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Background checks and your job search
May 29th, 2008
Before a person is called to interviewer the employer may wish to perform a background check. A background check is the process of collecting information on an individual through third-party services such as local or federal government. Whether an employer performs a background check and the severity of pre-employment screening depends on the job. Low paying jobs may not require a background check.
Background checks will apply to job applicants which
- Involves working with the elderly/children
- Handling of classified information
- Jobs dealing with a lot money and very important assets
The reasons such checks are performed are:
- To counter fraudulent information on CVs. CIFAS, the fraud prevention service of the United Kingdom found that fraudulent CVs cost UK businesses £1.5bn in 2005.
- To examine the character of individuals who would work with sensitive information such at the FBI or proprietary information in the private sector. It is also intended to reduce financial crime.
- To preserve the reputation of the company. In the US employers may be held responsible for the illegal actions of their workers. This is called the doctrine of negligent hiring. In addition, under the doctrine of negligent referral an employer may be subject to lawsuits for not providing sufficient information about past employees to other firms.
The types of information collected vary according to the job, between different countries and regions and between companies.
A typical full enquiry may include
- Social security number (in the US).
- Verification of education,employment history and professional qualifications.
- A review of civil criminal court records. In the US criminal background checks are performed at both the county and Federal level.
- A review of the persons credit history and driving license.
In addition, some jobs may require personal reference interviews and some may check the applicant’s credit history, particularly in the UK.
A typical background check can take from three to five days but, again, this varies with the intensity of the screening process.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires that an employer must make each applicant aware that background checks will be performed. In addition, the applicant must sign a release before the investigation may begin.
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