “misplaced” ; and sometimes it was a disgruntled former employer who still had access to company information. How does this happen? Actually, it can be very simple.

You have an employee within your organization that, for what ever reason, you have chosen to release from your company. That employee had access to records, background reports, financial information, or other sensitive information about your company. Maybe you did your background report retrieval via the internet, or maybe the majority of your banking was through the internet. If that former employee still has access to active passwords, and had not been deactivated from the system, you could have a real problem.

As soon as your company has made the decision to release someone from their employment, you need to know how involved their access was to this information. Contact the bank and have their user name removed from the account or change the information if you have to. Be sure to contact your background screening company and update them to the change in personnel status so passwords can be locked out of the system, change the passwords on any sensitive information that can be accessed off site. And, while the majority of you will be able to say that you never share your password with anyone else, there are those that do. If the former employee has access to someone else’s password for what ever reason, be sure and get that changed as well. This is where you have to stamp out the brush fire before the whole forest burns.

Filtration & Separations Recruiter - Passwords and Security

Lisa Sprowls
Filtration Recruiter
Recruiter Solutions International
8850 Tyler Blvd.
Mentor, OH 44060
800-992-3875 ext. 313
lisa@rsipeople.com



Filtration Recruiter, Water Recruiter, Wastewater Recruiter, Environmental Recruiter, Fluid Power Recruiter. As an executive recruiter/headhunter dedicated to serving the search and recruitment needs in both large and small manufacturers and distributors. Dan specializes in the search and placement of sales, engineering, management and upper level management positions. Keywords: Filtration Recruiter, Water Recruiter, Wastewater Recruiter, Pumps, Filters, Microfiltration, Water, Oil, Gas, Air, Industrial, Cartridge, Filtration & Separation, Membrane, Reverse Osmosis, Filtration Equipment, Filter Media, Filtration Supplies, Wastewater, Fuel, Environmental, Storm Water, Dewatering Equipment, Woven, Non Woven, Ultrafiltration, Recruiter Solutions International, RSI, Lisa Sprowls, Dan Regovich, Headhunter Filtration, Filtration Headhunter, Filtration Industry Recruiter, Wastewater and Filtration, Water Treatment, Wastewater

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Forward Thinking Drives the Filtration Industry

Innovation and technology are the lifelines this year for the filtration industry, according to a recent conversation with Knowlton Technologies Director of Technology and New Business Development, Jamie Lee. Knowlton Technologies is a world leading manufacturer of engineered Specialty and Technical Media, Performance Nonwovens and Filled Composites constructed from metal, glass, polymer, ceramic and natural fibers.

“For most of our peers or competitors, the year will be challenging. Anyone in the direct OE automotive line of filtration market for on-the-road has no business growth to look forward to, in my mind, for several years,” Lee said, while noting that the OE automotive supply chain is down 60 to 70 percent while other industries may be down 30 to 50 percent. He believes this is because cars aren’t selling and there is a tremendous backlog of filtration parts for the on-the-road industry.

The survival of the filtration industry rests with companies possessing the ability to produce higher value, longer life products, he said, because these companies can chew- out market shares with innovation and technology.

Additionally, off-road filtration systems such as those used in construction will rebound more quickly than on-road products in part with the help from the government’s stimulus and recovery plans to improve infrastructures. But even in this field, the catch phrases will be higher value, longer life products, he said. Products which eliminate the need for frequent changes will sell. Discounting a product by 5-15% percent or so will not get sellers to their long-term goals.

“Some people will go out and buy the cheapest filters but that’s not a deal if you ruin an $8,000 engine. The future lies not with companies offering the lowest price for their filters but rather with companies making the best filters.”

Lee said filtration manufacturers would do well to explore making filters for water purification systems, the medical market, earth sciences and energy. He believes these markets provide the best opportunity for future growth.

“Micro fiber filters used in the medical separation field are manufactured from the same high quality fibers as those used to make scotch,” he said.

He points to bio fuel as another example, saying the development of bio fuels will require the use of many new filters, other than those used in common petroleum -based fuel production.

About the Authors
Lisa Sprowls of the Filtration Group of RSI has successfully placed a wide range of positions in the Filtration, Water and Wastewater industries. She has developed a clientele ranging from successful, small, privately held companies to the corporate giants of the industry throughout North America. To learn more about their recruiting services visit them at www.rsipeople.com/filtration

Copyright © Lisa Sprowls 2009

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Filtration & Separations Recruiter - New York Bill For Employee Identification Protection

My name is Lisa Sprowls and I am a Filtration Recruiter. I work on many sales/ engineering/executive/ and management level positions serving the search and recruitment needs of both large and small manufacturers and distributors in the Filtration/Water & Wastewater/ Separations/and Environmental Industries.

