Hiring a new member of a team is always a challenge and it can be an exciting part of running a business. If you are looking to hire a new team member for your business this year there are a lot of tips and tricks to take on board.
One of the most important things you can do during the recruitment process is to perform certain background checks on candidates. Background checks are a great way to check important information such as social security number (SSN trace), criminal convictions, and drugs.
Today we are going to run through some of the top reasons why you should perform some background checks on all candidates this year.
Criminal Convictions
One of the most popular background checks that is performed is a criminal record check. As an employer it is important to trust the person you hire, as once they work for you they will have access to your business data as well as acting as a representative of your brand. In order to trust an employee, it is crucial that they don’t have a criminal record that could impact either you directly or your reputation if found out. Of course, some companies will give convicts a second chance to change their ways, but it is still important that you make an informed decision.
Reduce Your Liability Risk
Think of your business like a child that you must protect from harm. As a ‘parent’, you would never leave someone you don’t know in charge of your child or allow them to interact with your child. You should apply the same principle to your business and perform background checks to get to know who your candidates are. Building a picture of the person you look to hire can sway your decision one way or the other and it is crucial to do this. For example, a social media check may uncover that a candidate is abusive, rude, or racist online and this makes them a huge risk to your business’ reputation.
Protect Your Employees
Another important reason to consider performing background checks on your employees is to protect those who already work for you. It is your responsibility as a business owner to protect everyone who works under your roof, and this will likely include performing checks to understand what a candidate is really like.
Verify Education
It is a simple fact that everyone lies a little bit on their CV. A white lie such as being able to play the piano or knowing two languages can often be overlooked, but if a candidate lies about having a degree that is relevant to the role this can be a big red flag. Ensure that you perform a background check on candidates to verify the education they have received and this will make a huge difference to your business.
Peace of Mind
Honestly? The best reason to perform background checks is to give you some peace of mind. Hiring is a tough process, and it may help you to have that extra confirmation to show you that your decisions are the right ones.
This is a contributed post