Author Archives: blogger

Employee Background Screening

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Since 1993, Onicra has been pioneering the cause of rendering a creditable and secure financial profile and a commercially credible identity to the widely expanding consumer base. It offers valuable industry-oriented service, directed towards locating, assessing and polishing the best personnel and employee resources in India. Onicra offers credible statistical and analytical input, structures valuable research and development programs and act as industry-specific consultants to leading companies throughout India. Onicra also offers industry-specific rating solutions to premier companies, facilitating optimum management and industrial output. Today, Onicra has extended its services to pioneering concerns like Mahindra & Mahindra, Volkswagen, HDFC Bank and Genpact.

Onicra has incorporated industry-leading processes like the PRTS (Performance Rating and Tracking System) to ensure maximum efficiency for its clients. Corporate consultancy is an extremely resourceful and popular service among a pack of detailed commercial and corporate services provided by Onicra. One of the primary features of this service is the Employee Background Screening options, which enable employers to ascertain and evaluate the personal and corporate potential of a future employee. Pre employment checks have been carried by corporate agencies for many years, and have been yielding credible results in the west. It enables the employer concerns to verify an applicant”s potential, industrial aptitude and personal skills.

Onicra prepares an extensive and exhaustive database on the employment applicants, which demonstrate their job-worthiness and efficiency before they are employed. By ensuring that every significant employee meets the detailed and rigorous standards of Onicra”s pre employment screening, the client concerns select a workforce with optimal possible efficiency and tremendous potential for growth. For every employee, Onicra meticulously researches the respective records, associations and affiliations that might affect his/her efficiency, skills and productivity. This arrangement also facilitates effective decentralization of resources, as delegating the pre employment checks takes considerable workload of the human resources departments of companies and commercial institutions.

Onicra combines actual professional, personal and scholastic records and incorporates empirical results of extensive research to arrive at an accurate rating after pre employment screenings. In its detailed pre employment verification records, Onicra includes exhaustive data from the following checks. Onicra performs a comprehensive employment check, reviewing collated and screened data pertaining to earlier employment details like previous designations, entitled salaries and employment tenure. It also reviews the stated educational degrees with actual educational qualifications, verifying the applicant”s academic career in his/her respective universities/ educational institutions. A thorough validation is also obtained from the legal enforcement authorities testifying in favor of the applicant against possible criminal records. Onicra”s employment background screening service also includes comprehensive reference verification, analyzing the relationship of the applicant with the furnished references.

An almost glitch-proof system of employee background screening allows Onicra to amass inferential data about an employment applicant, which might be used to predict his/her efficiency levels fairly accurately. The screening procedure also includes extensive data from Criminal Database checks for possible matches, narcotics and substance abuse diagnostics, examinations of judicial and legal records and personal identity checks. These checks are absolutely essential to substantiate the employee”s identity as that of a responsible national citizen who possesses valid documentation like PAN cards, professional licenses (like Chartered Accountants), Driving licenses, passports and voter I.D cards. Checks are carried on for an employee”s personal and familial health records as discrepancies might adversely affect the employee”s individual performance.

Unlike in developed, industrial countries, background checks in India are a fairly new concept. Onicra appropriates the examination and screening procedure according to the Indian lifestyle, ensuring maximum local relevance. The validity of these checks is ensured by Infinity Screening procedures, which facilitate random, detailed checks during the employment tenure for consequential anomalies in earlier data. The extensive background screening process employed by Onicra has helped numerous companies make efficient, rewarding decisions regarding human resources development and management.

Singapore Employment Pass Important Requirements For Foreign Applicants

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The Singapore Employment Pass is a visa issued to foreign businessmen, shareholders, managing directors, supervisors, and employees with specialized skills, according to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

To prove their eligibility, foreign applicants are required to provide MOM with these following documents and certificates:
Educational certificates, and if applicable, testimonials from their previous employers.

All the documents and testimonials should be in English, if not, these should be translated into this language by an authorized translation service.
A completed Employment Pass Application form which is downloaded from MOMs official website.

For professionals: In case that their employer is a Singapore-based company, they should be sponsored by this business entity. However, if their employer is an overseas company which does not operate a local office, they should get sponsorship from a local company which must sign the EP form and stamp this with its company seal.
A company should provide its latest business profile which must be registered to the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA). However, if a company is not yet registered to this agency, it should provide at least the registration papers from its respective professional body.

The applicants passport-sized photograph which must be taken within the past three months.

Relevant travel documents and passport particulars of an applicant.

It is important to note that MOM usually requires additional documents and certificates to foreign entrepreneurs. For example, they are required to secure an approval letter from the International Enterprise Singapore if they are planning to setup a representative office.

The approval letter should state the purpose of the application, duration of an applicants assignment, and activity for the maintenance and repatriation of an applicant.

Meanwhile, foreign professionals such as doctors, dentists, school teachers, nurses, lawyers, and pharmacists are also required to submit supporting documents provided by their respective accreditation agency or professional body.

Requirements for EP Applicants

One of the most important requirements is a college diploma from a reputable university. However, passing in this qualification does not guarantee a successful EP application since MOM also considers other factors.

For professionals, they should have several years of work-related experience, specialized skills, and at least a fixed monthly salary of S$2,500. And for businessmen, strong entrepreneurial skills and their companys reputation, background, and paid-up capital will determine their eligibility for this visa.

In some cases, MOM also considers an applicants age, roles and responsibility in a company, and current citizenship.

Understanding The Definition Of Employment At Will

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Like with most legal jargon, “employment at will” has both a formal definition and a practical one. In this case, the theory is easy. The basic definition of “employment at will” says the employer or the employee may end the working relationship at any time and for any reason without fearing legal action. This means the employer can fire or lay off the employee whenever they want. According to the theory, the employers do not have to explain why they fired their worker.

