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Bank Fraud Newsletter October, 1996

Investigator's Corner

by David E. Zulawski and Douglas E. Wicklander


Pre-Employment Interviewing Pt. 3

Previous columns have addressed the loss prevention interview and discussed the preparations to establish applicants' behavioral norms and some verbal clues to attempt deception. This month let us turn to physical behavior and the topics to cover.

Physical Behavior

While we are all very conscious of the words we use we are less aware of the physical behavior that accompanies them. The physical behavior modifies and emphasizes words sometimes completely changing their meaning. Body positions and movements that respond to the environment reflect our innermost feelings.

The stress we feel when discussing an uncomfortable topic is often reflected by the movements to form a protective barrier. In general, when people are not concerned about a topic their arms and legs are left uncrossed and they look relaxed. When stress rises they tend to close physically crossing their arms and legs to defend the stomach area. The abdominal region is vulnerable and we feel the need to protect it when threatened.

Therefore when an applicant maintains an open body position when questioned about his biographical information, but closes physically when he is asked about his job history, it may possibly indicate a concealment of derogatory information.

Many people also avoid eye contact with their questioner when attempting deception. As discussed earlier there may be numerous reasons why truthful people will avoid eye contact but deceivers are almost always reluctant to make eye contact because of the fear of detection.

Two questions should be asked about eye contact. First, does the overall eye contact between questioner and applicant occur somewhere between forty per cent and sixty percent of the time? Second, can the applicant maintain eye contact at moments of stress. A moment of stress might follow a question such as, "Have you ever been fired from a job?" The applicant attempting to conceal a poor record may break eye contact, and look away while responding.

When applicants look away under these circumstances they may use created jobs as a cover. Created jobs might be picking lint, or scratching, any activity that must be supervised by the eyes. Of course, everyone picks lint or scratches once in a while. But this time it happens directly in the wake of an uncomfortable question.

Some behaviors observed during the interview may be due to simple nervousness. However, nervous applicants generally become more comfortable as their interviews progress. Deceptive applicants, in contrast, often display tension in their muscles, resulting in jerky movements that appear mistimed. Their words and movements must be made consciously, which results in a timing problem.

These behaviors, along with many other movements, give the interviewer direction during the loss prevention interview. The key is to watch for timing and consistency of physical behavior as measured against applicant's normal actions.

Topics for the Loss Prevention Interview

Topics addressed in the loss prevention interview are related to applicants' honesty, not the skills necessary for the position. Any bank electing to use this type of interview should consider its positive effect on perceptions of the bank. From the beginning, the bank stresses that honesty is relevant and a strong part of the ethical attitudes necessary to be part of the team.

Interviewers should start the interview with an introductory statement that the bank does not expect perfect candidates but does expect applicants to be honest about their backgrounds so that they can be evaluated fairly.
The introductory statement should also tell applicants about the methods that "may" be employed to determine their suitability. Among the methods that can be mentioned are credit history, criminal history, reference checks, drug testing, and data base searches. The bank may or may not choose to use the methods described, but mentioning them increases fear of detection for the untruthful applicant and makes deceptive behavior easier to observe. Even truthful applicants, believing derogatory information will be discovered, are likely to offer it more readily.

Other Topics

Following are some of the topics interviewers might want to raise during a loss prevention interview:

• Job History - Look for a pattern of jobs with an increasing level of responsibility and accompanying financial reward. Gaps in work history should be explored fully and have reasonable explanations. Look out for applicants who leave jobs for "better opportunities" and then take lower paying positions.

• Military History - Review military history with the applicant, asking for the highest rank achieved and the rank at discharge. If there is a contradiction explore it fully and determine why the applicant was released with a lower rank. Was the discharge less than honorable. If so, why?

• Credit History - Consider credit history in light of the job responsibilities and the opportunity a job might provide a cash strapped person to commit a theft or fraud.

• Theft of Merchandise and Money - Ask an Assumptive question, "What is the most amount of money that you took without permission from an employer in the last five years?". Beware of applicants who delay their responses. They may be attempting to decide whether to lie.

• Illegal Drug Usage - Ask what types of drugs they have experimented with in the last year. Explore the frequency of use and type of drugs used.

• Shoplifting - Ask about the frequency and type of goods that have been shoplifted over the last three years. Has the applicant ever been detained for shoplifting even though not prosecuted?

• Buying or Selling Stolen Merchandise - Ask whether applicants have purchased or sold stolen merchandise over the last five years. If so, what were the item(s) and circumstances.

• Serious Crimes - Ask how many crimes, other than traffic violations have committed over the last five years. Also ask whether applicants have been convicted of any crimes in the last five years. It is illegal to inquire about an applicant's arrest record, but conviction and the commission of crimes are relevant to the hiring process and are non- discriminatory.

• Driving Record - Ask about applicant's driving records. Have their driver's licenses ever been suspended or revoked? How many traffic tickets have they had in the last two years?

Conclusion

Loss Prevention Interviews rely on past performance to predict future performance. Those who have misbehaved in the past are more likely to do so in the future. Banks should establish standards for each category of background so that everyone is judged by the same rules. Deciding what level of behavior is acceptable and setting standards falls to the management team.



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