Most employers perform a background check on prospective employees before confirming the hiring. A background check is thus a key component of the recruitment process and employers tend to take it very seriously keeping in mind the increased rate of corruption, bribery, and crime.
In general, a background check is done to assess the individual’s criminal, financial, and personal records. In most cases, the employer will use a private investigator service that specializes in performing background checks.
The background check will reveal the personal and professional history and highlight any red flags. However, each state has its own laws on what can be included in a background check. In most cases, the background checking agency will do a search of the individual’s employment history, criminal history, driving record, credit history, and in some cases, even their medical history.
Here are the six basic components of how to do a background check for employment purposes:
1. Security Clearance
Many businesses perform professional background screening to ensure the safety of their employees before introducing somebody new to the workplace.
In some cases, it may be that a government security clearance is necessary for the job or that the job involves financial or accounting responsibilities, hence a credit report may reveal the reliability and dependability of the potential candidate.
2. Trustworthiness
In other cases, the nature of the job requires the employer to ensure that the person they intend to hire is trustworthy, as in the case of teachers, nurses, and other professions that require reliability.
Even if you wish to volunteer in a school, you need to undergo a background check because many lives can be put in danger if one wrong person is hired in such a workplace environment.
3. Honesty
Diploma mills, fake references, and bogus companies – there are all sorts of ways to lie about your credentials. That is where a background check enters the picture. You can determine if the potential employee is telling the truth about their work experience, education, and work history. You can check if the prospective employee really completed the education stated on the resume.
Now, as an employer, you need to understand that employees also have rights and employers cannot simply run background checks arbitrarily.
Employers cannot use an individual’s medical history in the hiring process unless the job is of a nature that requires the employee to demonstrate certain skills or participate in certain activities that will require fitness. This applies to jobs in the military or Navy for example.
4. Permission
All employers who do background checks must obtain written and signed permission from the prospective employee. If the background check reveals something negative and the candidate is not offered a job, the employer is mandated to inform the individual results of the background check and give them a copy.
For example, sometimes a background check may be incorrect and if the employee has access to the report, they can get in touch with the necessary agency to correct the error. Also, in case the prospective candidate wants to take any legal action, the employer can safeguard themselves by providing their reasons for rejecting the candidate.
In any case, sharing of this information in case of a non-hire is beneficial for both the employer and the employee.
5. Selective Background Checks
The employer must not selectively perform background checks on some people and not others. For instance, it is illegal to perform a background check on Muslims, blacks, and white employees or applicants. Discrimination is a major issue these days and any mistake on the part of the employer, whether intentional or unintentional, can create problems for them.
It is thus best to use a standardized approach. If you want to conduct a background check, do it for all potential candidates and not some. The background check cannot be used to discriminate; the employer cannot discriminate against a potential employee based on disability, race, sex, medical history, or religion.
There have been cases when potential candidates have filed lawsuits against employers for discriminating against them because of race, religion, or gender.
6. Inform Candidates of Contingency
In most cases, the background check is performed prior to offering the job to the candidate. However, in some cases, the employer may offer a job that may be contingent on the employee passing the background check. This means that even after you start work, the offer can be rescinded if the background check reveals negative information.
Most employers hire new employees for a 90-day probation period, during which time they not only monitor the work performance but also perform a background check. If the background check comes up negative, the employer has the legal right to terminate the job offer.
Overall, conducting a background check is always a good idea for employers. This is especially true today because there is such a high incidence of criminal activity. There has also been tremendous growth in the number of businesses and equally consistent growth in the number applicants. It is always a good idea to check the candidates thoroughly before making a job offer.
