Deciding which employees to hire may be one of the most important decisions an HR manager makes. Picking the right people to work for a company can result in numerous benefits for the workplace. The right talent can come up with new and useful ideas, raise revenue and increase customer service. Hiring the wrong individuals can likewise hurt a company in various ways. Office theft, workplace violence and even lawsuits can happen when background checks are not done on would-be employees.

By finding out a little more about who they hire, HR managers stand to avoid these sort of problems. The size of the business in question and its needs can make a difference in what elements of an applicants past are important during a background check.

One of the first things that employers tend to look into is an applicant’s criminal history. A large portion of individuals who are responsible for violent or criminal actions at their place of employment are later found to have such problems in their past. Since these things can cause lawsuits and put other employees in danger, responsible businesses are very concerned about this part of applicants lives.

Companies that look into potential employees criminal pasts are also often looking for drug related charges. Since workers who use drugs have been found to miss many days at work and can be responsible for serious workplace accidents, employers can save themselves a lot of money by avoiding hiring these individuals. A drug test often also helps to make sure that an would-be worker hasn’t used an illegal substance in their recent past.

Another important thing employers look into when doing background checks is the work history of applicants. As many as 40 percent of workers have been found to lie on their resumes. These falsehoods can be anything from fudging salary figures to claiming to have degrees that they do not. Knowing this, hiring mangers often double check to make sure that an individual is as experience as they say they are.

When hiring for a position that will entail handling large sums of money or costly goods, many employers also look into applicants financial histories. Many businesses prefer not to hire workers that have known money problems for these jobs because they feel that the temptation to steal may be to great. A past filled with unexplained unpaid bills, bankruptcy and actions from credit agencies are also seen as a sign of irresponsibility by many employers.

Labels: Background Checks