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Blog Thursday, July 21 2022
 There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to running a background check.
While most Texas employers will agree on the importance of screening potential new hires, people—and industries—may go about things differently. A pre-employment background check will vary based on the size and resources of the organization, along with many other factors.
Yet business owners from San Antonio, Austin, Houston, and Corpus Christi will agree that some items are absolutely essential.
What Do Companies Look for in a Background Check? These are the top five things Texas companies look for in a background check:
Most hiring managers complete criminal records checks on the job candidates they’re seriously considering. Some extend offers contingent on the applicant passing the check. Employers can conduct criminal background checks at the county, state, and federal level. It’s important to conduct a Sex Offender Registry search as well, in order to avoid putting your customers and staff at risk. Red flags include violent crimes, embezzlement convictions, DUI, and more.
Most Texas companies will look into their candidates’ work history. Hiring managers might be hoping to confirm the candidate has a certain level of experience in a particular industry or role. In other cases, they might be determining whether the candidate could bring other skills to the table that could compensate for a lack of experience in another area. Since applicants generally self-report their employment history, verification checks are equally important.
Verification checks give hiring managers a chance to look for dishonesty. In addition to checking the candidate’s work history, HR professionals might also verify that the applicant attended a specific high school, college, or university during the dates they reported. Some verification checks might also determine whether a person has the degrees, certificates, and licenses they need to work in their field: a teaching license, for example, or a license to practice law.
References are different from employment verification checks, though each one is tied to the applicant’s career history. While employment verification looks into whether the candidate is being honest about their work experience, professional references consist of actual conversations with a person’s former colleagues and supervisors. References are more focused on the candidate’s work performance, skillset, and character than they are on uncovering discrepancies.
Finally, Texas employers often look for a clean driving record when making their hiring decisions. This is especially relevant for jobs that involve driving or operating heavy machinery. Transportation, construction, and manufacturing jobs are best-suited for candidates who don’t have a history of speeding or reckless driving. A less-than-stellar driving record can cause safety and liability problems that employers will almost certainly want to avoid.
What Can’t Employers Screen For? Employers cannot check their potential hires’ medical or military records. Criminal records that have been sealed or expunged are off-limits as well. And background check compliance is essential for business owners.
This, of course, is something the right provider can assist with.
Many Texas businesses save time, increase accuracy, and improve the quality of their team by outsourcing their background screening to a trusted partner.
Protect Your Texas Business with Better Background Checks Employers in Texas cities like San Antonio, Houston, Corpus Christi, and Austin can save money—and safeguard their reputation—by hiring the right, vetted people.
This is where pre-employment screening comes in. At Redstar Backgrounds and DrugScreenKits.com, our team will help you through every step.
No matter what industry you work in, we’ll craft the exact screening solution you need—searching for the same things your competitors look for in a background check.
Please contact us for details, or to set up a free consultation. For more information on our screening services, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Thursday, June 30 2022
 More workers drive than employers might initially think.
Maybe you have assistants running errands on the clock. Maybe you employ a team of journalists who drive to and from interviews each day. Or, maybe you have a couple of delivery drivers on your roster. In the manufacturing and construction industries, workers who operate heavy machinery are usually considered drivers as well.
Employers who don’t own or manage a trucking company are often lax about looking into their team’s driving history. In most industries, however, employed drivers should still undergo background screening. And in addition to your standard background check, you’ll want to complete a Motor Vehicle Records (MVR) search.
What Are Motor Vehicle Records Checks? MVR checks are also known as driver’s license checks. They shed light on applicants’ driving history and are an essential component of hiring workers who will be driving on the job.
Generally speaking, MVR checks are ideal for team members who drive:
Employers should also run MVR checks on staff who will be operating heavy machinery, or driving vehicles like cranes or tractors. In most states, individual driving records date back three to seven years.
Don’t Assume Your Drivers Are Safe Far too many employers assume their drivers are safe because they interview well. If a candidate doesn’t disclose a spotty or troublesome driving record, you might not feel the need to look into their history.
