Tuesday, December 16, 2008

How Can I Run an Employee Background Check?

By Glen Pearson

One important part of the hiring process, no matter what industry you're in, is running background checks on your potential employees. That tells you information about applicants that you wouldn't know otherwise, and can be important to finding out whether someone really is the right person for the job.

Unfortunately, many employers skip this step and end up regreting it in the future. By running a simple background check, you are able to find out someone's history in full. This includes any criminal records, employer records, address history and all sorts of other information about the individual.

Think about how this could help your employment practices! A simple employee backgroud check could uncover crucial information. Perhaps you find out that the applicant has lied on their resume or maybe they have a criminal record. This can be the difference between hiring the "right" employee or making a big mistake.

Of course, employers aren't the only people who can get a lot out of running a background check. Run one on yourself if you're applying for a job, too. That'll tell you what might come up in an interview, and even some things you might have forgotten about your past.

Having your background report on hand before the interview lets you anticipate any and all questions, and you'll be able to decide what the best response is to all of them. You'll also get a better idea what your potential employer does and does not know about you.

Not sure how to run an employee background check?

This process is now a lot easier than it used to be. Everything can be done online, and there's no need to hire any kind of investigative service.

That's because the Internet contains a number of companies that have put together full background databases on almost everyone. Just log into the site, enter the name you want to inquire about, and you'll get all the information available on that person.

These companies charge a small fee for their service. Usually you will have two options: you can pay a fee for a one-time charge or you can pay a membership fee that will give you unlimited searches on as many people as you want. Typically the membership option is only about two times the price of a single background report so it clearly is the best value - especially if you are in the shoes of an employer.

Employee background checks should be used by any company that is looking to make sure that they hire the right people for the job. It's an easy and inexpensive way to screen applicants.

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