Background Check for Employers and Employees
Background checks for employers and employees have become increasingly common in today’s society. With the number of people gaining employment or looking for a new career, these checks are now a standard part of many industries. This can include anything from applying for jobs to getting a loan for a new home. Today’s employers must do a complete check on any potential employee or applicant to make sure they are not a criminal or could be potentially risky to them and their company.
The days of hiring and firing based solely on a person’s past have long since passed. Today’s employers need to perform checks for employees and employers to ensure that they are not putting themselves and their company at risk by hiring someone with a history of lying and miscegenation. Today’s society is made up of people with a wide range of backgrounds. Therefore, it is not uncommon for someone with a white-collar background to become a salesman or an employee in a blue-collar company.
Because of this, employers and employees have an even greater need to do these checks on each other. Today, employers may conduct checks on potential employees, including checking records against criminal history, credit history, and financial information. They may also want to run a check through databases to see if there are any outstanding warrants out for a person’s arrest. Sometimes employers conduct pre-employment checks on job applicants to ensure they do not have any bankruptcies and debts because that could affect them while on the job.
Background checks have become extremely common over the years due to the ease and availability of such services. Some companies conduct such checks before hiring someone to work for their company, and others may only conduct such checks during the initial interview process. In either case, many potential hires have their background checked before being placed in a position of employment. Additionally, some people have their background checked upon signing employment contracts to ensure that they are not on any records as an ex-felon or with a criminal offense.
In the past, it was easy to find out if someone had a criminal background because records were kept in local courthouses. However, criminal history records are now stored separately from civil records and are only accessible through special computer databases paid for by individual states. Due to the restrictions placed upon these records, most employers and even potential employees will have to contract an attorney, private investigator or investigation firm that has access to these online databases.
What To Look For In A Background Check
Important factors employers are typically looking for in a background check are factors that will affect their work environment. Especially any criminal offenses or harassments that are sexual or racial. These factors may not make or break your employment status or ability to obtain a job, but it gives the employer a better way to get to know an employee. Please note that it is essential to discuss this with your HR department.
Why Criminal Background Checks Are Essential for Employers
There are several reasons criminal background checks are important, and it has become much more common over the years. The first reason is simply because of the risk involved when hiring someone with a history of crime. However, there are many cases where people with criminal backgrounds have been able to get jobs in different fields simply because they can prove their background will not be a problem.
It’s important to note that employers shouldn’t wholly depend on criminal background checks to choose a new employee. It’s not enough to give a job to someone and assume they will stay clean. For one thing, if you are going to rely on a criminal check as a way to hire someone, you are relying on luck more than anything else. You have to hope that the person doesn’t act up again while at work, which can obviously be challenging. It is essential to keep yourself and your employees safe from criminal activity and employers who are serious about screening employees will spend some time researching all the various options available.
Employers aren’t the only ones that need to be concerned about criminal background checks either. Homeowners can also use checks to determine whether or not someone living in their home is likely to cause harm to others. Those who own rental properties may want to look into whether their tenants are likely to cause trouble by getting into trouble with the law. As you can see, there are many different reasons why employers and property owners would use a criminal background check, so it should be no surprise that these checks are becoming more commonplace.
Red Flags and Other Discrepancies
Red flags in background checks have been a pivotal piece of the service itself. They exist to warn individuals and companies about someone’s history of crime and criminal activities. Many different companies offer background checks online so employers can gain an individual’s record of crimes and felonies. They can be used for various reasons; some are for safety and security measures, others are for insight into a potential employee’s character and mindset. In many ways, background checks are necessary for anyone looking to get into a particular job category or advance in their career.
What If A Red Flag Pops Up During A Background Check
When it comes to red flags in background checks, you may have already guessed that there are quite a few. The first of which is any financial crime. The giant red flag here would be fraud, tax evasion, money laundering, and anything involving financial crimes. Another one would be bankruptcy fraud. All of these fall under severe financial crimes and should undoubtedly cause an authoritarian employer not to hire you.
There are other circumstances around red flags in background checks that you should be aware of, including violent crimes. Any violent crime should certainly raise some flags in your head. Violent crimes, such as rape, murder, and others, would cause an employer to further investigate your credentials. This is also something to consider when applying for a position of any kind, especially if you are a woman.
As mentioned above, sexual crimes like child molestation and sexual assault fall under red flags in background checks. Again, any cover-up or attempts at cover-up, such as false reporting, false allegations, fabrications, etc., would cause an employer to want to investigate your credentials further. False claims of being mentally ill or disabled would also cause an employer to investigate further. Anything involving criminal activity or violence will cause red flags to go up in your background check.
Employment fraud is another huge category of red flags in background checks. False information or false claims regarding hours worked or vacation time is familiar with these types of jobs. Incorrect information can lead an employer to hire someone who doesn’t have the appropriate skills for the job, leading to problems down the road. If you work in this industry, you want to know that everything you say is true. Otherwise, you could be looking at a possible dismissal.
The last of the red flags in a background check is a fraud. Fraud is something that happens every day, and employers will do everything in their power to protect themselves from these kinds of people. However, if you lie about past work history, education, affiliations, etc., you could find yourself in a hot seat with your boss asking you to leave. You have to be careful with what information you share, so make sure you check your background regularly.