That said, consulting the Department of Motor Vehicles in the state that issued the applicant’s license is essential. A quick search will give you all the information you need on the person’s driving-related crimes and accident history.
Consider the following example. Say one of your truck drivers lied about having a commercial driver’s license (CDL) in their application. If you fail to conduct a background check on this person, and they get into a serious at-fault accident in a commercial vehicle, you could be held liable for inadequate screening.
In the worst-case scenario, a negligent hiring lawsuit can become a wrongful death lawsuit. You’ll want to protect people on the road—and reduce your company liability—by going the extra mile in making certain that your drivers are safe.
Mitigate Driving Risks and Corporate Liability The best way to reduce your liability is to tailor your screening program to each driving position. By doing so, you can streamline the background check process without putting your company property, your workers, or your community at risk.
MVR checks help Texas organizations like yours stay compliant with the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
These checks will go over everything from license types and classes, to restrictions and expiration dates. Additional information will include alcohol-related events (like DWI), suspensions and revocations, and violations or citations. Even speeding tickets will show up in the search.
Hire Safe Drivers with the Right Screening Program Protect your workforce and your community by hiring workers with an impeccable driving history.
How can you achieve this? Many clients start by browsing the services we offer at Redstar Backgrounds and DrugScreenKits.com. Please contact us for details, or to set up a free consultation.
Our team can guide you through every step of building the right program for your needs. No matter your industry, we’ll work with you to craft the exact solution you need—saving you time and money, and reducing liability as a result.
For more information on our screening services, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Thursday, June 23 2022
 Thinking of skipping pre-employment background checks the next time you consider a new hire?
Think again. Business owners must do their due diligence and screen job candidates before extending an offer. Without a comprehensive screening program in place, you could be putting your team and your bottom line at risk.
This article will outline the costs of foregoing pre-employment background checks. Keep on reading to understand why screening potential new hires is so important.
Why Complete New Hire Background Checks? Say you find the perfect applicant—on paper, that is. The candidate may have appealing qualifications, a stellar resume, and a great attitude during their interview. You’re in a pinch, and you feel you’ve found your dream employee.
So you hire them without conducting a background check. And only later it comes to light that this person has embellished their background and failed to disclose a felony charge. Or maybe their role includes transportation, yet their driver’s license is suspended.
Believing the best in people is a great quality. Many would argue we need more optimism in the world. Yet business owners need to be cautious. Pre-employment screening can help prevent surprises down the road. Plus, a background check means once the candidate is hired, you can work together with the utmost confidence.
What Does Pre-Employment Screening Entail? An expert third-party can help you build the perfect screening program for your needs. A criminal records check and driving history search are just the beginning.
Verification services can ensure the applicant is being truthful about their current licenses, as well as their employment and education history.
Some employers may even choose to administer drug tests before extending an offer. This is because without a proper background check protocol, your company could incur a number of costs.
The Costs of Skipping Pre-Employment Screening From negligent hiring lawsuits to the cost of turnover, screening your new hires is essential. Here are just some of the costs of foregoing a pre-employment background check.
Teams are more productive when they know they’re working in a safe environment. If you build a culture of trust—one where employees can count on one another—your staff will be happier. Your employee retention rate will increase, and the results will show in your bottom line.
Under Texas law, employers can be held liable for injuries or deaths that occur due to negligent hiring practices. Uber, for example, was sued for millions of dollars in 2018—and only then did it start thoroughly screening its drivers. Background screening can protect your organization.
Word gets around about safety issues. Similarly, people will find out if someone on the inside steals money from your company. (About 5% of corporate losses occur as a result of fraud each year.) Your reputation precedes you, and you surely don’t want to lose out on precious business.
Pre-employment screening can prevent these unexpected costs from harming your business. The return on investment is massive, and the peace of mind background checks bring will allow you to focus on your core business operations.
Build Your Pre-Employment Screening Program Today Interested in building a comprehensive pre-employment screening program for your Texas business?
Curious about the services we offer at Redstar Backgrounds and DrugScreenKits.com?
