Background checks – why employers want to know

what background checks are all about – the process, the information they provide and the situations in which they are used. One thing less known is the ‘why‘ – what exactly is the reason that employers want to know this information about you? “The goal of a company is to find out as much as they can about the skills and behaviors an applicant will bring to an organization,” says Mary Massad, vice president of human resource development for Administaff, a personnel management company. “An employer is basically trying to establish whether you will be a good fit for the organization and what type of risk you might pose to that organization.” One of the main reasons they might perform a background check is to ensure that none of the information you gave them during the hiring process is incorrect. Some sources estimate 30% of information applicants provide is misleading, and companies want to know the truth about your knowledge and experience, as well as being sure that you are an honest and trustworthy individual. Another significant factor as to why employers want this information is to prevent negligent hiring lawsuits. This happens when an employer is sued due to one employee causing harm to another. Although this is never entirely preventable, by performing a background check an employer is trying to weed out applicants that may cause problems for them in the future. A final reason that employers may perform checks is due to legal obligations. There are both federal and state legal requirements for certain jobs, including those that involve contact with children, the elderly or disabled, as well as some government jobs. It is becoming increasingly common to see states introducing such laws – the benefits of such legislation being obvious. If you had any questions regarding the ‘why’ of background checks, hopefully this post has cleared them up for you. For more information, get in touch with Mind Your Business, we’ll be happy to help.]]>