In the world today, there is far too much risk hiring someone based on “gut instinct” alone. Sure, many of us have good intuition about whether someone is a nice person or if they are being honest with us. But what is the best course of action when trying to decide on the best candidate for a job position at your company? People can look and act one way, appearing to be qualified and competent, but when further investigation is done they are found to be someone else entirely. This happens during the hiring process more than we’d like it to. As Human Resource and Hiring Managers, we have a standard to uphold in our places of employment, and our very reputation is at stake when bringing someone new into the workplace. That’s why it’s so important to utilize the services of a company that can perform criminal records searches prior to finalizing a person’s employment status.
The statistics show that nearly 7% of the population have a misdemeanor record and about 4% have a felony conviction in their past. Though a misdemeanor is a lesser charge than a felony, it is still an important bit of information to know. Past criminal issues such as assault, petty theft, possession of marijuana, or reckless driving can have a real impact on that person’s ability to perform their job effectively. One example might be a delivery driver who must spend their entire day behind the wheel of a company car. If they have a tainted driving records, that could carry into their job performance. By not hiring someone who consistently drives unsafely, a company is avoiding the potential for a costly lawsuit later on due to injury to a customer or an employee. Another way employees can be protected by someone who shouldn’t be hired would be in the case of a sexual predator. These charges can easily be found during a criminal history check by the employer.
Discrimination lawsuits are sometimes a concern for an employer dealing with a candidate who has a criminal past. But there is no need to worry as long as you remain within the legal limits for making a decision not to hire. Some jobs are protected by Federal and state laws that help to insure that an employee has the proper certifications and qualifications they need. Laws also protect employers by regulating those qualifications (and crimes that disqualify) someone for employment. Such jobs may include those dealing with money handling (banking and investment industries), care-givers of children and the elderly, as well as jobs in the medical field, to name a few. However, some states have a statute of limitations for certain misdemeanors, for example, marijuana possession charges. If applicants leave out misdemeanor events found later through criminal background searches, be sure to check your state’s laws for statutes of limitations that may apply.
The professionals at Accu-Screen have been helping my company, and countless others, hire the best people for the job. For 15 years, they have helped hiring managers across the country with drug testing, DMV records, criminal background searches, degree verification, salary history, and job experience validation. You can trust Accu-Screen to help you protect your company and your employees!