Our team can guide you through every step. No matter your industry, we’ll work with you to craft the exact solution you need—saving you time and money, and reducing turnover and liability as a result.
Please contact us for details, or to set up a free consultation. For more information on our screening services, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Tuesday, May 31 2022
 Volunteering gives millions of Americans a sense of purpose each year. By donating our time, we can align ourselves with causes we truly care about.
But not all volunteers are qualified for the position they’re looking to fill, nor all volunteers are doing outreach for the right reasons.
Regardless of whether a position is paid, it’s important that coordinators conduct background checks on their volunteers. This article will outline the value of screening church and summer camp volunteers in San Antonio, Corpus Christi, and Austin.
Background Checks for Church Volunteers Naturally, church leaders here in Texas want to create a safe space for members. Summer is right around the corner, and with a plethora of Vacation Bible School (VBS) programs available in the coming months, coordinators will want to do their due diligence in screening volunteers.
While protecting children from predators is the most valuable benefit of a comprehensive volunteer screening program, the advantages of conducting background checks don’t end there. They include:
No matter the position, all church volunteers should be vetted before you extend an offer. Some churches like to require members to attend the church for, say, three to six months before serving in a volunteer role. Alternatively, coordinators may ask volunteers to start working as a greeter before interacting with children.
These are solid approaches to onboarding volunteers. And with the right screening program in place, churches here in Texas will be even better-equipped to protect the communities they serve.
Background Checks for Summer Camp Volunteers Summer camp volunteers work closely with children as well. They help young people learn about themselves, explore new activities, and build lasting friendships.
These volunteers are ultimately responsible for protecting youth—both physically and emotionally. This is why multifaceted background checks are so important. In order to make sure volunteers have a clear criminal history, stellar references, and top qualifications, camps should absolutely rely on a background screening process.
The benefits of pre-screening camp volunteers include:
Background checks are more than helpful in the summer camp space—they’re essential. In 2011, the American Camp Association (ACA) updated its accreditation criteria to include mandatory background screening for all staff and volunteers above the age of 18.
While camp directors might not know where to start, most recognize the value of pre-screening volunteers. And with the right provider by your side, your camp can develop the exact volunteer screening solution it needs to thrive. From biometrics to driving records to criminal checks, Redstar Backgrounds has Texas summer camps covered.
Screen Volunteers in San Antonio, Austin, and Corpus Christi Interested in building a comprehensive background screening program for your volunteers?
Curious about the services we offer at Redstar Backgrounds and DrugScreenKits.com?
Our expert staff can guide you through every step of the volunteer screening process. Screening generally includes:
Organizations can customize their volunteer screening as needed. Whether you are a church or a summer camp, Redstar Backgrounds will work with you to craft the exact solution you desire—saving you time and money, protecting the people you serve, and reducing turnover as a result.
Please contact us for details, or to set up a free consultation. For more information on our screening services, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Wednesday, May 25 2022
 In the current labor market, many employers are happy to hire whatever qualified talent they can get. Job hopping has gradually become the norm in the past decade, and in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the labor market is arguably more competitive than ever.
Does this mean that employers should forego background screening?
The answer is a hard no. Hiring managers should continue conducting background checks on prospective team members. This includes testing job candidates—and current staff—for drugs.
What About Marijuana? A key trend employers are seeing is that fewer drug test kits are screening for marijuana. In many cases, businesses’ custom panels no longer include cannabis.
This is a contentious topic. With the increased decriminalization of marijuana throughout the U.S., some companies don’t feel the need to test for cannabis use.
But should they? Many employers—those in states where recreational marijuana is criminalized, and those working in industries or roles where marijuana use is ill-advised—still view screening for cannabis a top priority.
Should Employers Test for Marijuana? It may seem like everywhere you look in the U.S., cannabis is being legalized. Medicinal marijuana is currently legal in 37 states, and recreational marijuana has been decriminalized in 19 states and the District of Columbia. Additional states are slated to follow suit in 2023, 2024, and beyond.
