What Do Background Checks for Jobs Entail?
When applying for a new job, sometimes employers will perform a background check. Background checks are particularly important if a candidate is seeking a position of trust, such as in a school, financial institution, airport or in government. A background check verifies a candidate's qualifications and fitness for a position, or it may be used to evaluate whether there are safety or security risks with a potential employee.
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Criminal History
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Potential employers may pull a criminal history as part of a background check. A criminal history can include non-expunged criminal charges, even those where the defendant was acquitted. However, in some jurisdictions, a criminal history includes only convictions.
Driving Record
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Employers may pull potential candidates' driving records, which can also include parking tickets and instances where the candidate failed to register their vehicle. These records are pulled from the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)
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Sex Offender Registry
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If a position requires working with children or people susceptible to abuse, a company or government agency will likely check the sex offender registry as part of a background check.
Financial Records and Credit Checks
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Employers may pull job applicants' credit records. These indicate whether a potential employee is at high-risk of stealing from the company or clients. Financial records can provide a candidate's credit scores, liens, civil judgments, bankruptcy and tax information. Extensive financial difficulty in the past can indicate whether a person can be trusted with money or property.
Immigration and Lawsuit Records
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Some companies and agencies pull immigration and lawsuit records of job applicants. Employers want to make sure that candidates, especially immigrants, have legal working status. In addition, some jobs are only available to citizens due to security concerns, so employers may independently verify the information supplied by candidates to check their citizenship status. Similarly, some companies pull litigation records of candidates as part of a background check in order to weed out potential employees who have a history of filing discrimination lawsuits.
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References
- Photo Credit writing image by Alison Bowden from Fotolia.com
