As a business owner, you will learn that reputation is everything. Your reputation brings the customer in and keeps them coming. Legitimizing your brand starts with the face of your business, your employees. Furthermore, to safeguard your name, you need to know and trust who you hire. The most effective way to ensure competence is through a background screening during the recruitment process.
What is a Background Check?
A background check is usually the final step in the hiring process. You have taken your time to get to know the potential hire by assuming that their resume and the information they gave in the interview were credible. However, your name is on the line. It’s imperative to establish the groundwork for trust by performing a credentials check.
A simple background check can be calling a previous employer or requesting a copy of a diploma. These tools are ones that an employer can do legally on their own. Each occupation can curtail its background screening to its specific platform. For example, working in a bank may require a credit check and crime screening for instances of theft or embezzlement. Meanwhile, a county check for sexual offenders would be crucial to the hiring process if the job involves children. As the employer, you are responsible for incidents that happen regarding your business. Completing extensive background checks through third parties ensures that you have done everything you can do to create a safe workspace.
Third-Party Background Checks
Third-party programs offer assistance when performing a background check on someone’s personal history. This level of investigation requires consent from the future employee. They can complete county criminal searches, which include sexual and violent crimes. You can also have access to multi-state criminal database searches, employment history, a social security number trace, credit reports, driving records, and even deep dives into social media activity.
In the instance that you find something on your interviewee’s check, you will legally have to let them know in writing why you are choosing not to hire them. You will then have to send them a copy of the consumer report.
Why Should I Invest in Background Checks?
A background check will corroborate education and employment history. For positions that require a college degree or certification, it’s imperative to public health that the employer verify these qualifications.
Background checking guarantees to the public and your team of employees that your business is a safe environment. Also, a criminal background check will help ward off potential dangerous employees and possible liability on your part. If you allow a violent person to work closely with your employees, you could be considered negligent. It’s your job to protect customers, vendors, visitors, and workers. Criminal background checks also showcase whether someone has a history of theft or illegal activities.
Catching someone lying about their employment history can be a red flag. Do you really want to start a business relationship with someone that has already chosen to be dishonest with you? In business, honesty and integrity are everything. In other words, fabrication and embellishment can harm your reputation.
A third-party background check will attract the most qualified workers, and safeguard your brand and the employer from liability lawsuits. Knowing your rights as an employer in the recruiting realm is vital to managing the success of your business. As the employer, you need to know what and when you can research personal information legally.
For instance, most information has a time frame of validity. It’s not legal to disclose most civil judgments that occurred over 7 years ago unless the potential salary is over $75,000. Hiring a third-party background check will keep you out of hot water with respect to privacy and lawfulness.
Order a Background Check Today
The only way to confirm qualifications and public safety is by investing in a thorough background check. Trained professionals understand the legality of this process. Contact Soteria Screen Laboratories‘s partner,National Crime Search, today if you are interested in convenient, affordable, and detailed background screenings.