As an employer, you can never be too careful when looking at prospective new hires for you company. Several factors that immediately come to mind that bar straight out hiring practices include aspects of the litigious society we live in, the potential for creating inner turmoil and unsafe working conditions for other employees and the cost associated with training a new employee, once hired, who may not work out. Because of these issues, performing a pre-employment background check is vital in this day and age. Pre-employment background checks generally use several resources in order to gauge the appropriateness of hiring a potential candidate. This article will cover off on the most common resources. Credit Checks One way to assess whether a prospect can be relied upon and is dependable is to run a pre-employment background credit check. Unpaid bills, bankruptcies and the like can be red flags in the hiring process. Employers must obtain written consent from the prospect during the pre-employment background check in order to pull their consumer credit report. If, after pulling the credit report, the employer decides not to hire the prospect…and that decision is based on the prospects credit report, a copy of the credit report must be provided and the stated reason for not hiring the prospect must be given. This is based off the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Criminal Background Checks Knowing someone’s credit history can hardly be seen as inconvertible proof of a prospects worthiness or lack thereof for a job. The a href="http://www.creativesecurity.com/background-screening/">Pre Employment Background Check should also include a criminal background check. This is where worker safety and workplace well being, along with legalities really plays a prominent role in the decision-making. There is one essential source for up-to-date and reliable criminal history and that’s the FBI database. This is a vital component of a proper pre-employment background check. There are restrictions to how far an employer can look in to a prospect’s past criminal history and it varies by state. Consulting with your legal team is the best way to find out about and understand these state-to-state restrictions. Polygraphs For some, those working around large sums of money, or drugs, a polygraph…or lie detector test can become a part of the standard pre-employment background check process. After all, getting the wrong person in the wrong position can have dangerous consequences. For those in charge of instituting a pre-employment background check policy, keep in mind that polygraphs are not standard procedure for most employers and they are deem illegal in most fields. Other Forms There are several other components that can be looked at when considering a pre-employment background check. These include medical histories, school performance, military service, workers comp and the list goes on. In any event, performing a pre-employment background check is a step in the direction of good prudence. One Caveat It’s important to remember to not always let a person’s background deny you from hiring the best person for the job. Always consider a second chance…that person just may surprise you.
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