We highly recommend completing a background check on final candidates before making a job offer and think there are specific items to check, beyond a simple criminal history, that help you make sure you’re hiring who you think you’re hiring.

Employment Verifications

A survey from CareerBuilder in 2015 found that up to 25% of people claimed to be employed by companies for which they never worked.  And even more people might claim to work more years for a company than they actually did.  Ask your background check provider to verify employment for the last 3 employers listed by the candidate.  Check dates of employment and whether or not the employee is eligible for rehire.  If an employee isn’t eligible for rehire, it might mean that they were fired from that position.

Degree or Certifications

Often a job description or job advertisement requires that candidates have a degree or that a certain certification is preferred for a specific opening.  A company will likely only consider candidates who include those qualifications on a resume, but are you verifying that those candidates actually have what they say they have?

Driving Record

A driving record might not be relevant for all positions but if a potential employee is going to be driving a company car or regularly driving a personal car for business purposes, a driving record should definitely be part of your background check process.

Credit

Checking an employee’s credit history is a little controversial, and in some states, illegal.  In most cases I don’t think it needs to be included in a background check, but if an employee is going to be in charge of or involved in a company’s finances it can be relevant.

Before selecting a background check provider, make sure they have the capability to check each of these items.  If you have any questions about your background check process, or need a referral for a reputable background check provider, contact Purple Ink!