In 2012, Philadelphia actually joined Nevada and New York City to implement a ban on pre-employment screening for marijuana. While these laws feature exemptions for positions with a special emphasis on physical safety—for instance, those in healthcare, transportation, and manufacturing—these laws set a remarkable precedent.
Yet at the federal level, marijuana is still a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act. This makes cannabis illegal under federal law, no matter individual states’ take on the matter. It also means that while some employers feel there’s no longer a need to screen for the substance, current legislation does not give team members free rein to work under the influence.
Our take is that most employers should continue screening their applicants and staff for marijuana. However, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to drug screening. Creating a custom program is essential.
Why Screen for Marijuana in the Workplace? If you’re wondering whether to screen your employment base for marijuana, consider the following: Many states where marijuana is now legal have exemptions for safety-sensitive positions. Legally, organizations can still prohibit their teams from working under the influence and from using cannabis on company property. In most cases, employers can still test for marijuana as well.
Now, 16% of global companies are fully remote today. And yes, this adds yet another layer of complexity to the drug screening process. But employers still, generally speaking, have the right to screen their staff. Many company leaders have reasonable concerns involving:
Current trends show that these are just some of the pitfalls of not testing team members and job applicants for marijuana use. The most important thing is for human resources teams to reconsider blanket testing, or testing for all positions unnecessarily in states where recreational marijuana is legal.
Hiring managers have the right to develop specific policies for individual roles where marijuana testing would be relevant—checking with the laws in their jurisdiction to make sure their approach is compliant, ethical, and aligned with the risks involved in the position.
Now, we’re not saying all employers should terminate every team member—or nix every candidate—who tests positive for marijuana. We are simply urging organizational leaders to take this matter seriously. Current trends show that not testing for cannabis puts the company at risk of negligent hiring and retention claims—and no one wants that liability.
Build Your Employee Drug Screening Program Today Interested in building a comprehensive drug screening program for your workforce and job candidates?
Curious about the services we offer at Redstar Backgrounds and DrugScreenKits.com?
Our team can guide you through every step. No matter your industry, we’ll work with you to craft the exact solution you need—saving you time and money, and reducing turnover and liability as a result.
Please contact us for details, or to set up a free consultation. For more information on our screening services, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Wednesday, April 27 2022
 While some employers view pre-employment background checks as a cost worth cutting, others view it as an investment.
The latter group is onto something. Healthcare organizations in particular should absolutely pre-screen all potential hires.
Are Healthcare Background Checks Mandatory? Most states require employers in the medical field to screen job candidates they’re thinking of hiring. However, not all background checks are created equal.
Different types of employers may benefit from different screening programs—and a Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)-compliant background check provider can help employers navigate this. One thing of note is that it’s essential to go beyond the bare minimum required by law.
This is especially important in light of a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) report that found a number of statutes only require healthcare background checks for specific employees.
The truth is that all team members working in the medical field should be pre-screened, even those who don’t work directly with patients. Employers should also pre-screen human resources coordinators, administrators, janitors, and other staff.
Ultimately, pre-screening should be an integral part of the hiring process for every position. Healthcare employers in San Antonio and Bexar counties should absolutely set an example for other organizations, throughout Texas and across the United States.
What Goes into Healthcare Pre-Employment Screening? In the medical field, pre-employment screening will generally include the following:
While most information can only be reported for seven years under the FCRA, there are some exceptions depending on the state, position salary, and other factors. The knowledge employers need to make a sound hiring decision will generally remain accessible beyond this timeframe.
Certain types of information—for instance, sex crimes—will remain public information indefinitely. Education and license verifications, as well as sanctions information (which we’ll discuss in detail in the next section), aren’t covered by restrictions either.
An experienced background check provider can help you understand the nuances at play. The important thing is to be consistent, objective, and reliant on data when conducting background checks in the healthcare field.
What Are Healthcare Sanctions? We discussed the importance of screening all medical staff, including those who don’t have direct access to patients.
