This Halloween season, there’s more than just ghosts and ghouls to frighten us. Human Resources seems perpetually haunted by the specter of liability and the fear of high employee turnover! In all seriousness, employment is a tricky business. Doing your due diligence at the beginning of the hiring process can make it much easier not to be startled (Boo!). This becomes especially relevant when you learn something “spooky” about a prospective employee.
Take the time you need to evaluate your job candidates through multiple lenses. Here are just a few of the skeletons you might find in your candidates’ closets that could affect your hiring of a more productive, long-term workforce.
Skeleton 1: Major Crimes
While the presence of a past criminal record isn’t a disqualifying factor in itself, there are many varieties of crime. Some are directly connected to the work being done at your company. If your company works with children, it is essential to know if a candidate has a history of violence towards minors. By conducting thorough background checks that cover multiple databases, you make it easier to feel assured you have matched the right individual with the right kind of work at your company.
Skeleton 2: Motor Vehicle Violations
While one would hope that individuals applying for jobs requiring driving a company vehicle would think that they need to be prudent (and have a clean driving record). Sadly, this is not always the case. People may apply for a job without disclosing how many tickets and moving vehicle violations they’ve experienced, thinking that they are still, on average, a good driver. Finding this “skeleton” helps you to evaluate whether the driving duty needs to be reassigned. That way, you can hire an otherwise-excellent candidate. Otherwise, it would be best if you moved forward with someone else.
Skeleton 3: Education Verification
The pressure to acquire a great education is high these days, with many jobs requiring prior degrees rather than training from the ground up on-site. It is no wonder that a significant percentage of people than you might assume are lying on their resumes about their education. It doesn’t make sense to “treat” any one individual with suspicion. However, it is essential to make calls or inquiries to schools to avoid getting “tricked.” Verify that your job candidate did indeed acquire a degree at the institute at which they claim to have graduated. These calls give you peace of mind and provide another vote of confidence for your candidate.
Skeleton 4: Employment Verification
Just as important—if not more so—as education is the employment verification process. In many industries, the experience level a candidate has is prized, and relevant experience is the key to all advancement. When you are looking for a mid-level or higher candidate, your interest in the candidate is likely directly tied to whether they have the experience they claim on their resumes. While few people make up experience, many are tempted to fudge the dates to look more experienced than they are. Others may exaggerate their responsibilities to appear to be at a director level or another high position in a past company. The easiest way to separate truly impressive resumes out is to have a thorough background employment evaluation, one that also verifies the duties of the jobs if possible. This action will weed out applicants that alter their resumes.
Skeleton 5: Visa and Travel Permissions
A job candidate’s visa and travel permissions play a direct role in their employment. If he or she is in the United States on a particular kind of visa, he or she may or may not be authorized to work long-term. It is essential to have someone familiar with the information in the United States immigration system. They determine what, if anything, you as a company must do to employ him or her legally. This verification is less of a skeleton and more of a requirement. However, being on a “watch” list or a restricted travel list of some kind could be an essential factor. Consider whether you need this information to stay within the boundaries of the law.
Third-Party Screening Is the Nail in a Red Flag’s Coffin
Creating systems within your company with which to evaluate all potential skeletons is expensive, time-consuming, and if done poorly, can result in misuse of the information you might “dig up.” Why not work with a trusted third-party screening provider like CNet Technologies? We provide the information you need to use in your job candidate’s background screening evaluation, reducing your risk of bias or personally skewed results. Working with CNet helps you leave behind the feelings of fear and uncertainty, and instead, reap your fill of excellent, long-term job candidates. Rather than worrying about Halloween tricks, you’ll be in for a treat when you work with CNet Technologies!
