Deciding Whether to Run Background Checks or Not

For many employers the choice between the potential of a negligent hire lawsuit over the possibility of breaking the civil rights of a applicant can make the decision to conduct a pre-employment screening on potential hires. This can be a touchy subject depending on how deep you need to dig into a applicants personal life. Of course no employer should look beyond what is pertinent to the position being hired for. Sometimes a applicant may have things in their criminal background check but it is not relevant to the position. Employers should always get a signed release from the person they are conducting the check on, and dig no deeper than what is important to the job.