With each and every finalist candidate that we present to our clients, we also provide a complete background check. Our background checks are provided by our parent company, BackTrack Inc., www.backtracker.com. All reports provided include employment verification, education verification, social security trace report, motor vehicle report, reference checking and criminal records searches.

New York Bill For Employee Identification Protection
On July 9, 2008 New York Governor David Paterson signed Bill Number A11751/S83761. The purpose of the bill is to protect consumers and employees against identity theft. This bill will become effective in January, 2009. This bill regulates the internal use of personal identifying information, including social security numbers.

Basically this provision restricts employers from communicating personal identifying information. Personal identifying information has a very broad definition in this bill to include a social security number, home address, telephone number, personal electronic mail address, internet user ID's and passwords, parent's surname prior to marriage, or a drivers license number. The information can not be publicly posted or displayed, visibly printed on an ID badge or card (or time card), placed in a file with unrestricted access, or communicated to the general public. In addition to this, social security numbers may not be used as identification numbers for purposes of occupational licensing.

The bill also lists punitive measures and penalties for any employer who knowingly violates these provisions. This new amendment presumes that an employer's failure to safeguard the personal identifying information of its workforce is equivalent of a knowing public disclosure, even if the information is inadvertently released or stolen.

What does this mean to an employer? Basically, it is reiterating safe practices that hopefully most of you are doing already. Do not print the above identification information on a name badge and do not use a social security number (either all or in part) as a payroll number, especially if it prints on a paycheck or check stub. Be very careful where personal information is stored and who has access to it. If it is stored in an applicant tracking system or in a file cabinet, be sure that there are security measures in place to protect the information. Having a laptop stolen with the information stored in the laptop without any type of password protection or encryption could land your company in a lot of hot water.

This does NOT mean that, if you work with a background screening company, you can not provide this information to that agency in order to conduct a background check on someone prior to making a job offer. The majority of the reputable companies out there have restricted access and strong security to protect the information. Their staff is trained in the sensative nature of these pieces of information. Also, this information is still required when calling in to companies, schools, or licensing boards in order to verify the information listed by your applicant.

New York joins many other states, most recently Connecticut, in trying to combat identity theft. Other states are sure to join, so it’s a good idea to review your company’s policies and procedures to make sure you are doing everything you can to protect your employees’ information.

Filtration & Separations Recruiter - New York Bill For Employee Identification Protection

Lisa Sprowls
Filtration Recruiter
Recruiter Solutions International
8850 Tyler Blvd.
Mentor, OH 44060
800-992-3875 ext. 313
lisa@rsipeople.com



Filtration Recruiter, Water Recruiter, Wastewater Recruiter, Environmental Recruiter, Fluid Power Recruiter. As an executive recruiter/headhunter dedicated to serving the search and recruitment needs in both large and small manufacturers and distributors. Dan specializes in the search and placement of sales, engineering, management and upper level management positions. Keywords: Filtration Recruiter, Water Recruiter, Wastewater Recruiter, Pumps, Filters, Microfiltration, Water, Oil, Gas, Air, Industrial, Cartridge, Filtration & Separation, Membrane, Reverse Osmosis, Filtration Equipment, Filter Media, Filtration Supplies, Wastewater, Fuel, Environmental, Storm Water, Dewatering Equipment, Woven, Non Woven, Ultrafiltration, Recruiter Solutions International, RSI, Lisa Sprowls, Dan Regovich, Headhunter Filtration, Filtration Headhunter, Filtration Industry Recruiter, Wastewater and Filtration, Water Treatment, Wastewater

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Filtration & Separation Recruiter - International Applicant's and International Degrees

My name is Lisa Sprowls and I am a Filtration Recruiter. I work on many sales/ engineering/executive/ and management level positions serving the search and recruitment needs of both large and small manufacturers and distributors in the Filtration/Water & Wastewater/ Separations/and Environmental Industries.

With each and every finalist candidate that we present to our clients, we also provide a complete background check. Our background checks are provided by our parent company, BackTrack Inc., www.backtracker.com. All reports provided include employment verification, education verification, social security trace report, motor vehicle report, reference checking and criminal records searches.

International Applicant's and International Degrees
More and more companies are beginning to screen and hire international job applicant's to work for their organization. Many times, these applicants will have degrees that were awarded by colleges outside of the United States. If the degree was issued from an accredited institution, it is every bit as valid as a degree that was issued by an accredited institution in the United States. The difficulty, however, lies in verifying the degree with that institution.

