Below are the definitions and terminology commonly used in the background screening industry. These are provided courtesy of ASIS. Read more…

Conducting pre-employment background checks, including criminal background checks, employment verifications, immigration status checks and sex offender registry searches, are an essential step in the hiring process. Although the information gathered in a pre-employment background check is of great use to an employer, this same information is often times highly sensitive, especially to the perspective employee. Read more…

A criminal record does not necessary disqualify a job applicant from a position. Federal and state laws have strict guidelines concerning disqualifying an applicant for a position, and disqualification requires careful consideration on the part of the hiring manager.<!–more–>

Ensuring compliancy with federal and state regulations begins by creating a fully developed position description that clearly identifies skills, education, certifications, and security requirements mandatory to the position. You will also need to understand your federal and state requirements for particular positions. Most states prohibit people convicted of certain specific crimes from holding occupations such as home health worker, daycare worker, or teacher.

In addition, all job applicants should be required to complete a standard application in addition to submitting a resume. A standardized job application not only ensures that you can collect the information for a background and criminal record check, it also allows the applicant to properly disclose and explain a past conviction.

When addressing a criminal record, federal and state laws require that you show reasonable analysis of the following:

• Did the candidate properly disclose their criminal record? Did your background check correspond with the information provided?
• How does the type and severity of the conviction relate to the position? Do the security requirements of the position leave your company, employees, clients, or public vulnerable as it relates the candidate’s criminal record?
• What were the facts surrounding the conviction?
• How long ago was the conviction? Has the applicant made reasonable efforts at rehabilitation?
• Was the applicant employed before and after the conviction? Is the employment history consistent with the position description and requirements?

If after this careful analysis, you find that the applicant does not qualify for the position you must document why you did not choose the applicant. Requirements for notifying an applicant about your reasons for denying them based on a criminal record vary by state.

If you are involved in a financial-related business, it is essential that you protect your business’ financial well-being by hiring qualified and trustworthy employees.  An applicant’s personal credit and financial history can help tell you a great deal about whether or not the applicant is qualified for the job.  A pre-employment credit check allows you to access this financial information and make an informed hiring decision.

Knowing a potential hire’s personal credit history can provide you with valuable information about the individual’s financial status.  For instance, by performing a pre-employment credit check you can learn about the applicant’s financial habits, which provide a valuable prediction of what their financial habits will be as an employee.  If an individual has a poor personal credit history, they will more likely than not be financially responsible as an employee.  Essentially, a pre-employment credit check will give you access to information pertaining to an applicant’s ability to meet financial obligations and what type of financial pressure they are personally under.  Using a pre-employment credit check gives you a clear picture of how the individual applicant handles their own personal funds and thus provides you with a reflection of how the are likely to handle your company’s financial responsibilities and needs.  All of this information is invaluable to making the right decision on whom to hire.�
A pre-employment credit check is conducted by a professional credit check company.  To conduct a pre-employment credit check, you simply enter such information as the applicant’s full name, address, date of birth and social security number into the credit check company’s credit check search engine.  Most pre-employment credit checks are now conducted via an online program.  Once entered, the pre-employment credit check will survey numerous databases contained by various credit information companies and is done in accordance to the Fair Credit Reporting Act’s various rules and regulations.  Once the pre-employment credit check is complete, you will be provided a list of both current and previous credit accounts held by the applicant, including a complete payment history and current status for each account.  Further, the pre-employment credit check will provide you with information pertaining to any credit-related legal actions (both pending and closed), bankruptcies, and any other noteworthy credit-related activities.

By conducting a pre-employment credit check, you will have access to invaluable financial information about an applicant that can be used to predict what type of employee they will be if hired.  This information is of particular importance to any business involved in banking or other financial endeavors.  If a pre-employment credit check shows the job applicant has a history of being unable to manage their own personal finances, chances are they will not be able to manage the finances of your business.  Instead of finding this out after the fact, a pre-employment credit check acts as a preemptive screening tool that can effectively sift out potential problems before they are even given the change to become a problem.