Now let’s talk about the value of screening licensed healthcare professionals such as doctors and nurses. These workers are overseen by their state’s licensing boards and expected to meet the standards of their role. This typically comes down to ethics, skill, and behavior.
Workers who fail to meet these standards may have healthcare sanctions on their record. These are suspensions, fines, or public censures that occurred in the worker’s past position.
Pre-screening potential candidates can help employers make sure their new hires are free of healthcare sanctions. Knowing whether a worker has been sanctioned can help medical employers make the best possible hiring decisions, reducing the risk of ethical, financial, and safety problems.
Pre-Screen Your Healthcare Staff in San Antonio and Bexar Counties Interested in building a comprehensive background screening program for your healthcare team?
Curious about the services we offer at Redstar Backgrounds and DrugScreenKits.com?
Our expert staff can guide you through every step of the process. Whether you are a hospital, a private clinic, or a volunteer medical organization, we’ll work with you to craft the exact solution you need—saving you time and money, protecting patients, and reducing staff turnover as a result.
Please contact us for details, or to set up a free consultation. For more information on our screening services, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Wednesday, April 20 2022
 Maintenance screening is key to a healthy business.
Here in Texas, many employers rely on this important practice to keep their teams in check. This article will outline the importance of maintenance screening for your employment base.
What Is Maintenance Screening? Maintenance screening is simple in theory. In practice, however, too few businesses perform it.
What is maintenance screening? Essentially, it involves screening employees who are currently on the payroll for areas of concern. The idea is to make sure all team members can continue to perform their job tasks—that is, to ensure they haven’t done anything that might disqualify them for the position.
Say you own a fleet of delivery drivers, or maybe a taxi company. Maintenance screening might involve drug tests, criminal background checks, and other searches to make sure those who need to maintain a valid driver’s license have done exactly that.
If, during the maintenance screening process, you find that one of your employees has been arrested for DWI, violent assault, sex crimes, or something else, you’ll know that they are no longer eligible to work for you.
What Does Maintenance Screening Entail? Maintenance screening should be consistent across your organization. This means running the entire employment base at the same time. Rather than selecting team members randomly, maintenance screening should cover the entire company simultaneously.
It should also occur at a predetermined time—say, at the beginning of each fiscal or calendar year. An expert third-party can jump in and conduct:
Maintenance screening is a fairly seamless way to make sure your whole team can continue doing the good work they do. It’s designed to help pinpoint red flags, though not all offenses are fireable. In the case of verification services, maintenance screening might simply identify a soon-to-be-lapsed license. The team member can usually address this quickly with ongoing training. Sometimes it really is as easy as dropping by the DMV.
For employers who identify something of serious concern, be sure to have a conversation with the team member involved. Naturally, you can’t have a driver continue to operate a motor vehicle after a DWI arrest—but you can sit down with the person and have a conversation, human-to-human, while you address the matter at hand. In an ideal world, this means each party should understand where the other is coming from.
What Industries Conduct Maintenance Screening? All businesses in Texas and nationwide will benefit from a comprehensive background screening program.
Maintenance screening, while important across the board, is especially important in certain industries. These industries include:
You’ll find that sectors involving driving, operating heavy machinery, and working with vulnerable populations benefit the most from maintenance screening. However, these are checks from which all employers can extract value.
Don’t wait. Screen your employment base today, and make sure everyone is qualified to continue working the jobs they do. You’ll alleviate stress and maximize safety by doing so—both in the workplace, and in your community.
Build Your Maintenance Screening Program in Texas Interested in building a comprehensive maintenance screening program for your employment base?
Curious about the services we offer at Redstar Backgrounds and DrugScreenKits.com?
Our team can guide you through every step of this process. No matter your industry, we’ll work with you to craft the exact solution you need—saving you time and money, and reducing turnover and liability as a result.
Please contact us for details, or to set up a free consultation. For more information on our screening services, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Monday, April 18 2022
 Readers can also view this post on our subsidiary website DrugScreenKits.com.
Did you know that over 2 million people live in Bexar County—and that as many of 74% of drug users nationwide are currently employed?
