At Good Egg headquarters, we were recently talking movies, and someone mentioned that the beloved Judy Garland film The Wizard of Oz is turning 80 (!) this year.
We debated favorite characters (mine is Dorothy, because I played her in the first grade). Before long, one of my colleagues joked, "Someone should have background checked the wizard. Would have saved Dorothy a lot of time."
Very true! In fact, many of Good Egg's services could have come in handy in Kansas and Oz.
Grab your popcorn (and Toto, too!) and hear me out...
Education, Employment, and Criminal Background Checks—Oh My!
If Dorothy had only thought to run a verifications check on the man claiming to be a wizard, she would have discovered that he was nothing more than a hot air balloon operator (at best) and a fraud in general.
Good Egg's verifications service helps corroborate the "facts" of a person's past, such as employment and education, as well as specific facts about the present, such as licenses and certifications. (It's probable that the "wizard" duped many others before Dorothy—and perhaps even served some time for his chicanery. A criminal background check would have been another wise investment.)
Speaking of duping people...many of the characters in the film have aliases (hello, Professor Marvel, a.k.a. the Wizard of Oz or Zeke, a.k.a. The Cowardly Lion). Oh, if Dorothy only knew! And the same applies to the screening process: if you only run the name the applicant provides, you could be missing important intel, which is precisely why Good Egg runs searches on aliases, such as maiden names.
I'll Get You, My Pretty...Through Social Media Monitoring!
The Wicked Witch of the West was an early adopter of social media. Do you remember her threat "Surrender Dorothy" written in the sky for all to see? Her skywriting shenanigans are just the type of behavior that social media monitoring looks for. In fact, Good Egg's social media monitoring service identifies and flags the following (and does so in a compliant manner):
- Potentially illegal activity
- Potentially violent conduct
- Sexually explicit material
- Demonstrations of racism/intolerance
MVR Reports...Because Navigating Flying Monkeys Isn't for Everyone.
Does the Wicked Witch of the West even have a license for that broomstick anyway? Or what about the so-called wizard when he takes off in that hot air balloon? Motor vehicle records (MVR) monitoring helps ensure that anyone driving on behalf of your company is doing so legally.
Occupational Health Screenings Are Good for the Head & the Heart!
An occupational health screening would have been good for the Tin Man and his erratic heart. Not to mention if Dorothy had screened the Scarecrow, she would have discovered his missing brain. Performing pre-employment health screenings can be an excellent way to ensure a productive and safe workforce.
Drug Testing...Because Poppy Fields Can Make You Sleepy.
Dorothy and her crew felt pretty chillaxed thanks to the time they spent frolicking in that poppy field. The great and powerful wizard would have been smart to run a pre-employment drug test on everyone before sending them on that mission to take care of the Wicked Witch of the West.
Click your heels three times and repeat after me...
I hope you enjoyed my playful way of demonstrating two important points: pre-employment background checks can provide critical insights into applicants. These screenings can help you avoid hiring "bad eggs" who could adversely affect workplace culture and put your company at risk. Continuous monitoring of current employees can do the same.
Or think of it this way: The Wizard of Oz starts off in sepia tones and changes to color when Dorothy lands in Oz. Good Egg's comprehensive background screening services add the "color" to an otherwise "flat, monochromatic" view of a prospective employee.
Learn more about our pre-employment screening services and post-employment screening services.
And by the way, if you have any tips on how to get over that rainbow, I'm all ears!
