Background Checks & Employee Screening

There are a plethora of reasons why an employer may desire an employee background check. Of course, the 9/11 terrorist acts have contributed highly to the reasons, as identity verification becomes more important in employers’ eyes. We have become a nation of commonly accepted employee background checks because of it.

Strangely enough all of the negligent lawsuits that have come through the courts also have caused employers to look carefully in a prospective employees background. Not that the employee may sue, but that the employee represents the company, and thus if that employee is negligent in some way, the employer will find themselves liable.

If a business entails dealing with children, most states now have stringent requirements in order to have criminal background checks to be sure that there are no improprieties in the employee’s background. In most states, this now even includes volunteers.

Corporate scandals, such as the Enron scandals, have spurred background checks for executives since 2002. Companies are now being found liable more and more for their executives.

The Internet has brought us many wondrous things, but unfortunately it has also brought us many fabrications as well. Part of a good employee background check will bring forth these fabrications and embellishments. This use of the Internet also helps those who perform background checks to cross-index their search through the Internet. For instance, many employers have been known to look over sites such as MySpace and Facebook to see what is in the profiles of applicants.

Security clearance is yet another reason why employee background checks are necessary. For many jobs it is even legally mandated. The reasons entail each of the paragraphs above.

Years back there was no such career as a compliance manager, but today each type of business entails having to comply with different county, state or federal laws as bankers must do for example, or your local Doctor’s office with HIPAA, an accountability act. More and more background checks are now including any employee noncompliance records.

Many employers are heavily reliant on employment background checks. Part of the reason is of course the influence of 9/11 but employers are checking much deeper in a prospective employee’s past than whether or not that person belonged to any subversive groups.

For instance, once a prospective employee gives a prospective employer the right to perform a background check, today they will check on much more than the previous job history or their education. The possible employer in addition to these checks, may very well look into such records as court records, military records, medical records, driving records and even the credit history of the prospective employee.

Much of that information is readily available to someone looking for another on the Internet, and many investigative companies do just that, but if an employer wishes an in depth report on a person, then the prospective employee must sign a specific consent form. Delving into medical records, for instance, will require a specific consent form. It is an extremely rare occurrence though for a prospective employee to refuse to sign that form, as unemployment grows lately. Once consent is given to this kind of investigative background check, at times there is a possibility of non-relevant information.

As an American, a prospective employee is protected by the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a consumer advocacy organization, and of course the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Protection is also available through the Privacy Act of 1974, the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Always remember that whatever is posted on the Internet is open to public investigation. Many employers now check the Internet for such things as what is posted on MySpace, for instance. It’s not so much as the possibility of losing privacy that matters, but often it represents a part of our national security. Thus be aware of what your employment background check may reveal, but know that it also protects you and your family.