Background Check Mistakes That Can Cost Your Company
These Mistakes on a Background Check Can Lead to Uncredible Hires
Background checks are a smart way to make important decisions on who is the most credible and qualified for the position. In a background check, you can verify a candidate’s information within the four corners of their application, resume, or CV. Are they who they say they are?
Protect your employees, clients, and most importantly, your business, by avoiding these mistakes when conducting a background check. And remember, you must notify the candidate that you will be running a background check on them, and disclose if there was information about them in that check that led to your decision not to hire them.
Only Screening Full-Time Employees
Conducting a background check on a person who will be a permanent employee is a good step in protecting your business. However, overlooking contract workers, such as vendors and suppliers could be a costly mistake. Fraudulent workers take advantage of vulnerabilities within the system or people to get ahead, and will seek that opportunity if they can.
Organized crime rings have shown great exposures in the background checking process as they have been able to infiltrate companies and wiping them out of thousands or millions of dollars. It is not a waste of resources to conduct a background check on contractors or part-time hires. It can save your company from being attacked from within.
[RELATED: How Vendor Audits and Verifications Protect Businesses]
Not Verifying Their Education and Prior Employment
A person’s application or resume can give you a quick summary of a person and how they would be a good fit for the position. But like social media, a resume is curated by that person to show who they want others to see them. What is most often overlooked on a resume, however, is if their education history is even correct. Don’t assume the prior company they worked for did their due diligence for you.
And with their prior employment, you should also verify that they had worked there and had the position that they claimed. You would be surprised how many people lie about their roles and responsibilities at their prior employment, thinking that businesses are not going to verify. Remember, fraudulent employees thrive with vulnerabilities in the verification process. Don’t fall victim to this mistake.
Digging into Their Social Media
The digital age continues to enhance our lives where you can learn a lot of facts about a person before getting to know them in real life. Social media is a useful tool to get a glimpse into a person’s life and who they are, or how they want people to see them. And that’s what the flaws are with just looking at a person’s social media page – they control what information is there.
Not Checking a Contractor’s Information
Fraudulent contractors will operate under multiple business names at one time, so researching their company’s name is not enough. You can’t check these records through a web-based search because there is no central repository. So who really is coming to your home or working for your business? Do you know anything about their history on code enforcement, permits, and inspection records?
Not Considering a Background Investigation When It’s Needed
A background investigation takes a background check one step further by verifying information from multiple sources. For example, if you come across a candidate that had two arrest warrants within the last two years, it may seem easy to write them off as
In a background investigation, however, you can get more information on a person’s criminal record, education verification, certifications on a resume, previous employment, driving record, and credit check in some specific instances. Plus, you receive information from more than just a single source.
[RELATED: Difference Between Background Checks and Background Investigations]
Conducting a Background Check Yourself
Whether it’s for personal or business reasons, conducting a background check can protect you or your company. The problem that can come with a background check is the overwhelming amount of information to take in and verifying that you have your facts correct. This is a lot of work when done thoroughly.
To take that additional step in your background check and do your due diligence, consider hiring a PI for a background investigation and verification. For more information on how we can help in your employee background check process, schedule a free consultation with a private investigator today.
