What makes any company successful? Is it the product line that they offer, or the mass they appeal to? What about market dominance, or their cash flow? Sure, all those are factors in a good company, but what about people? Isn’t the life blood of every corporation the people it hires? Companies can not operate autonomously. They need people. They need the right people. That’s what makes the employee back ground check so important.
I’ve worked in retail my entire working life. I’ve been a store manager for a few years before coming into the Loss Prevention field. Even in my current role, I manage several direct reports. Every person I’ve ever hired was subject to a pre-employment screening. Whether I was hiring a part time sales associate to get me through the holiday season, or an in store detective to catch shoplifters, every employment opportunity was contingent upon successful completion of a criminal background check. This is vitally important to any business, no matter the size. You need to know who you are hiring and bringing into your store.
A few months back, I was looking for an in store detective. This position is responsible for catching shoplifters. It’s not a job you can just throw anyone off the street into and expect them to do a good job. You need to have someone with relevant experience and the integrity to make good decisions under pressure, several times a day. It took weeks to find the right candidate. I went through hundreds of applications and several face to face interviews. Finally, I had found someone I thought would be a great fit for the job, and my company. After going though the application process and 3 separate interviews with myself and members of the store operations team, and then the store director of the location our candidate would be working in, we were ready to offer a job.
He came to us with a wealth of experience in both the public and private sector. He understood shoplifters and the problem they pose to retailers, and had an in depth understanding of how to combat the problem. I was excited; the store management team was excited. During our last interview, we discussed the employee background check and informed him that his employment was contingent on that. He assured us he was as clean cut as they come. I had no reason to doubt him. I couldn’t wait for him to hit the ground running and help us combat the shoplifting problem we were having in that store. We made an offer. He accepted and we started the hiring process.
He started soon after and began to make an immediate impact in the store. He worked well with managers and he was throwing thieves in jail two, or three times a day. About two weeks went by and I got a call from our Human Resources department. My shining star had failed the criminal background check. I quickly learned of his recent past and was surprised at the seriousness of some of the crimes he had committed. In fact, he was still actively wanted in a different city for some very serious offenses. Without the background check, this person, with a violent past, could’ve cost my business untold sums of money. While I’m a firm believer that some people can change, and everyone deserves a second chance. There are however, risks associated with every decision you make as a business manager. Hiring the right person shouldn’t be a risk.
For more information, contact us: Background Checks, or call 1.770.426.0547
What makes any company successful? Is it the product line that they offer, or the mass they appeal to? What about market dominance, or their cash flow? Sure, all those are factors in a good company, but what about people? Isn’t the life blood of every corporation the people it hires? Companies can not operate autonomously. They need people. They need the right people. That’s what makes the employee background checks so important.
I’ve worked in retail my entire working life. I’ve been a store manager for a few years before coming into the Loss Prevention field. Even in my current role, I manage several direct reports. Every person I’ve ever hired was subject to a pre-employment screening. Whether I was hiring a part time sales associate to get me through the holiday season, or an in store detective to catch shoplifters, every employment opportunity was contingent upon successful completion of a criminal background check. This is vitally important to any business, no matter the size. You need to know who you are hiring and bringing into your store.
A few months back, I was looking for an in store detective. This position is responsible for catching shoplifters. It’s not a job you can just throw anyone off the street into and expect them to do a good job. You need to have someone with relevant experience and the integrity to make good decisions under pressure, several times a day. It took weeks to find the right candidate. I went through hundreds of applications and several face to face interviews. Finally, I had found someone I thought would be a great fit for the job, and my company. After going though the application process and 3 separate interviews with myself and members of the store operations team, and then the store director of the location our candidate would be working in, we were ready to offer a job.
He came to us with a wealth of experience in both the public and private sector. He understood shoplifters and the problem they pose to retailers, and had an in depth understanding of how to combat the problem. I was excited; the store management team was excited. During our last interview, we discussed the employee background check and informed him that his employment was contingent on that. He assured us he was as clean cut as they come. I had no reason to doubt him. I couldn’t wait for him to hit the ground running and help us combat the shoplifting problem we were having in that store. We made an offer. He accepted and we started the hiring process.
He started soon after and began to make an immediate impact in the store. He worked well with managers and he was throwing thieves in jail two, or three times a day. About two weeks went by and I got a call from our Human Resources department. My shining star had failed the criminal background check. I quickly learned of his recent past and was surprised at the seriousness of some of the crimes he had committed. In fact, he was still actively wanted in a different city for some very serious offenses. Without the background check, this person, with a violent past, could’ve cost my business untold sums of money. While I’m a firm believer that some people can change, and everyone deserves a second chance. There are however, risks associated with every decision you make as a business manager. Hiring the right person shouldn’t be a risk.
For more information, contact us: Background Checks, or call 1.770.426.0547
