If you have a criminal past, it is a good idea to come clean right away when you’re asked about this during the application or interview process. It is no longer reasonable to assume that you can keep something from a potential employer because there are companies like Accu-Screen who specialize in criminal background searches and letting the company know. Whether a felony or misdemeanor, it’s best to be upfront with an employer from the start rather than hiding something and having them find out about it later…the wrong way.
Do you have to report every misdemeanor? The answer can vary from state to state, but generally the answer is no. If your state has a statute of limitations on misdemeanors, then after that point, they no longer have to be reported. This includes employers who discover this information while conducting criminal background searches. Human Resources professionals and hiring managers need to be up-to-date on their local, state, and Federal regulations for criminal history so that they don’t pass up a perfectly good candidate because of a misdemeanor conviction that has reached the statute of limitations by law.
How about felonies? By law, employers can decide in some cases to not hire someone based on their felony convictions if they can legally prove that it would be a detriment to their business. This could include careers such as banking professionals, child care workers, and hospital personnel, depending upon the type of felony conviction. Higher education reimbursement by the Federal government, for example, can be denied if criminal background searches reveal convictions involving the sale or distribution of a controlled substance. In areas of volunteering, such as on a children’s sports team, people are now routinely checked for criminal records before they are allowed to participate.
The types of items that are checked by an employer during a background investigation can include some or all of the following: state and Federal criminal convictions, bankruptcies, sex offender registries, civil lawsuit judgments, verification of age, addresses, and past names used, as well as marriages, divorces and business or property ownership. Tax liens are sometimes also checked, depending upon the type of industry, and driving records can also be accessed from the DMV, if relevant. Some limited searches are available for free from various local and state agencies, but if you need a very thorough check done on a potential employee, the best way to do this is to hire an expert.
An industry favorite is Accu-Screen because they have the knowledge, experience, and resources to provide employers with accurate and fast reports to help them make the best decision for the company. If someone is hired and ends up having a criminal record, it can not only make the company look bad for not doing its due diligence, but cal also cause the company tremendous liability if a client or customer is harmed by the individual and brings a lawsuit forward. Be safe as a hiring professional and do criminal background searches with a company who know the process from A to Z: Accu-Screen. Because with Accu-Screen, a criminal past can run but can never hide!
