As you probably know, Human Resources is an imperative component of any business. Naturally, we want to find the best and most qualified person for the job. This is why pre-employment screening is so important. Not only do you want an employee who has all of the skills and working drive that the company needs, but you also need this kind of evaluation to ensure the company reduces its risks, as well as builds a safer, positive and constructive workplace.
So you find the perfect applicant. He/she appears to have all of the qualifications for the job you were looking for. Before you go ahead and hire anyone to work for you, make sure you do these types of pre-employment screenings:
1. Criminal Background Checks
This kind of background check is the most common and is increasingly getting more popularized. You hear those news reports all of the time; the ones where an employee endangered a workplace or was using detrimental practices. These actions could possibly harm the company, its workers, and/or give it a bad brand value. These actions can be avoided.
Here are some of the criminal background checks you should perform on an employee candidate to ensure your business is secure:
· County record search
· State record search
· Federal record search
· Sex offender registries
· International criminal records
· SSN Trace
These searches can be quite difficult to find and understand. It is a good idea to take your time and find a quality background and pre-employment company to do these searches for you. You should be weary of online background screening databases. These often look over or miss very important information and are not very detailed. It is not a good idea to use these databases for important HR decisions.
2. Employment Verification
In most every case, when a candidate is looking to get hired, he or she will hand in a resume, and/or fill out an application. Now that you have seen their impressive list of skills, accomplishments, and experiences, it is time you validate this as a trustworthy resource. According to CNNMoney.com, "10 percent to 30 percent of job seekers shade the truth or flat-out lie on their resumes." The most common lies include their job title, compensation, reason for leaving and accomplishments.
Employment screening services typically will to in-depth analysis in these areas; keeping a look out for any inaccurate information. They may also perform supervisor interviews, I-9 Right to Work Verification, professional license verification, and (very important and sometimes underrated) employment reference checks.
3. Education Verification
It may come as a surprise but lying about to a prospective employer about his/her education history is actually not that unusual. Most typically, these lies may be the institution they did or did not attend, or that the degree they listed or mentioned was never actually earned. Though these lies or exaggerations may be small or unsubstantial it is important to verify this kind of information to really have a better understanding of his or her skills.
4. Drug Testing
Often over-looked or underestimated, executing a pre-employment drug screening program and/or a random drug-testing program is a great way to improve workplace productivity.
Not only does this usually avert those who may abuse substances, but it can also save you in insurance costs and prevent simple mistakes from occurring, slacking on the job, no-shows, possibly theft, and employee turnover too.
5. Driving Records
Driving Record checks are a vital part of hiring anyone who will be operating a vehicle on the job. Even if they are driving on company time to do a simple errand for the office and get involved in an accident, your business could be liable. These checks are most critical, if the person you hope to employ is responsible for driving other individuals. Just this simple step could prevent serious future damage, not only to equipment, but also the lives of others.
6. Credit Reports
Credit reporting is becoming more common for those looking to hire. Many believe that if you are not reliable on paying your bill then you may not be reliable on the job. This type of screening can be extremely useful if you are looking to hire in the financial industry.
7. Find The Right Employment Screening Service
As I mentioned before, online databases are not usually the most reliable sources for background screening purposes. The goal is to reduce your company's risk as much as possible and increase workplace safety and productivity. It is a good idea to find an employment screening service with a track record of being trustworthy and very detailed oriented.
One example of this is PT Research Inc.; they have been around since 1998 and pride themselves on their quality and accuracy. The employment screening agency performs over 25,000 criminal record searches a month in New England alone. PT Research will also customize to each individual client and has a very fast turn around time. For more information go to http://www.ptresearchinc.com/
Resources:
http://www.ptresearchinc.com/
"4 Key Pre-Employment Screening Components"- Posted by Michael Gaul
http://www.recruitingblogs.com/profiles/blogs/4-key-preemployment-screening
"Top 5 Resume Lies" CNN Money By Jeanne Sahadi http://money.cnn.com/2004/11/22/pf/resume_lies/index.htm
By Kasey Andrew
Marketing Director at PT Research Inc.
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