A book should never be judged by its cover.” That is a traditional adage that has been passed down through the years. It has a very specific meaning in terms of recruitment. When it comes to hiring the greatest employees for your company, going beyond the surface level should be standard procedure. To begin with, in a more competitive job market, people are more likely to exaggerate or conceal key aspects of their backgrounds in order to appear more appealing to recruiters. While some of these behaviors will be visible to a competent recruiter, others will not be until the background check is completed.
Apart from best free background check sites, a review of the potential employee’s driving record is another aspect of a recruitment background check that you may not have considered. If the job demands regular driving or the use of a corporate vehicle, this knowledge is critical; nevertheless, even if it does not, it is in your best interest to learn more. It’s possible that you’ll be startled by what you find. Someone who has a history of driving carelessly may not be someone you want to hire at your firm, especially if driving is required on a regular basis. The more information you have on someone you’re contemplating hiring, the better. Fortunately, recruitment and personnel professionals have access to background screening and criminal history checks. Employers now have the right to discover more about the candidates with whom they are ready to enter into a formal agreement. They also have the right to check that a possible new hire has nothing on their record that could jeopardize the company’s operations or pose a safety risk to clients and other employees.
According to the most recent numbers from the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics Workplace Violence, between 1993 and 2009, there were as many as 572,000 non-fatal crimes committed in the workplace in the United States. These percentages are startling, especially when you realize that the majority of the victims were assailants who were coworkers and acquaintances. In many of these situations, however, the violence might have been avoided simply by doing background checks to see if any possible new workers had criminal records or other issues that would make working conditions risky.
There are a few more reasons why background checks should be a standard component of the hiring process. Background checks can be a useful tool for ensuring that you hire the best candidate for the job every time. When followed consistently, this simple procedure can help the organization avoid a slew of future issues. As a recruiter, it’s critical to ensure that a candidate fits all of the requirements of each task and that the client obtaining the applicant will get a high return on investment.
Whatever policy you have in place for performing an employment background check, make sure it is explicit and that you follow it consistently. You don’t want to be in a position where you appear to prefer one candidate over another or appear to refuse an applicant for a reason other than insufficient fit for the position that isn’t supported by the facts.
