How Important are Background Checks for Employers?

If you are the owner or manager of a business, it is only natural that you want to find the best people for the job when it comes to recruitment. However, there is much more to this process than just skimming over an application form and carrying out an interview. You have to be certain that the person is being honest in all aspects when it comes to the information they give on their application, which is why it is important to carry out necessary checks.

Carrying out important background checks is pretty simple for employers these days, so you won’t have to dedicate huge amounts of time to getting the checks done. However, you could save yourself huge amounts of time by ensuring that you get someone suitable for the position based on checks you have performed yourself rather than just going by what the person has put on their application form.

 

Why these checks are so important

So, why are these various checks so important when you are considering offering someone a position within your company? Well, there are many reasons why they can prove so helpful to an employer. This includes:

• Safety and suitability: When you are taking on someone to fill a position, you have to think about everything from the type of work that they will be carrying out to the people that they will be working with. Carrying out checks such as reference and criminal background checks enables you to assess not only their suitability for the position but also whether there would be any safety risk involved for other staff members or clients/customers – for instance, if the person has been convicted of a violent crime. This means greater peace of mind for you as the employer and enhanced safety and protection for others.
• Verification of information: Let’s face it – while most applicants are honest on their application forms, there are those that will blatantly lie about their past and their work history simply to secure a job. By carrying out important checks such as employment checks, you can verify the information that the person has put in their application rather than just having to take their word for it. Again, this helps to verify the suitability of the person as well as enabling you to ensure the information they have provided is accurate.
• Learn about their character: It can be very difficult to work out what a person is like based only on what they have written in their application and on a short interview. This is why it is important to get information from those who have known them longer. Getting references from past employers and even from people who know them can help you to learn more about the person in terms of work ethics and character.

As you can see, there are various different reasons why running these checks is so important and this is why many employers place a lot of emphasis on them. They now form a vital part of the process when it comes to recruitment.