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Wednesday, March 11 2020
Essential Background Screening Factors to Consider

A common thread for Texas companies during the hiring process?

 

Background screening.

 

Even when a candidate aces their interview, and the employer is ready to move forward, background checks are a vital step. We recommend that companies in Austin, Corpus Christi, San Antonio, and the surrounding area invest in them before onboarding new people to their team.

 

What Is Background Screening?

While it’s natural to assume most applicants are honest people—most of them are—a little screening can go a long way. This is where a background check may come in.

 

By definition, background screening is a thorough review of an applicant or employee’s criminal, work, and even driving history. It often consists of the following:

 

  • Criminal records check
  • Motor vehicle records (MVR) check
  • Education and employment verification

 

Each category is designed to give employers all the information they need on a potential employee to make an informed hiring decision. Employees under consideration for a promotion or reassignment may also be asked to complete a background check.

 

Why Conduct Pre-Employment Background Checks?

We discussed how background checks can help uncover where an applicant might have stretched the truth.

 

Consider the critically-acclaimed TV show The Office for a minute. You might recall that Dwight, Assistant to the Regional Manager at the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, often called himself the “Assistant Regional Manager” instead.

 

Dwight would have been in hot water if he’d put that on his resume. Fortunately, there’s no way this discrepancy would have gone unnoticed during the background screening process.

 

Regarding some of the other reasons employers should screen their staff, companies may also check applicants’ criminal and financial history. This can help prevent civil liabilities.

 

Think of it this way: Say an employee drinks on the job and gets injured. If it turns out they were arrested for driving under the influence not long before they were hired, the employer could be held responsible if they’d foregone the background screening process.

 

As such, background checks help to ensure workplace safety—often by eliminating problematic candidates before they’re hired. Screening may even be mandatory for certain jobs. The National Child Protection Act of 1993, for instance, requires criminal background checks for any position that includes child or elder care.

 

Background Screening in Texas: 3 Factors to Consider

Now that we’ve discussed the importance of background checks, let’s shed some light on three essential considerations.

 

  1. Legal compliance

Background screening vendors should be in compliance with all the relevant federal, state, and local laws involving consumer reporting, privacy, data protection, and more.

 

They should also have procedures in place, per the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which guarantee the accuracy of the information that comes forth during the screening process. To be FCRA-compliant, applicants must also have the opportunity to dispute the accuracy of their background check results.

 

  1. Data protection and security

Screening companies like Redstar Backgrounds understand how important it is to safeguard candidates’ personal information.

 

To this end, providers should absolutely have policies in place to obscure the applicant’s social security number and date of birth. In turn, screening vendors must keep a trail of all individuals and companies who have accessed the individual’s personal information.

 

  1. Customization

From flexible pricing to the screening services themselves, customization is a crucial factor for Texas companies that conduct background checks. The vendor you select should be willing to work with you and develop a custom-tailored solution that will help you achieve your hiring goals.

 

Are you interested in learning more about background screening? Contact Redstar Backgrounds for details. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for more information.

Posted by: Maddie Cohen AT 04:33 pm   |  Permalink   |  Email
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    Redstar Backgrounds, Inc.
    1828 N Webb Road Suite 1
    Grand Island, Nebraska 68803
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