Companies conduct pre-employment background checks for various reasons, including legal liability and unwanted terminations.
Fremont, CA: Background checks should never be performed on a whim. Instead, the industry and role should determine the depth of the research. For example, a thorough inspection is required if you work in a highly specialized industry, such as manufacturing and design, security, or corporate.
Key Documents to Verify
Any employee background check must begin by verifying important information provided by the applicant. Yet, according to studies, 53 percent of all job applications contain inaccuracies, and 46 percent of employees know someone who lied on their resume.
It is necessary to verify –
• Education and Work Experience
• Address history References
If you decide to proceed with the application process after this primary verification, you will need to delve deeper.
Examine the credentials of any degree or qualification certificate cited by the candidate.
• Did this applicant earn the degree or perform the job that was advertised?
• What was the applicant's job title?
• Check all of the listed references (childhood neighbors, relatives, and so on; do not count). Why did the applicant leave the previous job?
Follow-up Negligence
Negligent hire claims pose a significant risk, and a thorough background check can help you mitigate that risk. (A negligent hiring claim is filed when a third party in employment (or customer) is put in danger by hiring someone who has the potential to harm or a history of harm.) Unfortunately, employers almost always lose the case, and the average negligent hiring suit settles for $1 million.
You want to conduct a criminal background check using the background questions listed below so you can learn:
• Is this applicant overworked?
• Is this applicant a convicted criminal? If so, what was the crime?
• Was it a misdemeanor or a felony charge?
• What exactly is the nature of the crime? Is it relevant to the job?
• How long ago was that?
• Is there more than one offence?
FCRA
Purchasing and reviewing background checks as part of the screening process for independent contractors or volunteers falls under "Employment Purposes" under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), making reports for contractors/volunteers subject to the same FCRA guidelines for employees.
EEOC Recommendations
Each state and local law is unique—guidance from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on criminal backgrounds. Employers subject to Title XII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 may face legal action if they use hiring policies that disproportionately affect a protected group, such as one based on race or national origin. However, the spirit of the EEOC guidelines and the non-discrimination guidance is intended to cover all types of employment relationships.