Due to cultural differences, language differences, and even time zones, getting that degree verified from an overseas college can become very difficult. As one example, if you are going to try and verify a degree from a college in China you have to deal with a 12 hour time difference to start. Then, the majority of colleges in China require the full name of the job candidate at the time they graduated spelled out in Chinese language characters. If you utilize a background screening company, they should be able to give you some information on what you are going to need in order to verify an international college degree.

Another step you may wish to take is to have the job applicant get their degree translated. There are reputable agencies that will contact the international school, become familiar with their requirements for graduation and degrees, and be able to show you on paper how that degree will be equivalent to a degree offered in the United States. This can become a time consuming option as they generally do take some time to get the degree information translated. Again, your background screening agency should be able to tell you where these organizations are and how to reach them.

Regardless of which route you choose to take to get an international degree verified, please be aware that it takes time and sometimes can be expensive. To try and plan ahead, be sure to have your job candidate prepare a copy of all documentation they have from the school (copies of the degree or certificate, grade reports or transcripts, or even a letter that the school issued indicating graduation). Frequently an international school will authenticate documentation supplied to them quicker than they will look up a job candidate to verify a degree.

Filtration & Separation Recruiter - International Applicant's and International Degrees

Lisa Sprowls
Filtration Recruiter
Recruiter Solutions International
8850 Tyler Blvd.
Mentor, OH 44060
800-992-3875 ext. 313
lisa@rsipeople.com



Filtration Recruiter, Water Recruiter, Wastewater Recruiter, Environmental Recruiter, Fluid Power Recruiter. As an executive recruiter/headhunter dedicated to serving the search and recruitment needs in both large and small manufacturers and distributors. Dan specializes in the search and placement of sales, engineering, management and upper level management positions. Keywords: Filtration Recruiter, Water Recruiter, Wastewater Recruiter, Pumps, Filters, Microfiltration, Water, Oil, Gas, Air, Industrial, Cartridge, Filtration & Separation, Membrane, Reverse Osmosis, Filtration Equipment, Filter Media, Filtration Supplies, Wastewater, Fuel, Environmental, Storm Water, Dewatering Equipment, Woven, Non Woven, Ultrafiltration, Recruiter Solutions International, RSI, Lisa Sprowls, Dan Regovich, Headhunter Filtration, Filtration Headhunter, Filtration Industry Recruiter, Wastewater and Filtration, Water Treatment, Wastewater

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Filtration & Separations Recruiter - What is Adverse Action in Pre-employment Screening?

My name is Lisa Sprowls and I am a Filtration Recruiter. I work on many sales/ engineering/executive/ and management level positions serving the search and recruitment needs of both large and small manufacturers and distributors in the Filtration/Water & Wastewater/ Separations/and Environmental Industries.

With each and every finalist candidate that we present to our clients, we also provide a complete background check. Our background checks are provided by our parent company, BackTrack Inc., www.backtracker.com. All reports provided include employment verification, education verification, social security trace report, motor vehicle report, reference checking and criminal records searches.

What is Adverse Action in Pre-employment Screening?
What is Adverse Action?
Section 603(k)(1) of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) states that an adverse action is “a denial of employment or any other decision for employment purposes that adversely affects any current or prospective employee.” These decisions include not hiring, not retaining or not promoting an individual.

What does this mean for my company?
If your company uses a consumer report/investigative consumer report in whole or in part to deny someone employment or promotion, you are obligated under the FCRA to provide both Pre-Adverse and Adverse Action Disclosures to those applicants/employees.

What is a Pre-Adverse Action Disclosure?
The disclosure must contain information stating that an adverse employment action will be taken, a copy of the consumer report/investigative report, and a summary of the applicant’s/employee’s rights. The disclosure must also include the consumer reporting agency’s name and contact information. Once the applicant/employee receives the disclosure, he or she must be given sufficient time to dispute the information.

What is an Adverse Action Disclosure?
The Adverse Action Disclosure contains wording similar in nature to the Pre-Adverse Action Disclosure and must be done in a reasonable amount of time after the Pre-Adverse Action Disclosure. The disclosure informs the applicant/employee of the final decision made by your company in not hiring, not retaining or not promoting an individual.

Do I need to do both the Pre-Adverse Action and the Adverse Action Disclosures?
Yes. Both are required under the FCRA.

Where can I get samples of these disclosures?
You may either contact our office at 800-991-9694 or click here for samples of the Pre-Adverse and Adverse Action Disclosures. (will link to our pre-adverse/adverse action letters)

Filtration & Separations Recruiter - What is Adverse Action in Pre-employment Screening?

