Going Beyond the Resume - The Importance of Doing Background Criminal Checks

Hiring managers are diligent in filtering resumes,every ten people who apply for a job has had a
shifting through applications, and conductingrun in with the law. Now, a past criminal record
interviews to find the best candidate to fill opendoes not automatically disqualify someone from
positions. Yet, that is actually not enough toemployment, which is actually illegal itself.
ensure the person hired is right for the job.However, if a person has a record of felonies or
Employment background screening andmisdemeanors that would affect their ability to
background criminal checks are just as importantperform their job duties, than a hiring manager is
as a spotless resume. Human resourceswithin their rights to take that into consideration.
representatives in many different industries shouldBackground criminal checks also factor into the
be utilizing these tools.employment process as a matter of trust.
Building A Better Picture With EmploymentCandidates have to disclose any record that they
Background Screeninghave; failure to do so is a poor indication.
In many service industries, a person's historyHowever, be careful in that not all crimes have to
beyond just their resume and application isbe reported. Each state's employment and labor
important. These businesses want to hire peopleboards have different requirements on how far
who will best serve the company's clientele,back a person has to self-report, which crimes
whether they are investors, eatery patrons,are considered reportable, etc. Brush up on local
students, patients, or the elderly. Employmentand state regulations before jumping to any
background screening is an essential supplementconclusions. A candidate who follows these laws
to the hiring and interview process to find theindicates a level of initiative, trustworthiness, and
right candidate. In addition, sometimes it takes athey have moved on and are ready to work.
third party evaluation of a person to reallyEmployment Background Screening And
understand them; we are not always the bestBackground Criminal Checks For Caregivers
judge of our own characters so a self writtenHealthcare industries have been in the news
resume or application is not always the bestrecently due to employees who have been
means to evaluate potential hires.negligent or abusive to patients and have later
Overall, employment background screeningbeen found to have prior criminal records. It is a
presents a kind of footprint this person has madesort of hot button issue and provides a good
as a working individual. This tool can be evenexample of the importance of how due diligence
more effective than calling a person's references;ensures good hiring decisions and prevents any
these checks find facts about their subject ratherlegal liability if an incident occurs.
than subjective remarks. It is the hiring managersBackground criminal checks can help keep qualified
job to find the perfect candidate by using all thepeople in caregiver positions while releasing
tools available to them.companies from liability. Many states and counties
How Do Background Criminal Checks Factor Intohave passed laws to ensure that checks and
The Hiring Process?screenings are completed.
Here is a sobering set of statistics; the nationalIn the end, screening and pre-employment checks
average for past felony convictions is 4% of theare vital tools for hiring personnel. These tools help
population and 7% of our citizens have beenhuman resource representatives find the best
convicted of misdemeanors. Therefore, one incandidates for the job at hand.