This definition also claims the employee may choose to quit his or her job at any time. Under such circumstances, the worker does not have to give the employer the reason for leaving his or her current position.

On its face, this is a simple law that should work for both the employer and the employee. Unfortunately in practice, “employment at will” is not so clear. While most states follow the formal definition, many lower courts have passed laws to cancel the employer’s rights. All of these laws have created many exceptions to the formal definition, and employers must keep this in mind if they need to fire someone.

Definition of Employment at Will: What It Means For Employers

So what does this mean for you, the employer, if you need to fire an underperforming employee? It’s simple. Wise employers do not fire employees without a reason and claim protection under “employment at will”. This is true even if you live in an “at will” state.

Almost every “at-will” state has exceptions an employer must consider. To make the situation more complex, these exceptions vary widely from state to state. It is a good idea to contact your state’s labor office to find out the laws that apply to you.

If you fire an employee and that person becomes angry, you could find yourself in a wrongful termination lawsuit. And as an employer, you don’t want these legal proceeding to go to court. Most courts favor the employee. This leaves the employer at the losing end and that costs time, money and productivity.

So how do you avoid such lawsuits? It’s a good idea for all employers to have standard termination procedures in place.

First, make sure you have an employee handbook with rules and regulations of the workplace. All employees must be aware of its contents. Second, make sure no manager fires an employee without giving a reason. Third, have standards in place so the reasons for termination are legal and fair. Fourth, train all managers in progressive discipline. Using this proven method, an employee termination will never take a worker by surprise. This will reduce their overall anger at the company.

It is true that “employment at will” suggests an employer doesn’t own an employee an explanation for losing his or her job. However, this simple definition does not translate directly into practice. Never depend on the formal definition of this law to protect you from a wrongful termination lawsuit.

Employment and the Job Interview

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If you are seeking employment then at some point in time you will have to have a job interview. How you are perceived at this job interview is what may get you hired so a job interview is very important for future employment. Another important factor included in this employment process is your resume. When you go in offer a job interview you have to be prepared. Just remember that Boy Scout motto of Be Prepared and do your preparation thoroughly so you can’t look back and blame your own actions and preparation for not getting the job.

The Preparation:

When you are looking for a position in just about any organization whether it be public or private or even non-profit you will need to do your homework before you apply. This should include researching the company so you know something about its history or background. Also you should find out how it is doing financially if it is publically traded or has that information available to the public. Of course if it is a private family owned company that information will not be available to you. Although you might be able to do some research if it is a licensed company or has to have a city business license.

The second step is your own preparation which includes preparing a resume that you probably will have to send along with some form of application and cover letter. If you have found the potential job online such as a government position the website will have exactly what you will need to complete and send in before you will be granted an interview. Follow these instructions exactly if you have any expectations as to getting an interview. Some of the requirements may seem strange for example a city position may ask that you hand write an outline or your thoughts on a separate piece of paper and include that with your application. If they as for it, just do it. They have their reasons which may be that they want to see if you can follow directions.

The Job Interview:

If all of your paperwork passes scrutiny you may receive a telephone call asking you to come in for an interview. If you get to this stage you really must be prepared and know something about the company or agency and also about yourself. You will have to present yourself as confident and knowledgeable. And you will have to make sure what you tell them in the interview corresponds with your resume. You may be asked to play act such as what would you do if- If this is the case just think quickly and describe your response to the best of your ability. They expect you to be nervous and would probably be surprised if you were not a bit nervous. You may also have to take some sort of written test so keep that in mind also. This is a long process which requires you to be at your very best.

Job Search aggregates job postings from major Job Boards, newspapers and company websites in the US. Jobseekers can easily find their dream jobs in one simple click.

How To Employ Foreign Nationals In Your Singapore Company

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Every year about few thousand foreign owned companies get registered in Singapore. At the same time, the number of foreign professionals working in the country has gone up considerably and now over one-third of the entire working population in Singapore comprises of overseas professionals. Although this year saw a number of amendments introduced on the employment pass scheme to ensure only the best minds were able to live and work in Singapore, overall it is fairly simple for a company to employ foreign nationals in the country.
Firstly companies that need to employ foreigners for whatever reason must ensure they apply for an employment pass for each of the foreign professional they want to employ. The employment pass is actually the main type of work visa meant for foreigners that want to work in Singapore. Obtaining an employment pass takes about a month and authorities would check the background of both the professional who is being employed as well as the company that is employing the foreigner. With the recent changed introduced in the eligibility criteria for an employment pass, authorities in Singapore would look at the relevant work experience of the foreign professional, their educational qualifications as well as their existing and offered salaries in Singapore. The third criterion, that of salary is an important addition to the eligibility for employment pass as Singapore wants to ensure highly skilled professionals who already have a good professional background are able to enter the country.
Foreign companies that are about to incorporate in Singapore and need to bring in staff from their head office can apply for the employment pass immediately after receiving the certificate of incorporation. Again it must be noted that an application has to be submitted for each of the overseas staff members they wish to relocate. Ministry of Manpower (MoM) in Singapore processes employment pass applications and they would ensure that the employment offered is legitimate and whether all rules and regulations are being followed.
If a company in Singapore wants to employ a foreigner who is already working in the country for another company, they must endorse a new application for the foreign professional as each employment pass is connected to one employer. Moment the foreigner stops working for the company that originally employed them, their employment pass expires immediately. Hence for change of companies, foreigners need to apply for the employment pass again endorsed by the new company employing them.