Pre-employment Screening- 5 WC Blog 193
Background Check Company-5
Interviewing Skills Are Not Enough; Employee Background Checks Can
Prevent Poor Hiring Choices Part 2
In part 1 I discussed how employers think they can rely on their interview skills in order to try to find the best candidate for a job (and not do so well). I also talked about how an employer might need specific job skills or certifications for a position they wish to fill and how a Background Check Company can verify training, schooling and certifications. In part 2 of this article, I want to discuss the advantages that a Background Check Company may offer that can help you avoid asking the wrong interview questions and still get the information you need.
A Background Check Company is one that can investigate a potential new employee through a pre-employment screening and validate information they have provided in a job application or on a resume. Business owners may not have the expertise to ask the necessary questions that will lead to making a sound hiring decision. A Background Check Company can confirm employment dates an applicant has listed for a prior job. If your potential new hire will be working with financial transactions, a pre-employment screening can reveal if a candidate has liens or bankruptcies or judgements against him/her. Such revelations could determine if this might be a red flag issue for you. There are a significant number of areas a properly completed background check can validate or disprove an applicant’s claims.
If you are unfamiliar with procedures and guidelines for hiring employees and conducting interviews, you could easily ask interview questions that could lead to discrimination lawsuits even if your intent was harmless. For example, you might be curious as to whether the applicant was in the military because you served. You might be interested in where they have lived in the past because you enjoy travelling. Perhaps the applicant seems to be your age and you are curious to know about their age. All of these questions could be harmless in your mind, but at the same time illegal to ask.
According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), “As a general rule, the information obtained and requested through the pre-employment process should be limited to those essential for determining if a person is qualified for the job; whereas information regarding race, sex, national origin, age and religion are irrelevant in such determinations.” The specifics on the website can be unclear and so organizations have made lists of questions they say should not be asked by employers during an interview.
According to Prairie View A&M, on pvamu.edu, below is a list of questions that they say may not be asked during an interview:
• Questions regarding foreign addresses which would intentionally or unintentionally indicate national origin
• Whether applicant owns or rents home or lives in an apartment
• Names and relationships of persons with whom applicant resides
• “How old are you?”
• Birth Date
• “Have you ever been arrested?”
• Whether other members of the applicant’s family are U.S. citizens
• “Of what country are you a citizen?”
• Require proof of citizenship prior to employment
• Questions regarding national, race or religious affiliation of schools attended
• Names and addresses of applicant’s relatives
Other areas that one must be careful when inquiring about include organizations an applicant may belong to, military disciplinary action they may have been involved in, and even an applicant’s gender.
By allowing a Background Check Company to conduct pre-employment screenings of candidates, they can focus on verifying the information on an application while the business owner can ask position related questions in an interview. A screening can uncover information a prospective employee may try to hide from a potential employer. It can also help an employer be confident that they truly have hired the best candidate. Hire a pre-employment screening company and get great employees!
Get more information on Background heck Companies, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
In part 1 I discussed how employers think they can rely on their interview skills in order to try to find the best candidate for a job (and not do so well). I also talked about how an employer might need specific job skills or certifications for a position they wish to fill and how a Background Check Company can verify training, schooling and certifications. In part 2 of this article, I want to discuss the advantages that a Background Check Company may offer that can help you avoid asking the wrong interview questions and still get the information you need.
A Background Check Company is one that can investigate a potential new employee through a pre-employment screening and validate information they have provided in a job application or on a resume. Business owners may not have the expertise to ask the necessary questions that will lead to making a sound hiring decision. A Background Check Company can confirm employment dates an applicant has listed for a prior job. If your potential new hire will be working with financial transactions, a pre-employment screening can reveal if a candidate has liens or bankruptcies or judgements against him/her. Such revelations could determine if this might be a red flag issue for you. There are a significant number of areas a properly completed background check can validate or disprove an applicant’s claims.
If you are unfamiliar with procedures and guidelines for hiring employees and conducting interviews, you could easily ask interview questions that could lead to discrimination lawsuits even if your intent was harmless. For example, you might be curious as to whether the applicant was in the military because you served. You might be interested in where they have lived in the past because you enjoy travelling. Perhaps the applicant seems to be your age and you are curious to know about their age. All of these questions could be harmless in your mind, but at the same time illegal to ask.
According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), “As a general rule, the information obtained and requested through the pre-employment process should be limited to those essential for determining if a person is qualified for the job; whereas information regarding race, sex, national origin, age and religion are irrelevant in such determinations.” The specifics on the website can be unclear and so organizations have made lists of questions they say should not be asked by employers during an interview.
According to Prairie View A&M, on pvamu.edu, below is a list of questions that they say may not be asked during an interview:
• Questions regarding foreign addresses which would intentionally or unintentionally indicate national origin
• Whether applicant owns or rents home or lives in an apartment
• Names and relationships of persons with whom applicant resides
• “How old are you?”
• Birth Date
• “Have you ever been arrested?”
• Whether other members of the applicant’s family are U.S. citizens
• “Of what country are you a citizen?”
• Require proof of citizenship prior to employment
• Questions regarding national, race or religious affiliation of schools attended
• Names and addresses of applicant’s relatives
Other areas that one must be careful when inquiring about include organizations an applicant may belong to, military disciplinary action they may have been involved in, and even an applicant’s gender.
By allowing a Background Check Company to conduct pre-employment screenings of candidates, they can focus on verifying the information on an application while the business owner can ask position related questions in an interview. A screening can uncover information a prospective employee may try to hide from a potential employer. It can also help an employer be confident that they truly have hired the best candidate. Hire a pre-employment screening company and get great employees!
Get more information on Background heck Companies, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
