There is no denying that pre-employment screening has become the norm in the United States. This helps employers to get a truthful and clear picture of a candidate, no matter the information the candidate has shared on their resume and while being interviewed. By looking into a candidate’s past, employers can ensure that the individual is not covering up anything that should disqualify them from the position. Furthermore, it can solidify that a candidate is a great long term investment for the business. Below, we are going to provide some advice for your Human Resources department on conducting a background check.
There are a number of different types of background checks that can be carried out, and so it is important to establish the type of checks you will conduct at your company…
- Identity checks – Conducting an identity check can provide you with the information so that you are more confident about the candidate you are hiring. This can reassure you that the client in question is being honest with their basic information. If someone is lying about who they are, there is usually a very serious why, and so an identity check is an integral part of the background check process.
- Criminal search – Another check that you can carry out is finding out about the past criminal records of the candidate. This is something that can be conducted on a federal, national, statewide and country level. You can even obtain information about sex offender records of the person applying for the job on a national basis.
- Verification services – There are also times whereby it is going to be necessary to scrutinize information about your candidate relating to their references, military service, professional license, education, and employment. This is done through verification services to make sure the information is authentic.
Candidates can dispute your findings
It is important to be aware of the fact that candidates can dispute the findings in the background screening reports. This is according to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). This is done via Adverse Action. It means that you must tell the candidate within three working days about your findings, giving them a copy of the report. You are not allowed to deny this right to anyone, otherwise, you could find yourself in serious legal trouble.
Legislation regarding background screening
There are a number of different rules and regulations in place in the United States to ensure that employment screening is conducted in a fair manner. It is vital to familiarise yourself with these so that you do not end up in legal hot water. Make sure you refer to…
- Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
- The Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
- I9 Compliance
So there you have it: hopefully, you now have a better understanding regarding how you can implement the pre-employment screening process at your business. When you consider that the average cost of a background check is $90, yet the average cost of hiring an employee is $3,000, you see why it makes sense!
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