Conducting Employee Background Checks: Everything You Need to Know

Before hiring someone, people usually want to do a background check on the people they want to hire. A wrong hiring decision will ruin your company, and you probably don’t want that to happen to you or to your business. Let’s not even mention time or money, and, in the worst-case scenario, lawsuits.  

7 out of 10 companies have claimed that they have conducted criminal background checks in all their job candidates. It’s a normal thing to do.

We’ve written this article to give you some tips on how to conduct a successful background check.

Be thorough

Don’t settle for less, find out everything you can about that person, from education, past employment, criminal history to social media and driving history. Companies lose a lot of great people because they only focus on one aspect they were able to find out easily. According to Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) you cannot exclude applicants who have a criminal record, no matter the charge or when it has happened.

Stay away from the “box”

EEOC and many other local counties try their best to ban the “box”. The box is that question that says “Have you ever been convicted of a crime?”. This way, you discriminate people, instead of of interviewing and considering all of them equally.

Respect the law

When it comes to the background check, you’ll have to have a legal release form, that was completed by the applicant, informing the person of the right he or she has.  You’ll also have to give the person a copy, and adverse actions communications.

Do not bend the law

You can conduct a background check the wrong way – there are so many ways – but you need to be careful and follow the rules. No bending whatsoever. The rules are all about federal, state or local specific laws. Make sure you talk to your company’s legal counsel to see how you can proceed well.

Be consistent

Make sure that the process for all the applicants is consistent. No matter how many people apply for the same job, they should have the same chances at getting it, and they should also have the same searches and investigations run on them. It’s true, some jobs require different levels of investigation, but when it comes to the same job title, make sure the process is uniform. No discrimination whatsoever.

Always communicate

When you find something uncomfortable while conducting the background check, you should talk to the applicant about it. There are so many mistakes, sometimes misconceptions, that can be solved, simply by talking.