More and more companies and organizations are doing background checks on their job candidates, and even current employees. One of the primary reasons for doing background checks is internal security and protection from negligent hiring lawsuits. Some companies choose to outsource the screening and some choose to do the screening in house with their own staff. Which ever option your company chooses, there are some basic tips that can help you.
Verify information on resumes. Some job candidates appear to try and make their resume their “great American novel”, complete with literary license to pad, inflate or even lie on their resume. After all, they are not signing the document like they would an application; therefore they do not feel like they are practicing any type of deception. One way to mitigate any deception on the resume is to have a disclaimer on the application where the applicant signs, attesting that the information on their resume is accurate and true to the best of their knowledge.
Follow up on employment and reference verifications. If an applicant asked you not to call a particular employer or reference because it could affect the current employment, make sure to follow through after an offer has been made. Contact those people to be sure that there weren’t any discrepancies that the applicant reported on his application or resume.
Keep your background checks consistent. If you are going to screen a sales person, make sure that the screening procedure you use and the information you verify is uniform with any other sales person you have done a background check on. Many companies that perform background checks will allow you to select various “packages” that you can pick depending on the position that you are screening a candidate for.
The most important piece of advice is to screen the applicant. Don’t go by word of mouth alone, or the fact that someone who knows someone else recommend the applicant. Do the criminal check, the reference check and the rest of the history. The best defense you have against any type of negligent hiring lawsuit is the ability to show you as an organization are proactive.
