Huffington Post's ad-sales chief fails background check

Ad Age. The dismissal centered around a background check turning up an old, outstanding warrant for failure to appear in court related to a 2003 DWI charge that he says he has since dealt with. “I did not know about [the outstanding warrant] … but it was a stupid mistake,” he said. An AOL spokeswoman said in an emailed statement: “Recent information has indicated that Moritz’s hiring did not meet AOL requirements.” Mr. Loew previously held senior digital sales roles at NBC News Digital and MSNBC. In May, Mr. Loew tweeted out an Ad Age article that mentioned both the hiring of Janet Balis as Huffington Post’s first publisher as well as his new job. His tweet read in part: “[N]ice to be part of the dream team.” He reported directly to Arianna Huffington. The hiring of Ms. Balis and Mr. Loew at the Huffington Post came as part of a restructuring at AOL resulting in the company’s various content brands, including the Huffington Post, being run more like independent businesses. Following in the footsteps of Yahoo Yahoo faced a similar position only a few months ago, when their new CEO, Scott Thompson, resigned after it was revealed he lied on his resume. While no one wants to see situations like these, what is important to note is that these companies – giants in their respective industries – are practicing thorough employment checks as part of their hiring program. However, it’s not just big companies that should be performing background checks, it’s all companies – big or small. While smaller companies may be anxious about the costs of implementing such a program, considering facts such as “the average costs of a bad hire may equal 30% of the first year’s potential earnings”, it will be more than worth it in the long run. If you would like more information on background checks, or questions about how they are implemented, we will be happy to provide answers. Send us a message to learn more.  ]]>