How to Check an Employment Record

Check every employer listed on every application you receive.

Running a business quickly teaches you important lessons about human nature. One of the most valuable lessons you learn is that a person will always portray himself in the most favorable light. Keep this lesson in mind when perusing your latest batch of applications and resumes. Hiring an employee requires a thorough check of all of the information on both of those documents. The best way to find out the skill and workplace personality of a prospective employee is to talk to former employers. This is done by checking his employment record.

Instructions

1. Collect a complete employment history from each applicant. Have each one write down the name, address and phone number of every business he has worked for the past 10 years along with the applicant's position, the name of each of his direct supervisors, employment dates at each business and his reason for leaving each job.

2. Call every business on each application. Speak to the supervisor listed on the application. Confirm every piece of information on the application.

3. Continue your conversation with each of the supervisors by asking his opinion of the applicant. Ask about the applicant's attendance, job performance, eligibility for rehire and overall attitude when working for the company.

4. Contact the worker's compensation commission. Request a copy of public records concerning each applicant. Every worker's comp claim is automatically added to these records.

5. Contact the local branch of your state's employment commission. Request a work history and a record of unemployment claims made by each applicant. These are all public records available to business owners for a fee.

Tips & Warnings

• Confidential records must be kept confidential. Leaking an applicant's private information will make you vulnerable to civil lawsuits.

References

• A Matter of Fact; Employment and Work History Verification; A Matter of Fact; 2011