by Wayne J. Jung
“That statement alone sends shivers through many of our applicants, especially those with something to hide who fear the disclosure will cost them their chance at a job.”
That’s what an HR director recently told me as we were discussing the type of background checks that their company needed in order to do a better job assessing the quality of the candidates that they were considering for employment.
This particular company previously had been hiring solely based upon a number of factors, not one of which included a background check. Their approach was similar to buying a new car:
- Curb Appeal – How does the candidate look and act when they arrive for the interview?
- New Car Smell – Are they factory fresh, or a used clunker with the rust spots hidden?
- Test Drive – How do they handle the “tough questions” during the interview itself?
- Reviews – Can anyone within the company personally vouch for the candidate and do their references check out?
My phone rings often throughout the day with calls from small to medium-sized companies wanting to implement some sort of background check, but not having any idea what they really need, or where to even begin.
And frankly it can be a bit overwhelming.
Most background checks begin with a simple Social Security Number (SSN) trace to determine validity of the given SSN and to map a residency history for the applicant.
From there a more thorough criminal check may be used to discover any history of bad behavior that could place the company at risk, or the current employees themselves.
Verifications of prior employment, education and personal references are almost becoming a necessity with the increased amount of resume falsification in today’s job market.
Will they be handling any money in their new role?
Include a Federal Criminal Report to uncover any white collar criminal history, or a credit report containing information such as civil judgments, tax liens, bankruptcies, credit and payment history.
Will they be given a company vehicle, or will they drive as part of their job responsibility?
A Motor Vehicle Records search provides license validity, suspensions and driving violations depending on the state in question, with the information provided adhering to each state’s specifications.
There is a background check for any specific position or need within any corporate, educational, non-profit, healthcare, manufacturing, retail and staffing environment in the marketplace. And if not, one can always be created to meet a specific need.
Hiring is tough. Background checks are easy.
At SELECTiON.COM®, we specialize in making it the least stressful part of your day.
So, whether you NEED a background check as part of your job application process, or you WANT to start from scratch, why don’t you give us a call and kick the tires today?
