How To Conduct A Background Screening On New Employees
A company’s workforce is its lifeblood. You need trustworthy, qualified and skilled employees to efficiently reach organizational objectives and goals. In theory, it’s easier said than done. Many potential employees have been known to lie on their CVs mostly about education, skills, job roles and work experience. Fabrications such as these can cost organizations a lot of resources and money.
For example, if a candidate has had a recent incident of violence and may not be forthcoming about it, it puts the workplace in danger which could then lead to filing a lawsuit and damage the company’s reputation.
Therefore, performing background checks can help avoid such risks and helps make smarter hiring decisions. Background checks verify a candidate’s experience, work history, and education, and reveal criminal histories. Ensure your background checking process is legal, fair and consistent. Here is everything to know about conducting a background employment screening.
Ask Your Applicants To Sign A Consent Form
An employee background check is governed by local, state and federal regulations and laws. The employer will be held accountable for compliance. The failure to do so will result in expensive settlements, lawsuits and fines.
The FCRA states that employers must inform candidates that background checks are run for hiring purposes. The statement needs to be conspicuous and clear which is provided as a document. To conduct employee screening, you must have a candidate’s written consent.
Gather Information From Job Candidates
You will need a candidate’s personal information before conducting a background check such as their full name, DOB (date of birth) and their social security number.
Before obtaining their records, you will need their permission. You will have to give them a form that needs to be signed by the candidate. This form discloses what documents you will be collecting such as school transcripts, military records, credit reports, etc.
Choose The Right Background Employment Screening Company
You will need to choose the right background employee screening company based on your business size, hiring volume, number of locations, budget, size of your HR team, in-house legal counsel, and background screening policy. The company you choose must comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).
Some background screening companies can conduct education and employment verification checks. Personal verification checks are also conducted where candidates are interviewed and asked a series of open-ended, in-depth questions that helps you determine and learn about a candidate’s qualities, understand if they fit into the work culture and see how they align with your organization’s values.
Conduct A Social Media Search
With the perpetual surge in technology and rise in social media usage, traditional background checks won’t cut it. Social media searches observe candidates’ social media presence and help to determine if they are safe to hire and can weed out any candidates that are undesirable and pose a threat to the organization’s PR.
Check For Criminal Records
A candidate with a criminal record poses and grave threat and risk to your company. The rise in claims that an employer was negligent in hiring or keeping an employee who later committed workplace violence or some other act that caused harm to a person (such as sexual assault) or property (e.g., vandalism) is the reason why employers are using criminal background checks more frequently to prescreen job applicants.
As a routine practice or in advance of a promotion, transfer, or other modification to the terms and circumstances of employment, many firms also run criminal background checks on present employees.
Organizations that use criminal background checks should read and comprehend the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC) related guidance. A review of current practices taking into account this guidance will enable HR professionals to assist managers in an individual assessment of each record.
Look Into Past Employment History
Verify the employment history and professional experiences of the candidate. Verifying a candidate's employment history helps ensure that the information they have provided is accurate, that their work experience is adequate to match the requirements of the post, and that any previous titles, accomplishments, or responsibilities are legitimate.
On their resumes, some people list phony employment histories. Employers regularly come across fabrications enhancing job duties. The skill set, employment dates, past employers, and work titles and duties are some other prevalent exaggerations.
The HR team should make contact with prior employers to confirm the date of employment, job role/titles, duties that were carried out and reason for leaving the company.
Review The Results Of The Screenings For Accuracy And Red Flags
Lastly, review if all details of your screening process check out and if further corrective measures need to be taken.
FAQs About Background Checks
What Questions Are Asked During A Background Check?
Employment history, credit history, educational background, driving record and criminal history are among the topics covered by background checks for jobs. It aids in locating any inconsistencies in the data the candidate gave during the hiring process.
How Long Does It Take To Run A Background Check For Employment?
It depends on how many and what kind of checks the employer wants to perform. Depending on the candidate's background and the position being offered, routine screening could take two to seven days. Pre-employment background checks can take two to four weeks in some cases. Depending on the regulations of the relevant nations, the screening process may take longer if it involves candidates from other countries.
How Far Back Do Background Checks Go?
Employers typically adhere to the "7-year rule", which permits them to investigate compliance issues and criminal histories for a period of seven years. This restriction, however, may be waived in accordance with local state regulations and the need. For instance, if the income in California is greater than $125,000. Employers can then do background checks going back a maximum of 10 years.
A background check typically involves figuring out whether a candidate is unqualified for a job because of a criminal conviction, traffic infractions, a bad credit history, or a misrepresentation of their education or employment history.
In order to verify previous employment and learn more about the applicant's knowledge, skills, abilities, and character, reference checks typically entail contacting the applicant's former educators, employers, supervisors, and coworkers.