Lisa Sprowls
Filtration Recruiter
Recruiter Solutions International
8850 Tyler Blvd.
Mentor, OH 44060
800-992-3875 ext. 313
lisa@rsipeople.com



Filtration Recruiter, Water Recruiter, Wastewater Recruiter, Environmental Recruiter, Fluid Power Recruiter. As an executive recruiter/headhunter dedicated to serving the search and recruitment needs in both large and small manufacturers and distributors. Dan specializes in the search and placement of sales, engineering, management and upper level management positions. Keywords: Filtration Recruiter, Water Recruiter, Wastewater Recruiter, Pumps, Filters, Microfiltration, Water, Oil, Gas, Air, Industrial, Cartridge, Filtration & Separation, Membrane, Reverse Osmosis, Filtration Equipment, Filter Media, Filtration Supplies, Wastewater, Fuel, Environmental, Storm Water, Dewatering Equipment, Woven, Non Woven, Ultrafiltration, Recruiter Solutions International, RSI, Lisa Sprowls, Dan Regovich, Headhunter Filtration, Filtration Headhunter, Filtration Industry Recruiter, Wastewater and Filtration, Water Treatment, Wastewater

Friday, January 2, 2009

Filtration & Separations Recruiter - What Criminal Search should I run? - Database Searches

My name is Lisa Sprowls and I am a Filtration Recruiter. I work on many sales/ engineering/executive/ and management level positions serving the search and recruitment needs of both large and small manufacturers and distributors in the Filtration/Water & Wastewater/ Separations/and Environmental Industries.

With each and every finalist candidate that we present to our clients, we also provide a complete background check. Our background checks are provided by our parent company, BackTrack Inc., www.backtracker.com. All reports provided include employment verification, education verification, social security trace report, motor vehicle report, reference checking and criminal records searches.

What Criminal Search should I run? - Database Searches
Today when an employer decides to start doing background checks on their job candidates, the most common search that is requested is the criminal background check. The employer may go on line and type in “criminal background checks” in the search engine of their choice. Then sit back and try and weed out one particular company or option from the 240,000+ matches to their search request.

Before choosing someone to do the background check for you, an employer needs to be aware of few things. If you are offered an “instant, nationwide criminal background check” for only “$19.95” you should be a little hesitant. Remember the old adage “if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is”. A lot of the “instant, nationwide” criminal searches are database searches. Database searches have their place and can be useful, but if a background screening company does an “instant database” search for you, they should also be letting you know that that database search needs to be backed up. Databases are just that – a database. You will find a large number of users putting information in to that database. However, it is not always updated on a regular basis. Someone may have been charged with a crime in “Whoville” and that crime will be listed, however what it does not tell you is the case was either dismissed or dropped to a misdemeanor. In order to get that information someone needs to go to the “Whoville” court and look up the court dockets. If you base a hiring decision on what you found in “Whoville” and choose not to hire someone based on that crime, you may find yourself facing a few problems. Also “nationwide” database searches aren’t really nationwide. Sure, you will probably get something from every state, however you will NOT get everything from every state. You may find that one county in a particular state is on the search, or one state run prison from another state is on the list. In that way, it can be listed as nationwide because you are getting something from every state. However, the search is not as thorough as you think. Be very careful with this type of search and be sure to read the fine print on what exactly the information is that you will be getting.

Filtration & Separations Recruiter - What Criminal Search should I run? - Database Searches

Lisa Sprowls
Filtration Recruiter
Recruiter Solutions International
8850 Tyler Blvd.
Mentor, OH 44060
800-992-3875 ext. 313
lisa@rsipeople.com



Filtration Recruiter, Water Recruiter, Wastewater Recruiter, Environmental Recruiter, Fluid Power Recruiter. As an executive recruiter/headhunter dedicated to serving the search and recruitment needs in both large and small manufacturers and distributors. Dan specializes in the search and placement of sales, engineering, management and upper level management positions. Keywords: Filtration Recruiter, Water Recruiter, Wastewater Recruiter, Pumps, Filters, Microfiltration, Water, Oil, Gas, Air, Industrial, Cartridge, Filtration & Separation, Membrane, Reverse Osmosis, Filtration Equipment, Filter Media, Filtration Supplies, Wastewater, Fuel, Environmental, Storm Water, Dewatering Equipment, Woven, Non Woven, Ultrafiltration, Recruiter Solutions International, RSI, Lisa Sprowls, Dan Regovich, Headhunter Filtration, Filtration Headhunter, Filtration Industry Recruiter, Wastewater and Filtration, Water Treatment, Wastewater