Every year, drug abuse costs U.S. employers billions of dollars. Employers right here in San Antonio and the surrounding area are no exception. This, however, doesn’t have to be the case for your team.
A comprehensive drug screening program can help.
Drug Screening in Bexar County Drug tests are essential to employers here in San Antonio. They keep people who abuse drugs from building our infrastructure, teaching our kids, and caring for our loved ones.
But when, exactly, should drug screening occur? A combination of pre- and post-hire screening will generally yield the best results. Some of the best times to require drug tests are as follows:
Often, a negative drug test is a condition of future employment.
Employers should require drug tests after an accident to rule out the possibility of drug use.
Managers who reasonably suspect their staff may be using drugs can request testing.
Some companies follow a random employee drug testing program. The process should be randomized, computer-generated, and unbiased.
Employees who fail a drug test and go on to receive treatment may be required to submit a negative return-to-work drug test. Testing in the months that follow may be required as well.
Some companies choose to screen their employees for drugs as a condition of a promotion.
Why Is Drug Testing Important? In Bexar County, the benefits of implementing a drug screening program are expansive and include improvements in:
Companies that require employees to drive, use heavy machinery, or perform any sort of manual labor generally require drug testing to protect their staff. The Department of Transportation (DOT) upholds specific testing requirements, but plenty of industries don’t. This means it’s up to the employer to be proactive in safeguarding their team.
Failure to screen your employees for drugs could result in a number of problems surrounding customer safety. A lack of awareness as a result of drug use could result in a data breach, for example. And physically too, team members who abuse drugs present a greater risk to customers. Employee drug tests are integral to building customer safety and trust.
Some businesses wonder whether drug tests are “worth the money.” While on the surface they may seem like yet another business expense, the truth is that a drug screening program is well worth the investment. Higher productivity, reduced turnover, lower Workers’ Compensation premiums, and decreased liability are just the beginning.
Another important consideration is to make sure your drug screening policy is readily-available to all team members in writing. Employees should understand the disciplinary consequences of a positive test, just as employers should provide team member education on the dangers and risks of drug and alcohol abuse. Keeping everyone in the loop is vital.
Build Your Drug Screening Program Today Is your San Antonio business interested in developing a custom drug screening program?
Would you like more information about the services we offer at Redstar Backgrounds and DrugScreenKits.com?
Our team will walk you through every step. Look no further if you’re hoping to create or elevate your drug screening program. We’ll work with you to curate the exact solution you need, so that your team can focus on the work your organization has set out to do.
Please contact us for details, or to set up a free consultation. Thursday, March 24 2022
 Austin, Texas is home to a fantastic group of employers. To build a solid team, companies need to attract skilled candidates and hire the very best workers around.
This is where pre-employment screening comes in.
Background Checks in Travis County With over 1.29 million people, it makes sense that an appealing pool of employees call Travis County home. Businesses in Austin and the surrounding area can conduct pre-employment background checks to screen for:
A comprehensive background check will confirm the applicant is truthful, well-qualified, and unlikely to be problematic down the road. We mentioned the value of honesty—and it’s important to note that education and employment verification services can bring to light any half-truths or outright lies in a seemingly ideal candidate’s application.
The idea is to save your organization time and stress, and to protect you from issues surrounding turnover and liability. In Travis County and throughout Texas, pre-employment screening is absolutely essential.
Why Is Pre-Employment Screening Important? Austinites, listen up: Without pre-screening your staff, you could be putting your business at risk. These are just some of the value-adds of building a background check program:
Background screening can bring to light any red flags in the applicant’s history. This will help protect your people and property by reducing workplace violence and theft.
Did you know that you can be held liable for failing to vet your staff? This could result in massive legal costs and even a “negligent retention” liability (where one employee claims their employer failed to terminate another team member who has shown problematic behavior).
A thorough pre-employment screening program can shed light on the applicant’s character. This will show whether or not they’re trustworthy, ensure they’re qualified for the position in question, and keep your HR staff confident that they’re making the best possible decisions.
