Employee handbook background chekcs

However, it illegal to include sex offender registry information in background check reports in some jurisdictions, depending on the types of jobs for which employers are hiring. While you can check the sex offender registry in your state, it will not include information about sex offender registries in other states.

The Department of Justice maintains a list of all of the sex offender registry websites in the U. However, performing an individual search of each website would entail a time-consuming process for employers.

A sex offender registry check performed by iprospectcheck will reveal whether an applicant appears on the sex offender registry of any state, tribal authority, or U. The following types of businesses are required to perform sex offender registry checks on applicants and volunteers before hiring them in most states:. If an applicant is a registered sex offender, you will receive his or her name, type of offense, date of offense, the severity of the offense, aliases, and other key details.

When you receive this type of information on an applicant, you should complete a risk assessment of the offense as it relates to your open position and document it. You might also want to talk to your attorney about the laws in your state about considering information about sex offenders when making employment decisions.

Why would an employer need to know all of this information about a potential employee? Knowing all of these details will help ease any uncertainties you have about a job candidate and help you determine if the person of interest is truly a good fit for your company. There are multiple ways an applicant can be disqualified for a job based on a pre-employment background check. Some of these include having a criminal record, claiming more education than you have, having a poor driving record or credit record, falsifying your employment history, and failing a drug test.

Each of these red flag issues is detailed below. The National Conference of State Legislators reports that an estimated 77 million Americans have reportable criminal records for employment background checks. Whether or not an applicant might be disqualified for employment based on a criminal record will depend on multiple factors, including the particular job for which he or she has applied, regulations that apply to the industry, and others.

In some cases, denying employment to someone based on his or her criminal record might be considered to be unlawful discrimination. Some applicants try to fluff their resumes by claiming educational qualifications they have not received.

However, doing this is never a good idea. Some industries check the credit records of applicants. For example, applicants may have their credit records checked to obtain federal security clearances or work for financial institutions. Some states restrict the ability of employers to rely on credit history information when making employment decisions, however. For applicants applying for jobs in which they will have to drive a company vehicle or a commercial truck, driving records checks are commonly requested.

An applicant for a position for which driving will be required may be disqualified for the job based on a poor driving record. Without this type of check, the employer might face insurance and legal consequences if the applicant is hired and causes an accident while on the job. Most employers request employment verification to confirm that their applicants have held the positions they have claimed and their employment dates at each employer.

When an employer discovers that an applicant has falsified past employment information on his or her resume, the candidate will be unlikely to be hired for the job. Employers can face significant liability risks when their employees use illegal drugs. If an employer requests pre-employment drug testing and finds that the applicant has used an illicit substance, the employer can use that information to make an adverse hiring decision.

Now that you know what a background check is and why they are so important to the pre-employment process, you may be wondering, what do I need to run a background check?

Before you run an employee background check, here are a few things you should know:. If you decide to go the more convenient route and choose a background check company like iprospectcheck to run an employee background screening for you, there are vital steps you need to take to ensure you follow all legal regulations, especially if you use the results of a background check as a reason not to hire someone.

Third party companies that run background checks must comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act FCRA , which protects the personal information of the applicant who is going through the screening. Passed by Congress in , the Fair Credit Reporting Act is meant to protect consumers with the privacy of their information that is held by consumer reporting agencies.

This law is regulated and enforced by the Federal Trade Commission. While this law was initially meant to protect financial information, its scope has been expanded significantly to include information on pre-employment background checks that consumer reporting agencies CRAs like background check companies report and how employers must handle the screening process.

Under the FCRA, job candidates must be informed that they will undergo background checks, and they must provide authorization before a check is performed by an employer. After a report is received, prospective employees have a right to review the reports and correct anything inaccurate. They also have the right to be informed when problematic information in background reports is used to make adverse hiring decisions. Under the FCRA, employers can only use information from a pre-employment background check to ensure that the applicant is a fit for the job.

The written disclosure must be given to an applicant that he or she will undergo a background check, and written consent must be obtained before it can be completed. The candidates also must be told about their rights under the FCRA to review a copy of their background reports and to correct any inaccurate information.

If you decide to deny an applicant a job due to what is found on their background check, you must follow the Adverse Action Notification process. This process includes sending a letter to the applicant explaining what information was found that denied them the position, as well as informing them of where they can get a copy of this report. If you decide to run a pre-employment background check yourself, without the help of a third-party company, be ready to do some digging… and most likely not get all the answers you need.

Companies like iprospectcheck have the software and the talent to return background checks very quickly, with packages that can get you your desired information in less than one business day on average.

Other methods, such as DIY background checks , may take much longer to complete. Employers and consumer reporting agencies in every state must comply with the FCRA when they conduct background checks. Some states also have laws about reportable information and how long it can appear on background checks. Under the FCRA, criminal history information from more than seven years ago is restricted from being reported and used to disqualify applicants.

Depending on your state, there might also be other laws that apply. While it is possible to find criminal history information for an applicant that dates back for more than seven years, you should avoid making hiring decisions based on that type of information. There are other types of information on the pre-employment background checks that iprospectcheck provides for which the time restrictions do not apply.

For example, the FCRA does not limit how long employment verification information, education information, or credentials information can be reported. How you conduct a background check will affect how much it costs. Most states have central repositories for criminal records and allow employers to submit signed authorizations from applicants to secure the information for a fee.

The information that you find might be inaccurate and not up-to-date. But more importantly, free background check services often fail to meet the legal requirements, like those set by the FCRA we mentioned earlier.

The best alternative is to work with a qualified background check provider like iprospectcheck. We offer several different packages to meet the needs of our clients as well as add-on reports. For businesses that need from 25 to 50 pre-employment background checks per year, our prices are as follows:. These prices do not include set-up fees or third-party fees that might be incurred. If your company anticipates needing employment background reports at a high volume, you can contact us for a quote.

When you decide to conduct pre-employment background checks with the help of a third-party consumer reporting agency, it is critical for you to choose the right one. If you rely on an unreliable vendor, it could expose you to potential lawsuits from your applicants and increase the risks of negligent hiring liability.

Here are some tips for choosing the most reliable background check provider. Third-party consumer reporting agencies that perform education verification services must comply with the mandates of the Fair Credit Reporting Act when they gather and report information about applicants to employers and other state-specific and local laws and regulations.

Some third-party providers do not follow the laws governing employment background checks and might return inaccurate, outdated, unreliable information. Working with them can expose you to substantial liability if you rely on the information they provide. At iprospectcheck, we stay current with all of the applicable laws and fully comply with the requirements of the FCRA. You should choose a background check provider that is able to return accurate, complete reports.

Share Twitter LinkedIn Facebook. Add a Bookmark Your browser does not allow automatic adding of bookmarks. Log in. Read more items tagged with the same topics Employee Management. Workplace Rules. Policies and Procedures. Recruiting and Hiring. Preemployment Screening. Background Checks. Macalester College Employment Services department is solely authorized to conduct and oversee the Background Check process.

All offers of employment for identified faculty and staff positions will be contingent on successfully passing a background check. Information secured for the purpose of extending, maintaining, or retracting an offer of employment will be confidentially maintained by the Employment Services department. For the purpose of making decisions, report contents or portions of the content may be shared with appropriate individuals who have a legitimate business need to know as determined by the Director, Employment Services.

Only candidates that have advanced to the interview stage of consideration will be asked to complete the background check authorization and disclosure from. Candidates who decline to undergo a background check will be disqualified from further consideration.