A Couple of Secrets to Know about Looking into Someone’s Background

It is very important that a business keeps its staff and its service users safe at all times. One way they achieve that, is by completing a background check on new employees. They do, however, have to make this very clear from the word go, telling applicants exactly what they will check, how, and why.

What Should Be Checked?

Exactly what an organization checks can vary. However, it is common to see them ask for:

1. A credit history background check, which delves into someone’s financial past and present.
2. A criminal history background check, in which the full criminal history of someone is disclosed.
3. An educational verification, which means that the employer checks whether someone’s degrees are valid and accredited.
4. Employment verification, whereby it is checked whether someone worked where they said they did. This is often done in combination with reference requests.
5. License verification, whereby relevant professional organizations are contacted to determine whether the individual has a license, how long they have held it for, and whether they have kept up with renewal rules.
6. A limited criminal history background check, which means that the check is only performed on the individual’s current geographical location.
7. A limited sex and violent registry background check, which is often done on the current geographical location and, if the prospective employee has recently moved, their previous state.
8. A sex and violence registry background check, whereby a national database of criminal history is checked.

Who Should Be Checked?

An employer should make it very clear who they will check and when, and what will be checked. With new employees, it is likely that all checks are completed, as this will determine whether they are who they say they are. There are also many companies, however, that rerun certain checks at regular intervals. In this case, checks such as the employment verification, educational verification, and license verification will not have to be completed again.

It is also important for businesses to consider the checks they will complete on foreign nationals. They will usually have to provide a verification of both education and employment themselves, and have this certified by the relevant organizations. Because these details are not held on a national database, they must provide this themselves. It will also be necessary to complete an international criminal background check. License verifications will not be necessary, as international licenses are not valid in this country, and the applicant will need to obtain national ones.

As you can see, there are many different checks to be completed and many different situations in which they should be completed. It is very important that employers are open and honest about the checks that they are completing, not in the least because the applicant has to sign in agreement. At the same time, it can be made clear that anyone not agreeing to those checks being performed will not be provided with an offer of employment.