Including Criminal Background Checks In Your Hiring Process

More and more companies have the need to include a criminal record or background check in the hiring process today. If you have employees that are working in circumstances that require you to evaluate risk, your insurance company may mandate this check. In some cases, the check may only serve to give you a picture of someone's past that is not complete but it can open up a dialog between the potential employee and the employer.

When Do You Need To Know

If you are hiring someone for a job that requires them to work closely with the public in and unsupervised or one on one environment, a record check may be important. You would not want to hire someone and put them in a job that would violate their probation or create a situation where they would be uncomfortable. You are also protecting your clients or customers by ensuring that the person they are dealing with can take care of their needs without being a threat to them or their family. Consider also, if the potential employee will be dealing with a lot of cash or valuable merchandise, you might not want to hire someone with a conviction for theft or embezzlement.

Where To Get A Criminal Record Check

This used to be a difficult task but that is no longer the case. There are many services that will pull the records of an individual and compile the information for you. Sure, they will charge you a fee but they can get all the information you need to make a better choice and in some cases, they can even put together an entire profile for that potential hire. In most cases, all you need to do is inform the potential employee of the background check, have them sign off consenting to the check, and let the company do the rest. These services are making it possible for even small business to run an employee criminal background check now whereas just a few years ago it was something only large companies could do.

Decisions Decisions

If you are running a check on a potential employee, using it as the only reason to not hire them might not be the best solution. Open the channels of communication with them and discuss the situation., You may find that a guy that was convicted of a crime may still be a fit for your company in another role. Use the background check process as a risk assessment tool, not an automatic yes or no to hiring someone. The circumstances might be a lot different than just the yes or no on the record check indicates. Good people make mistakes every day, and while you might not want to fill your company with convicted felons, understanding a person's situation can make it much easier to help them get that second chance and get back on track. Protect your company and clients but remember to take all the information into consideration when using criminal records as part of your hiring process.


Share