Should employers actually check up on potential hires through pre-employment screening? ABSOLUTELY! A recent study showed that half of all reference checks conducted on prospective employees differed between what the job applicant provided and what the reference source reported. Would a potential candidate actually lie on their resume or job application? In today’s job market, you better believe it!
Pre-employment screening through background checks, criminal or credit checks is a highly controversial topic. Many people in the general public do not wish for their personal history to be poked through by some investigator. Some people feel that the information that could be discovered is either irrelevant, or could be taken the wrong way, if the potential employer does not have all the facts.
One way to prevent harm to a potential employee is to provide them with the report prior to giving it to the employer. This way, the individual can address any discrepancies on the front end.
In May, 2002, Northwest Airlines was hit with a civil lawsuit by 10,000 of its mechanics. Basically Northwest was accused of using information that was past the 10 year limit set by some current laws. According to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, arrest records can remain for up to seven years. Some credit information can remain for up to 10 years.
Employees working in the trucking industry, airports, ports of entry, cruise ships, etc will be subject to a pre-employment screening more often than other types of job categories. Any employee who makes greater than $75,000 dollars per year may be subject to pre-employment screening and background checks that goes back for longer periods of time and contains more thorough information.
To gain assistance in your pre-employment screening and background checks, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
