Why You Need to do Employment Background Checks
Share This Article
Employers know that background checks have become a major part of the hiring process, if not an absolute necessity. When you have a job opening, going through countless interviews and screenings can start taking a toll on you. Which is why reaching the final steps with those precious qualified candidates is often a relief. But there is one more hurdle employers must complete before they are in the clear.
Running a background check is a crucial, last stage that will define once and for all that an applicant is the right hire. It is important to choose the best applicant from the start because it will save you time, effort, and money from needing to reinvest into another hiring process.
So, what exactly is a background check and why you should have your employees or potential candidates do it?
What is a Background Check?
A background check is the review of criminal, financial, educational and employment records. As background checks become more common (70% of employers require their new hires to complete background checks), employers are seeing the benefits of having their new hires go through this process. Not only will background checks reveal any criminal or suspicious acts on the employee’s record, it will reassure the employer about the candidate’s credibility.
Many jobs now mandate that background checks be performed prior to hiring. Whether you’re hiring a driver, teacher, doctor, accountant, or caretaker, employers are now protecting their business interests and ensuring that they are hiring the right candidates to fill their open positions. Neglecting this step while hiring can ultimately reflect badly on you and your business or even lead to lawsuits.
It is important to note that the applicant must give you written approval before processing a background check. Depending on the job, a more thorough background check may be necessary in which an applicant may need to get DOJ (Department of Justice) and/or FBI clearance. For these, live scan fingerprinting services are ideal. Live Scan services are nationwide, go to Certifix Live Scan to find the closest location near you.
5 Reasons to do an Employment Background Check:
1.Better Hire Quality:
Employers can enhance their business’s professional reputation and streamline their hiring process by making it known that all employees go through background checks prior to employment. This quickly filters out unqualified applicants and leaves you time to interview someone with the background and skillset that matches your business culture. Instead of getting hundreds of inefficient applicants, one can focus on the applicants that show promise.
2.Verify Employee Info:
Now that the job market has gotten more competitive and employers demand higher standards, many applicants have turned to tweaking their resumes and job applications in the hopes of sneaking through the hiring process. With almost one-third of resumes having false or exaggerated information on it, you need to be sure your potential hire has the qualities your looking for and can get the job done efficiently.
Employers have turned to background check to ensure that the information they are getting from an interested applicant is truthful. An employer can perform a background check to verify that the person actually graduated from the university they claim and confirm their previous employment matches with what is on their resumes.
3.Protection against liability:
Failure to conduct background checks also open the door to potential legal troubles down the line. If one of your employees happens to get into trouble, aside from depicting poorly on your business, you may be on the hook for legal damages. For example, hiring someone in a financial role without a proper background check into their history can result in the employee stealing money from customers. If it is later discovered that they had a history of theft on their record, the employer may be held responsible for negligence and liable for the damages.
The FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act) defines what appears on the employment background check. The options may vary from one organization to another and even changes from state to state. So, it is best to research what is needed where you live and properly implement background checks to the standard of your jurisdiction.
Some examples include employees in finance (who will need a credit check), those dealing with children (CACI (Child Abuse Central Index) clearance required) and those handling weaponries needing a firearm clearance.
4.Safe Work Environment:
You are expected by your customers, employees, and the law to provide a safe and protected workspace. If you hire someone with a violent criminal record, has a history of theft or drug abuse, this can pose a danger to your business and your employees. If an employee is harmed or put in danger because you failed to run an accurate and efficient background check with a new hire, you, the owner, can also be held accountable. As a precaution and for peace of mind, employers now run background checks to protect their business’s reputation and ensure that their employees have a more pleasant work environment.
5.Saves time and money:
Incorrectly running a background check can cause headaches and take up to weeks to rectify. Not to mention the add expenses and time lost. So, how exactly do you go about saving time and money? By doing it right the first time.
A typical business loses 5% of its annual revenue due to fraud. Whether it’s coming from employment, misrepresentation, or financial fraud, the lost revenue is hardly ever recovered. Businesses also suffer a blow to their reputation and lose the trust of their employee and customers. Properly executing efficient background checks for new hires guarantees you’ll have hardworking, honest workers. You will also avoid going through another extensive re-hiring process if it turns out the original candidate didn’t meet expectations.
Hiring the right employees from the beginning will set up your business for success and allow you to focus on the executing your business plan. Be smart and have your candidates go through a live scan background check for DOJ and FBI clearances to guard your clients and business interests and mitigate yourself against any potential risks.
Please visit us at CertifixLiveScan.com to find your nearest location, or give us a call at 1-800-710-1934, or email us at support@certifixlivescan.com.
Read more about: What are the Safest Ways to Complete Your Live Scan during the Covid-19 Pandemic?
Image by ar130405 from Pixabay
Get your Live Scan Fingerprinting Near You
Live Scan & ink Card Fingerprinting
Schedule an Appointment Now!
We Offer a Nationwide Network of 1200+ Fingerprint Enrollment Centers
Frequently Asked Questions
-
What to enter in the employer information section for Record Review?
This field is optional even though the fields are orange.
This would be the location where another set of results will be sent to.
The applicant’s home address becomes required with this form.
Enter the employer information or enter the applicant’s home address -
My employer is asking for a copy of my criminal history record. Can I give it to them?
No.
California Penal Code section 11142, prohibits you from giving your copy of your criminal record to an unauthorized third party.
In addition, California Penal Code section 11125, prohibits an individual or agency from requiring you to provide him/her or the agency with a copy of your criminal record or proof that a record does or does not exist. Violation of either of these sections is a misdemeanor offense. -
If the status of my live scan says it has been completed, but my employer has not received it what should I do?
You must contact your employer, and they should contact the Department of Justice at appagencyquestions@doj.ca.gov to retrieve the results.
The email must not include any personal information such as date of birth or social security number.
It should include the following information: applicant full name, ORI, and ATI. -
My employer received an email saying that my transaction had been delayed, what could be the reason?
The way that the DOJ processes the live scan is through a computer, if the computer is unable to read the fingerprints they will go into “manual processing”.
This could delay the fingerprints because that means someone will have to physically look at the fingerprints.
If you would like the specific reason, your employer can contact them by email at appagencyquestions@doj.ca.gov and include the ORI, ATI, and first and last name.