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You must be asking yourself what kind of background should be checked when it comes to individuals. In addition to the personal checks we conduct when we are interested in someone, there are also the ones that businesses carry out before hiring new employees. Doing a background check is one of the most critical steps taken by companies before onboarding a new employee. The whole point behind these checkups is to provide you with information on their working history and what their character is like. In addition, background checks may help you find out about the critical details that will give you an opportunity to see your future staff’s true colors. There are even companies dealing with this sort of job, and here are some of their major responsibilities.
First Things First, What Is a Background Check
A background check or, in other words, background screening, is some sort of deep research into your working record as a potential candidate for a corporate position. The background check is based on third-party resources where you can look at public records, credit bureaus, law enforcement, and previous work records. Some specialized companies do specific checkups, such as DBS checks for care home employees, and provide employers with information about someone’s competence to work in peculiar working conditions. Typically, companies request background checks for employees who apply for positions where they have access to client or customer information. Also, this is an essential step for companies that are dealing with the sensitive personal data of clients.
Background Check Companies Reveal Details from Employees’ Professional Lives
The information included in the background checks may vary based on the position and job type. Some of the most common information to be included in these reports is criminal history, with convictions and arrests included, employment history, education history, credit history, social media activity, personal debt collection records, and driving history, which also includes any kind of violation.
Background Check Companies Uncover Any Potential Frauds
Employer checks take place in various industries, especially within those that handle sensitive information such as finances, properties, or any other kind of information containing sensitive data about the client. Typically, companies that do background checks are hired so they can research information about the employee before they are officially given the position. The aim of conducting these checks and even applying for the controls is to prove that the employee has never committed and will not commit any kind of fraud. In the majority of situations, companies hire background check service providers so they can protect their reputations and also find top and trustworthy employees. For some background checks, there are instant results, while for others, it is necessary to wait a couple of days.
What Are the Most Common Background Check Types
There are a whole load of checks that are used in the different cases. However, not all of the types of background checks may apply in every situation. Speaking of the types, it is important to mention that there are 11 different types of checks in total, yet not all of them are used during the checks, just the ones essential for the position.
- Criminal History Check: Criminal checks are the most common of all of the types, as employers usually want to know everything about the criminal history of the potential employee. These usually require searches such as registers with ex-offenders, reports from the justice courts, broad-scale databases of crime records, and terror watch lists.
- Verifications of the Previous Positions: These confirm the potential employee’s previous work experience.
- Education Verification: Education verification is the only way for hiring managers to judge the accuracy of the education information on a candidate’s resume because an undergraduate degree is not quite the same as an academic degree.
- Reference Check: Obtaining references from job candidates is a common procedure conducted by employers. The whole point of the reference check is for the employer to see how you would fit in with the company.
- Drug Testing: This specific kind of testing is mandatory in some areas, such as traffic or aviation. It goes without saying that the purpose of doing these tests is to determine if the person is addicted to alcohol, drugs, or any other kind of illegal substance.
- Sexual Offender Registry: In some areas, it is mandatory for employers to conduct searches in the sex offender register. This type of check is meant to eliminate the possibility of giving a position to people who have a record of sexual offenses. Not to mention that this kind of checkup is necessary for positions where children, daycare centers, and education are involved.
Background checks are necessary for some industries, as you need confirmation that the person you are about to confide in with some of the most sensitive data of your business is reliable enough to handle this responsibility. Also, the companies dealing with these specific types of services are responsible for providing their employees with reliable and trustworthy information, as many things depend on it.
