Background Checks: More Important Today Than Yesterday
Dec 21 '05
The Bottom Line Background Checks can avoid problems down the road.
Employment background checks are increasingly important in today's world. When I first started working at the local university, background checks for Contingent workers, staff, and some professional positions were only done upon request. And that request was usually only mad if there was a suspicion of an irregularity which was very seldom in my department.
Today's world and insecurity in day to day happenings since 911, bring forth tighter security measures not only in personal life, but also the employment world. Human Resources quickly implemented a plan to have ALL employees throughly screened and a full background check performed BEFORE an offer of employment was to be made.
These checks are performed not only for national/criminal security issues but I have found since starting this process that applications do not contain 100% truthful information. For instance, we had one applicant say he had a PhD from another country. This was not verified by the university in question. Another case, applicant reported taking various courses here. Transcript showed differently. Backgrounds are important. They also help you choose the most qualified applicant!
Some of the things checked in employment background checks are:
1. Criminal Records Search: Felonies and misdemeanors are checked for prior records.
2. Civil Litigation: Civil record check with both upper and lower courts.
3. DVM Search: Checks for motor vehicle violations, verifies license number, state of issuance, date, location and descriptions of all violations.
4. Social Security Verification: Verifies applicants social security number. Fraudulent activity associated with the social security number will be indicated on the report.
5. Educational Background Check: Verifies diplomas, certificates and GPA of the applicant.
6. Dates of Experience Verification: Verifies dates of employment history.
Not only does doing a thorough background check on applicants help insure you are hiring a qualified employee but it also and alert you to future problems and/or acts of fraud.
Other Questions/Areas To Measure Credibility
Make sure candidate(s) are secure in their residency and not just a fly by night who moves every six months. This could be a big Red Flag to a problem.
Ask for an explanation for any gaps of 30 days or more in employment.
Access applicant's knowledge on their experience. See if they can carry on a decent and knowledgeable conversation about their skills. Ask for a demonstration on any part of future job performance.
Last but not least you need to see how potential candidate will interact with other employees. This can be done with an informal meeting where employees all ask questions or just an informal meet and greet.
Background checks are important and a key element in helping you screen future employees and choose the right candidate for the open position.
I hope this review has been helpful. You can find many qualified agencies that perform background checks online.
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