Match: A Systematic, Sane Process for Hiring the Right Person Every Time

Chapter 12. Perform Background Checks: Step 8

Trust, but verify.

—Ronald Reagan

When I began recruiting in the late 1990s, our clients very infrequently requested background checks. In fact, I can remember doing only about 12 per year. These days, we are asked to run dozens of background checks each week. It is considered the norm to use a background check to evaluate a criminal history, credit record, driving record, and drug use.

Due to the sensitivity of information, there are a variety of laws governing background checks. Most notably, the Fair Credit Reporting Act protects people from the misuse of these easy-to-access records. Employers must show equality in administering background checks; for instance, if you require one candidate to complete a credit check, then you have to ask all candidates to do the same.

Note

Sticky Notes:

• Background checks are inexpensive and easy to administer.

• Focus background checks on areas pertinent to your hire.

• When conducting an education check, be sure you have the candidate's name while they were attending college.

I have found that 50 percent of résumés contain some distortion of the truth. It is therefore important that you make background checks part of the MATCH process. Here is a partial list of background checks that are available to you:

• Criminal, arrest, incarceration, and sex offender records

• Citizenship, immigration, or legal working status

• Litigation records

• Driving and vehicle records

• Drug tests

• Education records

• Employment records

• Financial information ...