Background Employment Screening – Get Info On Your Future Employee
Background screening has become very common in most industries. When a person applies for a position, they are often told they will need to undergo a background screening as part of the hiring process. If the background screening does not come back with the information that is expected, the person does not get the job.
In most cases a screening will include a check of a person’s education, references, credit history, driving history, and criminal record. The depth of the screening usually depends on the type of position a person is applying for. In some cases a company has a general policy to do a complete background screening on all potential employees.
Some of the screening will be completed from the application that you fill out for the position. When you sign the application, you agree the information on the application is true and that the company can check it. If any of the information turns out to be false, the company can fire you. It is important that the information you put on an application is accurate and complete. If you cannot remember a date or other information, don’t guess.
Putting on the form that a date is unknown, or leaving a line blank is better than fudging information. The waiver continues to be valid, so if inaccurate information is on the application a person can be fired even after working for the company for several years. Most people do not realize that their resume is not part of the application. Unless a company asks you to sign the same waiver for your resume, they cannot just do the same type of screening that is done on your application. Your right to privacy remains intact unless you specifically give permission for a resume to be screened.
It is important to read the screening waiver you are signing. When a box indicates a screening that is not related to the job you are applying for, cross it out. Write on the line above this area that you are not allowing the screening in this area. This is very important with credit histories. When a company is checking your credit history for no reason related to the job, they are going to impact your credit score.
A credit report that is requested by a company can affect your credit score. Unless there is a reason for this check, a company does not need to run a credit report arbitrarily. When you do not want a certain screening to be conducted, cross it out and do not approve that screening. There are many types of screenings that are vital to the position for which you are applying. Those screenings are relevant, important, and should be conducted.
If something is going to come back on the background check that has not been discussed with the interviewer, you will want to talk about it before the screening is sent. For instance, if there is a felony criminal record, it will show up on the background screening. By preparing the company for this ahead of time they will not feel that you have been deceitful. It is important that any negative information that may come back be discussed prior to the screening process.
The amount of information you want to allow a company to collect on you is a personal decision. You need to be aware that this information is kept in some files for up to seven years on average. You should always be aware of your rights when a Employee Background Checks is going to be conducted. There are serious rights issues involved in many of the Employee Background Screening processes that can have a negative impact on you in the future.
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