Background Check Essentials Every Company Should Know

Blog

One of the hardest tasks employers face today is finding the right candidate. 

Nearly three out of four small business employers have hired the wrong person for a position according to CareerBuilder research. This is extremely costly for businesses due to training that is involved. That single bad hire has more of an effect on your business than you ever expected. 

Running a background check is an essential part of the on-boarding process, and there are many regulations to follow. Besides the stress of selecting just the right candidate for the job, one small mistake could lead to unwanted lawsuits. Before starting the background screening process, make sure that you take the time to understand which checks you need and how you should go about running them. 

To be compliant with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), you must have the applicant sign a disclosure and release form before running a background check on the individual. If you choose not to hire the applicant, based on any reason in whole or part of the background check, then you must send the applicant a copy of their background check, consumer rights, and pre-decision letter. Wait five business days to mail an adverse action letter to allow the applicant time to dispute the claim. 

SELECTiON.COM® stays up to date on FCRA regulations and provides the tools you need to make your screening process run smoothly.  

We offer pre-populated pre-decision and adverse action letters for our clients on the Fastrax™  dashboard free of charge. Clients can also choose to have our staff send the mailings in-house for them. 

The Importance of Employment and Education Verifications 

Knowing the background of the applicant can allow employers to hire a candidate with the right criteria and experience. Running employment and education verification reports can help to prevent a bad hire.  

Employment verifications will give the dates of employment and position held by an applicant. It’s important to note that previous employers are not required by law to answer additional questions such as attendance or rehire eligibility. However, many employers are happy to expand upon them when an employee left on good terms. This kind of information is invaluable when assessing a candidate.  

Character references are another essential addition to your background screening program. When searching for the perfect candidate, you want to identify reliable employees whose personality will allow them to get along with others. At SELECTiON.COM®, the character reference questions can be customized to the position. Checking a candidate’s references is a great way to reveal more in-depth information than a typical employment verification. Unlike employment verifications, HR policy usually doesn’t have restrictions on character references. Past supervisors can feel free to expand on an applicant’s work ethic and personality.  

The Inherent Flaws of Criminal Research  

Employers shouldn’t rely on the applicant’s answers of where they have previously lived to base their criminal research. This information isn’t always accurate. If your applicant committed a crime in a former county of residence and did not provide that information on their application, then you’ve missed out on critical information. 

Criminals try to hide their history. They do so by working the inherent flaws in the criminal record reporting system. Social Security numbers have been removed from criminal records by most counties in the United States to protect against identity theft. Criminal records are matched by name and date of birth, so applicants may try to give a false name or date of birth to avoid detection.  

Offenders will also move to another state because they know that criminal records and sex offender registry data are often not reported across state lines. In addition, records can be missed with fingerprint background checks because the crime is a ticket offense and doesn’t require a fingerprint. 

Relying on an applicant’s honestly can be very costly. SELECTiON.COM® has practical and cost-efficient solutions to widen your search. Our SSN Trace report will identify where an applicant has lived and populate the counties to search for criminal records. Combine this targeted criminal county search with our Search America® national criminal database, and you will receive a much more accurate and detailed view of your applicant’s criminal history. SELECTiON.COM® can provide you with the tools to feel confident that you are doing everything possible to keep your workplace safe. 

A Background Check Partner 

From understanding what a criminal charge means, to checking the status of employment verifications, customer service is arguably one of the most critical parts of choosing a background screening partner. 

SELECTiON.COM® provides outstanding customer service. We put the customer first in everything we do. The next time you reach out to us, the chances are very likely that you will recognize the person on the other end of the conversation. That’s because our customer service team is not only industry experienced, but also tenured in their time with our company. Customer support is available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (EST) Monday through Friday, via phone or online chat. 

Our in-house IT department can facilitate every need you may have. We have completed integrations with businesses across the country, including some of the top applicant tracking systems, such as Virtus, Catholic Mutual Group, and iCIMS. With these integrations, our clients save time, money, and streamline the background check process. We also offer access to our own in-house developed applicant tracking system at no additional cost. 

Make sure you’re hiring the right person the first time around through screening your job candidates. Knowing what background checks you should be running and how to go about doing them will help you to streamline the process. You can save time, money, and improve workflow with SELECTiON.COM®. 

Contact us today to see how SELECTiON.COM® can take your background screening process to the next level.