Most employers agree that a background check can be a crucial final step to ensuring a candidate is right for the job. One way for you can balance competing concerns about background checks is to consider carefully what information you need to select suitable employees. Here are six steps you can take to help ensure your background checks identify potential problems without adversely affecting protected groups: 1. Obtain written consent before conducting any background check, including simple reference checks. 2. Perform checks as one of the last steps in the selection process. 3. Perform background checks relevant to the position being sought. 4. Conduct criminal conviction checks only on candidates who will be in “positions of confidence.” 5. Evaluate results fairly and consistently. 6. Restrict access to information obtained in background checks.
Read more
W. Barry Nixon is the COO, PreemploymentDirectory.com the leading background screening information portal and online worldwide directory of professional background screening firms and Suppliers to the background screening industry. He co-authored the landmark book, Background Screening & Investigations: Managing Hiring Risk from the HR and Security Perspective. He also is the publisher of award winning newsletters, The Background Buzz and The Global Background Screener, and the author of the Background Checks column in PI Magazine.
In addition, Barry is a past recipient of the elite ‘Top 25 Influential People in Security’ by Security Magazine and past Co-Chair, International Committee for the National Association for Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS). He currently serves as a Global Ambassador for NAPBS.
You can contact Barry at 1-949-770-5264 or online at wbnixon@preemploymentdirectory.com