3 Things to Know For Employment Criminal Background Checks

When it comes to the hiring process ofdriving to the court house.
employees for your business, few things are asYou're a business owner, not a business legal
important as employment criminal backgroundattorney, don't try and make business and criminal
checks. Whether you're running a backgroundlaw one of your expertise, trust me on this
check on your employees to fall in line with theone...spend the $20 or $30 for an online service
hiring laws of your state, or you just want tothat's specific to your state, it will save you tons
make sure you're hiring someone safe, andover time and protect your assets!
honest...it's important that you understand 3Then there are the whole 3rd party services that
important concepts before you go about theare meant for big corporations like Wal-Mart,
process.Macy's & Microsoft, not a much smaller
I'm handing down the experience that I had tobusiness or contractor. These huge 3rd party
learn the hard with some of my recentservices carry huge overhead costs for any
employees. Please read closely and thoroughly sobusiness, but are simply not needed for smaller
that you can make sure you don't make theoperations, these services are meant for huge
same mistakes I made during the hiring processcorporations with many employees and constant
that cost me a little over $400,000 within 2hiring that is taking place...why bite deep into your
months!profits for something that your business doesn't
3 tips that will keep you from making the sameneed?
mistakes I made:An online criminal records search service is not
Tip # 1 - When going about the hiring process foronly much simpler to use, but is far more cost
employees, MAKE SURE that you get a criminaleffective for your business. Most of these online
background check on the employee (s) that yourecords services usually have two options, a one
wish to hire, or wish to move on further in thetime use option, or for just something like $10
hiring process. This might seen like a "duh" tomore you can get 5 or so years of ongoing
most business owners and operators, howeversearches and records. This is a VERY cost
there are some very important catches here thateffective, legal, and safe way to get your criminal
you need to understand, or you might end upbackground checks done properly.
paying through your teeth for years to come.Tip # 3 - This is of course the most important
First of all, most states require a criminaladvice that I can possibly give you...GET AN
background check on all your employees forEMPLOYMENT CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECK
certain types of work that they will be doing.DONE for all current and new hire employees for
However, the similarities between a lot of statesyour business. I can not stress this strongly
most of the time stop right there. This was thingenough! I made the mistake on all three of these
that I very quickly realized as soon as I hadpoints, and I paid for it dearly (almost leading my
attorneys coming to my door.business to bankruptcy).
Most state business practice laws are ratherFirst, I didn't run proper background checks on
different, and while one state might require onemy first couple of employees and tried to cut
certain type of background check, another statecosts by doing it all myself in the court house, of
might require a whole different set of informationcourse because I went about it this way, I missed
and different kinds of checks. For example, forvery important information and lacked proper
some particular jobs that usually include lots ofdocumentation for the future. Then as I had to
financial transactions, a credit check along withgo through more new hires, I decided to cut
license checks are required.more corners; for some I just ran a quick search
The point here is to make sure that when younot specific to my state, and for others I just
conduct a criminal background check, that youavoided running a criminal background check on
conduct the search with a service that's specificentirely.
with your state, so if your using an online serviceSo when I was presented with a lawsuit that
(which are much cheaper, and just as effectivecould have been completely avoided if I had just
as 3rd parties) to check your new hires criminalrun every criminal background check properly for
record, make sure that the service isn't justevery one of my employees, it became
some nationwide records service, but SPECIFICextremely clear to me that I could have avoided
TO THE STATE your operating in.this problem all together. Please, please, please...get
Note: There is an added benefit by using an onlineyour employee criminal background checks done
service that is specific to the laws of your state.the proper way!
When you use a more relevant service that isToday, I have my business back on track and
based around your states records, then you willthose hard times are nothing more then bad
almost always receive more in depth and highlymemories, but I make darn sure that I never
relevant information.forget about the mistakes I made, and I pass this
Tip # 2 - Use an online records service, not a 3rdinformation along to as many other new and
party, and do NOT just go down to the courtexperienced business owners I come across. I
house. This one mistake cost me a lot of moneyonly hope that it's not too late for you, and you
in the long run. You see, all criminal records arecan still do things right before you run into any
free and public information, however that doesreal legal snags.
not mean that you as an individual will get quick** If you have already hired employees without a
and easy access to the information, and that youproper background check, it is still not too late to
will be able to compile all the information yourselfcover your tracks properly. Get a background
in a legal manner. This is the route I took, and bycheck done immediately (following these rules)
trying to save $20 bucks, I ended up losingand then if need be, seek advice from an
almost half a million. I highly recommend that youattorney. Actually getting a proper and state
DO NOT try to compile criminal backgroundspecific check done ASAP should be the first thing
records on an individual by yourself by simplyyou do.