Forensic Hiring - Finding Out What an Applicant Doesn't Want You to Know

Episode length: 1h 18m  |  Published: 2021-02-18

The majority of dental embezzlements are preventable — and most can be traced back to a single failure point: inadequate screening at the time of hiring. In this episode, the Prosperident team introduces the concept of forensic hiring: approaching the recruitment and screening process with the same rigor and skepticism that investigators bring to a case — specifically to uncover what an applicant would prefer you never find out.

Every embezzler was hired. And in nearly every case Prosperident has investigated, warning signs existed in the applicant's background that a more thorough hiring process would have surfaced. This episode is designed to close that gap.

Topics covered include:

• Why standard hiring practices leave most dental practices dangerously exposed
• What "forensic hiring" means and how it differs from conventional recruitment
• The specific categories of background information that matter most for dental hiring
• How to conduct reference checks that go beyond the rehearsed recommendation
• What criminal background checks do and don't reveal — and how to supplement them
• Credit checks: when they are appropriate, what they reveal, and legal considerations
• Social media and online research as part of a hiring investigation
• Red flags in applications, interviews, and references that experienced embezzlers work to hide
• Interview questions and techniques designed to surface honesty and integrity
• How to structure your hiring process so that candidates with problematic histories self-select out

The goal of forensic hiring is not to assume every applicant is dishonest — it is to ensure that if someone has a history that should disqualify them, you find it before they're on your payroll.