Screening Prospective Employees Is Important

by garrett on October 20, 2009

At one time background screening on potential employees only took place if the position involved a high security position. As technology has evolved and collecting information has become easier, there have been changes in the process used for an applicant’s Background Search prior to hiring. The requirements for screening job applicants and the types of information that may be screened have also evolved dramatically due to the realization that some behaviors create high risks in the workplace.

In the United States many of the common background screening policies have been established due to insurance company and governmental regulations that have a direct impact on the income of a company. Providers who insure businesses assume a great potential for loss if an employer hires an individual who has a history of drug or alcohol abuse. If the job will involve driving a vehicle, the potential for risk is exacerbated when an individual has a spotty driving record.

If a customer or employee is injured in a business and an employee is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, the business is liable for the costs involved regardless of the type of injury or if the injury was the result of actions by the employee in question. This creates a need for insurers to be assured that every action possible has been taken by a business to assure that employees have a clean record. Premiums that a company must pay for liability insurance are directly related to whether or not they require the background screening of job applicants that is appropriate for the position they are seeking.

This liability risk prompted companies that provide liability insurance to businesses to require that any potential employee be tested for drugs prior to hire. A background check had to be completed to ensure that the individual did not have a history of drug or alcohol abuse. For many businesses, in order to get the required liability insurance to run their business they must pre-screen applicants and conduct a criminal background check to meet the requirements of both insurance companies and governmental regulations.

In order to conduct any background screening, a company must have the written permission of the job applicant. Many companies ask that the applicant allow a criminal history and credit history background screening. There are very few instances, however, where a job applicant is required to agree to a credit history background screening and many applicants do not allow this screening to be completed.

When a credit history background screening is conducted it is reflected on the credit history of the job applicant and can negatively affect their credit score. For this reason, unless the position is one that will deal with finances or money very few applicants allow this screening and it does not negatively impact the applicant’s prospects for employment.

The primary background screening that is outsourced by companies is the criminal background check. This is a mandatory screening for most applicants of positions in US companies. Depending on the type of job, a criminal background screening may be conducted on a state level, a federal level, or both. In the United States many states participate in a national criminal database that contains the criminal records of individuals for every state in a single location. When a criminal background screening is conducted only at the state level there may be a clear criminal history, while if conducted at the federal level the individual may have a long criminal history.

A state criminal background screening can take from four to six weeks to complete, however, a federal background screening can take up to three months. In most cases a federal criminal background screening is only conducted on jobs that will be in positions that are considered sensitive, such as hospitals, airports, etc. Many companies choose to rely on the state screening process and do not use the federal screening due to the time constraints and need to fill a position quickly.

Many of the Employee Screening processes utilized are performed by the hiring companies at the time an applicant is hired. Federal regulations require that an individual produce valid identification that is turned into the Internal Revenue Service upon hiring. The hiring company also calls past employees and references to verify employment. Assessing the character of an individual is a subjective issue and therefore is not allowed under hiring guidelines.

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