Conducting an Employee Background Check

Conducting an Employee Background Check

Article by Barry Snyder

Today, background checks in employment hiring processes are very crucial in choosing the right individual qualified for the job. This may mean hiring the best applicant in the group or getting the fake one with fake credentials and qualifications. In a study by the Human Resource Management of America, it was found that 96% of all US employers actually perform background checks on their prospective employees. Background checks are used to check the validity of the presented information of the applicant and also look for criminal, financial and bankruptcy histories. They may also look for possible drug uses and other flaws on the character of the applicant that may affect their performance if ever they will be hired by the company. Doing background for employee screening may not seem easy as it looks like. Below is a simplified guide on how you will conduct an employment background check on your applicants.

First, you will need a FCRA rules and regulations consent forms for the applicants. These forms are given to applicants to ask for permission to perform background checks on them. Of course you cannot just perform a background check on someone; you will need his/ her permission because an employee background check is a consumer report. In addition, you must know the rules and laws governing employee background checks in your state. Different states have different laws when it comes to background checks. However, all these laws are subject to the regulations by the federal government.

Second, you must know by heart and mind the wording of the consent forms that you have. This is done to prevent any lawsuit when problems arise. Federal websites may change the wording written on the forms. You must be fully aware when these changes occur for the consent forms to be fully compliant.

Third, be a member of online credit reporting agencies. These agencies have a lot of information related to financial and credit histories. These can tell a lot about the person especially if an individual is applying for a related work. Being a member of these online agencies often gives you discount for the information you need. Often subscribing on these reporting agencies for shorter periods may cost the company higher expenses but if the company regularly hires prospective employees then it is advisable to avail of the membership offered by these online credit reporting agencies.

Fourth, value and keep the records you have. As in every resume and curriculum vitae, applicants give character and work references. You can take advantage of these references by calling the persons in the lists. More often, references include the previous employer or supervisor of the applicant. By talking to them, you can learn of the applicant’s work habits and performance in their previous employers. Hence, it gives a new light to the picture and often helps the employer in making an informed decision.

Fifth, do not just rely on your conducted background check. You can involve the human resource department of your company and let them do their own information gathering. People in this department were trained to obtained information from employees. Now, you can put together the information you have to make a more complete and comprehensive background check report.

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