Employment Background Check Blog

Backgrounding employees has become a matter of necessity, since many applicants make false claims on their job applications and resumes or have been involved in criminal activities which they do not disclose. Best Practices help you get the highest return on your investment.

The Best Practices – Key steps to preparing for and conducting employment background checks:

A. Establish Basic Policies and Procedures:

1. Establish a Background Check Policy. This may only need to be a memo to file.
   1. Background check all staff, including executives, full-time employees, part-time employees, temps, contractors, and volunteers.
   2. Limit access to background check information and files to select staff.
   3. Scale background checks based on a position’s risk to the company, clients, public, and fellow employees. For example, you may want to conduct different searches for staff, professional & managerial, and executive positions. High risk positions justify more extensive research. Examples of higher risk positions include those who work with children or who have access to customer living quarters and executive & finance positions.
   4. Have your Background Check Provider help you with the necessary employer documentation, applicant notifications, and applicant approvals. For example, see Background Check Start-Up Kit.
2. Use a Job Application that requires the applicant to document all employment, education, certification, and other job requirements. Note: The Background Check Authorization and Release must be a separate document from the application.
   1. Provide instructions to the applicant to completely fill out the application.
   2. Provide a place for the applicant to sign and certify the accuracy of all information.
   3. Provide a place for the applicant to acknowledge the consequences of false information.

B. Before the Background Check:

1. Clearly identify the skills and experience needed for the position.
2. Carefully interview final candidates for each job requirement. This usually requires multiple interviews by several people focusing on experience, technical skills, people skills, communication skills, problem solving ability, etc.
3. Check professional references of final candidates (usually best done by the hiring manager).
4. View originals of any supporting documents provided by applicants. Make copies for your files.
5. Require final applicants to completely fill out and sign the application, certify accuracy of all information, and acknowledge the consequences of false information.
6. Provide the applicant required written notifications and obtain applicant’s signature on written notification and release. See, Background Check Start-Up Kit.

C. Conduct A Thorough Background Check:

The core of a quality background check is the basic background check:

1. Social Security Number Scan
2. County Criminal Record Check
3. Employment Verification
4. Education Verification (especially for professional and management positions).

Then, based on your specific situation, other valuable checks may include:

1. Credit Check
2. License Verification
3. Motor Vehicle Report
4. Sex Offender Registry Check
5. Workers’ Compensation History
6. International Searches

For a more detailed discussion of the types of searches available and when to use them, see Comprehensive Background Check: The Best Background Check.

D. Follow Through

1. Conduct a Health Check as appropriate (can not be conducted prior to a formal job offer).
2. Verify Full Name and Social Security Number with Federal Government via E-Verify or SSNVS programs (normally conducted post-hire). See, Verify A Social Security Number: Employer Tools To Check A SSN.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009 at 6:27 pm and is filed under Employee Screening. Both comments and pings are currently closed.