When making hiring decisions, it is critical to ask yourself, “Do I know the person I’m letting into my company?”
While resumes and interviews help gauge a candidate’s credibility to a certain extent, it’s well-known that many things can still remain hidden behind these facades.
Background checks help companies verify a job candidate’s education and employment history, and determine whether they have any criminal record history, among several other things that could otherwise go unnoticed.
Through background checks, businesses can ensure the safety of their workplace and customers, and prevent risks of fraud in the future.
But how exactly can companies be thorough with their background checks? What key elements do you need to run efficient background checks? Read on to understand.
Have a Consistent Policy
A thorough and consistent policy is a guiding light for running various fair and transparent background checks. It helps ensure a smooth background screening process, avoids any litigation from federal agencies, and prevents any instances of misconduct in the workplace. A well-crafted background check policy includes three critical things:- Who needs what type of background checks. You may be running background checks throughout your company. However, these checks prove ineffective unless they are designed by keeping specific positions in mind. For instance, positions involving finance might demand credit checks whereas positions involving motor vehicle operation will require motor vehicle record checks.
- When the background checks need to be conducted. Whether they should be conducted before, during, or after the hiring period. And should they be conducted only once, every year, or every quarter?
- How the results of these background checks align with your employment decisions. For criminal record checks, the three critical elements to determine employment decisions include – the type of position, the type of crime, and the amount of time that has passed since the conviction (if any).