Did you know that an estimated 73.5 million adults in the United States of America have a criminal record? One of the most important parts of running a successful business is making sure that you’re hiring qualified employees that are high-character individuals. New employees with criminal records could pose a risk to other employees as well as your business’s security.
You’re setting yourself up for some big issues if you choose not to run criminal background checks on potential employees during the hiring process. A personal background check will show potential issues that you can avoid when adding to your growing team.
The good news is that you’ve found the right article to learn all about the importance of a background check during your business’s hiring process. Keep reading this article to learn why you should run criminal background checks today!
Helps You Dive Into Criminal History
The main reason that so many successful businesses choose to run a background check on potential employees is to look for criminal charges and convictions. Many businesses look at these criminal charges as signs that the new employee could be dangerous or unreliable. A business owner wouldn’t want someone with a history of theft or embezzlement running the finance department.
Many companies find that the criminal charges that come up on an employment check are out of date. They also might not be relevant to the job they want new employees to perform. No matter what, it’s always good to be informed about a potential new hire’s background.
Avoids Liability
Another big reason why you should consider adding a personal background check to your hiring process is the liability aspect. If you’re running a business that wants to hire drivers a failure to do a background check could result in a ton of issues. You don’t want to hire an employee with a history of driving while intoxicated to drive trucks nationwide.
If that truck driver gets in an accident your business could get held liable. You can avoid a ton of issues by doing your due diligence and looking for issues with criminal background checks. Criminal and personal background checks are necessary to make sure that you’re hiring the right person for the job.
Improves Workplace Safety
A healthy and peaceful work environment is important for productivity and happy employees. A sad reality is that some people you’ll interview for job openings are a danger to the people around them. It’s important to know whether you’re interviewing a convicted murderer or a sex offender during the hiring process.
Running criminal background checks will give you the entire picture of the person that you’re hiring. You’ll know their past and how dangerous they are prior to hiring them. It will save you a lot of headaches as well as a ton of money in the long run.
Drug-Free Workplace
Violent crimes might be at the forefront of what you’re worried about with a background check. Drug and alcohol offenses are also important to consider. Many employees want to work for a company that provides a drug-free work environment. You can avoid hiring drug users and addicts by running a personal background check on job candidates.
These background checks will tell you if the drug offenses are related to possession of drugs or distribution. You can also get a glimpse into how recent these drug offenses occurred. If you’re worried about a new employee with a drug conviction then you can always pair the background check with a drug test.
It’s a great way to set up a zero-tolerance rule when it comes to drug use at your company. You’ll narrow down your applicants and hire only the best fit for your business.
Displays Dishonesty
It’s easy for people that are looking for a new job to put on a good show during the interview process. Acting a certain way to trick a hiring manager into giving them the job is a real situation that your business is going to encounter. A great way to counter these job applicants is through the use of a criminal background check.
You shouldn’t be surprised to find that many applicants are dishonest with their job applications and resumes. Anyone can make up jobs for their work history and embellished job titles. Conducting a background check will help you verify that they’ve done what they claim and that they’re an honest individual.
If things don’t add up for the applicant then you can stop wasting your time with the interview process. It will save you time and money that you can put towards your qualified and honest new employees.
Verifies Education
You’ll also encounter job applicants that aren’t honest about their education history. Some jobs require certain certifications and skills that a potential employee needs to gain through a trade school or college. A personal background check will verify that the applicant attended and graduated from the courses that are required for the position.
Verifying their education is another step toward making sure that they’re an honest person. Some jobs require certain licenses or certifications for legal reasons. If you have an opening for a position like that then it’s definitely worth it to do your due diligence.
Peace of Mind
No business owner wants to lose sleep at night over hiring the wrong new employees. Conducting criminal background checks will help you gain peace of mind that you have high-character employees that are taking your business to new heights. You can rest easy knowing that your new employees are qualified and not frauds.
Start Performing Criminal Background Checks Today
Criminal background checks are a vital part of the hiring process for businesses nationwide. These personal background checks will help you determine if job applicants are a danger to employees and customers. You can also use an employment check to make sure that your new hires are trustworthy and qualified for the position.
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