We all know that high turnover costs businesses time and money. Conducting background checks can decrease turnover by making sure you’re filling each position with a person of high character and confirm the new hire is well-suited for the role at hand.
Generally speaking, the better the position fit, the longer your new team member will stay with you. Doing a little extra work during the hiring process can bring massive benefits in the long term.
Again, this is where background screening comes in. Pre-employment screening is important for businesses of all sizes. Be sure to find a custom, consistent solution to cover all your bases. Your Austin business will be on a path to better hiring in no time!
Build Your Background Screening Program Today Is your Austin business interested in developing a custom screening program?
Would you like more information on the services we offer at Redstar Backgrounds and DrugScreenKits.com?
Our team will walk you through every step. A reminder that conducting your own pre-employment background checks isn’t recommended, as a company’s risk of being sued is much higher when they don’t partner with a vendor that complies with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).
So look no further if you’re hoping to create or elevate your pre-employment background screening program. We’ll work with you to curate the exact solution you need, so that your team can focus on the higher-level work your organization has set out to do.
Please contact us for details, or to set up a free consultation. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for more information. Tuesday, February 22 2022
 The secret’s out, and employers in San Antonio are looking to build teams they can trust.
But how?
It’s simple: Pre-employment background screening is a seamless way to hire reliable, honest, well-qualified people. This article will outline the importance of pre-employment background screening in Bexar County.
What Are Pre-Employment Background Checks? Pre-employment background screening uses a job applicant’s name, date of birth, and social security number to collect the individual’s personal information from databases and other sources.
Generally speaking, a pre-employment background check includes:
Verification services extend across the board. They’re used to confirm the candidate has provided their legal name and social security number, and to ensure the applicant is being truthful about their employment history, education, licensure, and other qualifications.
Dating back seven years—or longer if the applicant is on a sex offender registry or government watchlist—this portion of a pre-employment background check provides a thorough picture of the candidate’s criminal background. This means you’ll also learn whether they’re on probation.
San Antonio employers value their team members’ character. To get a sense of the candidate’s work ethic and performance, pre-employment background screening should include reference checks—with each reference providing their take on the person’s integrity and productivity.
This pillar of a pre-employment screening program is especially important for applicants who would be driving or operating heavy machinery on the job. The search is meant to determine whether the candidate has been involved in traffic accidents or received any driving citations.
Looking to screen your staff for drugs? Testing before you extend an employment offer is a great way to make sure you hire the right people. Click here to learn more about all the different drug test kits you have at your disposal.
Using the above information, a background check provider will craft a simple, thorough report on the job candidate that the employer can review before making a hiring decision.
Why Is Pre-Employment Background Screening Important? Of course you want to make informed hiring choices, maintain a safe workplace, and comply with legal and industry regulations. The benefits of pre-employment background screening touch on these benefits and more.
Here are just some of the reasons Bexar County employers should screen their applicants before reaching out with an offer:
Beyond ensuring they have all the necessary skills and qualifications for the job, you can determine whether the applicant has embellished their resume. This practice is more common than you would think, and a sign that your dream candidate might not be the employee you assumed.
We’ve discussed the benefits of maintaining a safe workplace—of protecting your assets, team members, and reputation. Pre-employment background screening will in this way reduce your corporate liability. From unnecessary lawsuits to lower insurance premiums, the benefits of these checks are truly expansive.
By avoiding bad hires, you’re also preventing needless turnover. Hiring the wrong person costs businesses time and money, not to mention frustration. Making the effort to screen for the right person early on will save you stress down the road. Both parties benefit from pre-employment screening, so don’t skip this vital step in the hiring process.
Start Your Pre-Employment Screening Program in Bexar County Today Ready to start screening potential new hires?
Redstar Backgrounds can help. Located in the heart of Bexar County, our expert team adheres to Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and Texas regulations to make sure companies stay compliant. Speed, accuracy, and seamless customer service are simply an added bonus.
Please contact us for details, or to set up a free consultation. For more information, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. |
