per-employment screening
Typically, companies conduct pre-employment screening on applicants
before they hire. However, what constitutes a background check varies
greatly from one company to another. When a company conducts the appropriate
type of background screening for the position, it can more easily rest
assured that the results will be well worth the small amount of time and
money expended.
What is pre-employment screening?
Any test, verification, or research conducted on an individual that provides
a basis for a hiring decision, is considered part of the pre-employment
screening process. It is one aspect of employment screening. Later, when an
individual is considered for promotion, or a periodic review is required,
other types of employment screening may be considered. But pre-employment
screening is the first, and it can be argued the most vitally important,
because it provides the basis for all that follows.
Examples of pre-employment tests include:
• Pencil-and-paper tests (that assess skill level in Math or English, for
example)
• Manual tests, like those that determine proficiency in driving vehicles,
operating equipment, or performing office functions like typing or shorthand
• Personality inventories
• Drug testing
Examples of pre-employment verifications include:
• Employment check
• Education verification
• Driving history
• Professional licenses
Examples of research that may be conducted on applicants include:
• Criminal record searches
• Credit history
• Interviewing references provided by applicant
Worker’s compensation checks are not pre-employment screening measures,
because, according to the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), they cannot
be conducted until the candidate is hired.
To determine which screening measures are appropriate for your company, talk
with a reputable, established background check provider.
Questions & Answers
When we hire sales people, we check their
background. However, when we hired a family member of someone on our Board
of Directors as a sales person, we did not conduct one. Could this be a
problem for our company?
The rule of thumb is, in a word, consistency. If you conduct background
checks for a category of employees, then it is advisable to check all
candidates for that category – not just the ones you do not know.
Are background checks legal?
Yes, employers have a right to know whom they are hiring. In fact, if an
employer does not look into the background of an applicant, it can spell
trouble down the road. If that individual is hired, causes harm or damage to
someone that is in any way associated with their employment, and it is found
that they had a criminal past, the employer can be held liable.
Is it helpful to check personal/business
references, when we know they will probably only say good things about our
candidate?
Surprisingly, applicants do not always contact their own references to
discuss the fact that they were listed as one on their application.
Subsequently, as these individuals are contacted, they may be more candid
than you think. Sometimes the references are at a loss to remember the
individual for whom they were listed as a reference. The key here is to
formulate performance-based, open-ended questions, applicable to the
position for which the candidate is being considered. An example of this
type of question is as follows: “Can you give an example of a situation
where this person lead a team in accomplishing a task, and what the outcome
was as a result of his leadership?”
Information Resources
“We’ll be sure you know who you hire”
800-548-0822
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