No business wants to expose itself to legal problems. That is why everyone performs a background check on candidates before hiring them. The background check for employment is a process in which employers access all the records of that person to ensure they do not have any criminal background.
Background check for employment focuses on the fair credit reporting act that guides the investigation agencies that aim at searching people on what type of information they can search for. That is why it is important to understand the several restrictions in the background check.
Here, you will find all the details related to the employment background check and the ideal way to perform it on your candidates. We will also cover how employment history and employee background checks are two different things.
- What is an Employment Background Check?
- Reasons Why Employers Conduct Background Check for Employment?
- What Does an Employee Background Check Include?
- How to Get Prepared for a Pre-employment Background Check?
What is an Employment Background Check?
An employment background check is a process in which a company (or a hired investigation agency) reviews the work history and performance of an employee. It is different from an employee background check as this process is only related to the previous work records of a person. On the other hand, a background check for employment covers many other things like criminal records and the behavior of an employee.
However, the modern use of this term refers to a combination of both of these processes. In a modern employment background check report, you can find the complete employment history, criminal records, and vital records of a person.
Also, employers need to share the details with the employee in advance about the background check. No employer can perform a background check without the acknowledgment of the candidate (hiring process).
Reasons Why Employers Conduct Background Check for Employment?
Background check is an important part of the hiring process as it helps in finding the right candidate for the organization. Although there are many benefits of background checks, most companies conduct them to comply with federal and state regulations.
Here are some other reasons why employers perform a background check on potential employees (candidates):
Helps in Decision-making
The background checks help employers to make the right decision on whether they should hire the candidate. It is important to note that employers have several requirements and they do not want to get into legal troubles.
Maintain Safe Work Environment
Every employer wants to offer their employees a safe workplace. They ensure this by performing a background check on all the employees working in that environment. It is a reliable way to ensure there are no crimes committed in the workplace.
Protection Against Claims
In case of an unfortunate event, the organization is liable to settle the claims of the employees. That is why an employment check is important to solve the issue before it arises. Not to forget the industry regulations and the bad publicity of the organization in such cases.
What Does an Employee Background Check Include?
The employment background check focuses on the financial, criminal, and vital records of a person. It also concerns the employee’s behavior in their last company.
Here are a few things that you can find in an employee background check:
Identification verification
The first section of the report focuses on the identification verification of the candidate. Here, you can verify if the provided details of the candidate are accurate or not. It also covers some other details like contact address, birth certificate, and other important documents.
Employment History
If a person is applying as an experienced candidate, they need to show proof of employment history. That is why a background check covers the employment history of the person. It also helps in accessing the behavior reports of the candidate towards the last organization.
Education Background
The educational qualification is another main part of the hiring process. An employee background check focuses on the educational background too. It includes verifying the submitted documents of the candidate.
Credit reports
Credit reports help employers to check their financial stability. Usually, a candidate declaring bankruptcy is treated differently than the one with a good credit score.
Criminal records
Accessing criminal records is another main part of a background check. Services offering background checks for employers focus on accessing the criminal records of the candidate. These records include the committed crimes, court trials, arrest reports, and other sexual assault cases of a person.
Driving records
This part focuses on the driving records of a person. This report includes traffic tickets and the vehicle records of the candidate. Usually, these records are only accessed through extensive background checks.
How to Get Prepared for a Pre-employment Background Check?
If you are a candidate applying for a job, you must be ready for pre-employment background check. Although you can not change your records, there are still a few things to save yourself from trouble.
Here is a checklist to prepare for a pre-employment background check:
Check for Errors in your Credit Report
Anyone can apply for their credit report to check if there is an error. It is important to check this report before the company conducts a check on you as you won’t be able to justify it after that. Thus, get your report, review the score, and ask for a recheck by the bureau, in case you find an error there.
Check Your Documents
Create a file of your documents and make sure the information like your full name, address, and contact details are matching in all of them. Date and place of birth are the two most common areas where an organization finds some problems. Thus, always check for these details before your employment check.
Social Media and your personal opinion
Although it is not so common, you can still face some troubles with your views on several matters. That is why it is important to switch your account to private before the investigation. You can also deactivate your account for some time to avoid all the problems altogether.
Don’t Add Wrong Information
Understandably, a person puts in some extra effort to get selected for a job. However, it is of no use as they will know the truth now or later. Also, it might cost you the job even if the added information is not even relevant to your new job.
Final Words
An employment background check is a crucial part of every business. More and more organizations are focusing on pre-employment background checks to maintain a safe workplace.
You can easily perform a background check on an online platform. Also, many independent investigators will do it for you.
Still, the most preferable way is to work with the Fair Credit Reporting Act. While performing a background check for employment, you just need to consider the main factors of a background check.
Some businesses factor bankruptcy in their hiring decisions as well. Thus, you can check if the candidate has ever declared bankruptcy.