The Truth Behind Background Checks: Top 3 Insights

Hiring someone new can feel like a big gamble. Applications, resumes, and interviews help you find the right person. Still, sometimes you need to verify that the information a candidate has given you is accurate so that you don’t put your organization at risk. That’s where background checks come in. Here are three things to know about them.

1. There are Different Kinds of Background Checks

Background checks provide you with information about an employee’s history, enabling you to verify what the employee has shared with you as well as find other information that might be relevant to the job. These checks include criminal records, driving records, education credentials, and previous employment history.

Not every role needs the same screening, even within the same organization or department. For example, driving records might make sense for delivery drivers but wouldn’t be valuable for content creators.

2. There are Rules

Several laws govern employer use of background checks, so if you conduct them or make decisions based on the information they provide, familiarize yourself with the applicable laws. The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act would be a good place to start. It has requirements around communicating your intent to run a check, getting written consent before doing so, and what you need to do when deciding not to hire or employ someone based on information obtained in a background check, among other matters. However, states and localities also have laws about background checks.

3. There are Costs

Background checks aren’t expensive, and some vendors can handle them for you, but doing them can extend your time to hire. If nothing else, it adds extra steps to your hiring process. The time needed to run the check and await the results. The additional communication with the candidate includes getting consent to do the check, answering their questions, and contacting them about any notable inconsistencies in the report. That all adds up. Conversely, background screenings can save you from the many high costs of a bad hire.

If you’re considering doing background checks, it’s important to weigh their pros and cons.

Background Checks from GTM

GTM offers clients instant and affordable background checks through our unique partnership with National Crime Search (NCS). Through our custom portal, we can provide clients with complete employment screening services.