Things to look out for when performing a background check

So why is it so important, and what are you looking out for? Firstly, you are trying to ensure that the employee/potential employee does not have a criminal record. A criminal record check will provide you with some insight into whether they have a history of theft or assault – thereby protecting you from dangerous employees. A key part of a background check is also to verify work history. The reason for this is to primarily gather information in regards to job titles, dates of employment, responsibilities and reasons for leaving as well as eligibility for rehire. By verifying work history you can ensure that the employee is trustworthy, honest and has been truthful in their claims. An example of this is job applicants fabricating work history on their resume. Resume fraud is rife in this struggling economy, applicants are doing all they can to get a job – including lying about their previous employment. Performing a check on work history will allow you to filter out those that are honest and those that are not. Verifying education in a background check is something you also ought to look to do. Be sure that employees or potential employees went to the school they claim, completed the degree they claim and achieved the grade they claim. Lying about something such as this does not bode well for their future integrity. While there are several more things to look out for, such as social security checks and, in some cases, credit checks, a final important aspect of  a background check is drug screening. This is a cost-effective and valuable way of finding out whether any of your employees or job applicants have drug or alcohol problems, which could affect their work abilities. Should you miss something like this, it could lead to liable cases where as an employer you could end up paying out significant sums of money. So overall, there are quite a few things to look out for when performing a background check. Hopefully this blog post has provided you an insight into what background checks are all about and why you should perform them. For more information, get in touch with MYB and we can help to walk you through the process.]]>