To say that the background check industry has come into its own over the last few years would be a gross understatement. If we were to wind back the clock a decade or so, you would probably have to hire a private investigator to get to the bottom of a lot of the data that these checks reveal.
From the perspective of the employer, there’s no doubt that they have more power than ever before at their fingertips. They are able to find out quickly if a candidate is who they say they are, and combat some of the dilemmas that may have previously taken a while to explore.
Nevertheless, the nature of the industry means there are plenty of misconceptions doing the rounds. I will now outline the best of my background check myths, to highlight the point in-detail.
Myth #1 – It all comes from one database
A lot of the employers toying with the idea about using a background check service are commonly under the belief that all of the data is stored in one, huge database.
As it turns out, this isn’t the case in the slightest. While the data has become much easier to sought, this is just because of technology. The reality is that these companies will link all sorts of databases together to present that elusive information on a candidate straight to your inbox.
Myth #2 – Background checks provoke a whole host of legal problems
Fortunately, this isn’t a problem. Or, we should rephrase, it doesn’t have to be a problem.
Sure, some laws do exist about background checks, and it pays to be vigilant. However, a lot just revolves around common sense and there is no law out there which stops you from compiling a background check on a candidate.
So, what sort of laws are we talking about? Well, the background check needs to relate to the role that you are recruiting for. For example, if you are recruiting a hairdresser, asking for a credit report is completely unnecessary.
Another common law relates to how much you have to tell applicants. In short, the best approach is transparency. You need to tell them that you are conducting a background check and beyond this, if you decide to reject their application based on something that was uncovered in this check.
Myth #3 – Background checks are only open to the big organizations
This final myth we are going to talk about couldn’t be further from the truth. Countless studies have shown exactly how much money a bad hire can cost a company and it stands to reason that these effects are going to be felt much harder if your business is on the small size.
In short, you need to take every precaution possible. The fact that background checks are so readily available means that there isn’t a financial excuse, and it should really be a no-brainer for you and your business.
