According to a national survey, approximately 96% of employers run some type of employee background check on prospective job candidates. Moreover, nearly 90% of employers continue running checks regularly to ensure employee productivity and safety. And yet, nearly 60% of hiring managers admit to recognizing embellishments and flat-out lies on resumes before hiring the new candidates–a mistake that can add to $600 billion in annual resume fraud. Sure, you need that position filled but are you rushing the gun? Background check importance will help qualify the correct person for the opening at your place of employment. Here are some important things to look for when running an employee background check.
Social Media Activity
This is a tricky subject for most employers and there are pros and cons to the subject. With nearly 4 billion global users, social media is an easy way to get a better idea of what the individual is like outside of the interview. Drinking habits, personal relations, personality traits, and extra information regarding their professional interests and skills are easily accessed. However, so are personal traits they may want to remain private such as monetary concerns, religious or political affiliations, past relationship issues, and illnesses or disabilities. If there’s any chance whatsoever that you’ll reject a great candidate due to personal differences, opt to have a Michigan private investigator handle this type of search.
Arrests and Convictions
Many employers expect all areas of criminal activity to pop up on an employee background check. But state rules differ and are subject to local laws and rules listed in the Fair Credit Reporting Act. In Michigan, criminal activity resulting in a conviction or felony charge can be seen back to the time the candidate turned 18, or potentially if the candidate served as a juvenile for a criminal offense. However, employers are not permitted to inquire about misdemeanors charges or fines.
Sex Offender Registry
The statute of limitations in Michigan is limited to six years for misdemeanors and up to ten years for felonies. But certain criminal activity has no statute of limitations and therefore, should be easily obtained by a simple background check. Anyone convicted or legally charged with sex offenses will be permanently listed on the sex offender registry. This is public information, so anyone can access it without the aid of professional investigation. But if the subject is too sensitive for your HR department, a Michigan private investigator can easily handle the task.
Employment History
Once upon a time, it was simple enough for an HR department or manager to call a number listed on a resume and get all the information they needed regarding a potential employee’s work history. Applicants have since learned enough tricks to pull the wool right over employers’ eyes and snag that job from someone with far more potential and experience. Trusting words on a resume can lead to financial trouble for the business and the new employee could soon find themselves elbow-deep in trouble or even injured on the job due to incompetence. An employment history check can check the validity of their claims and save your hide in the process. If you don’t want to do it yourself, give us a call to get the right Michigan private investigator on the case of background check importance.
