What You Need To Know About A Background Check
A background check is the process of seeking out and reviewing official records concerning a person. These records may come from various sources including and not limited to government offices and agencies, schools, and the commercial sector. It is often done on job applicants before they are accepted for employment in some professions such as in banking or law enforcement. In the United States, it was once done traditionally by the police but today the check can easily be acquired from private firms that do such services.
The information most often found in a background check includes criminal records, job history, credit history and worth, and past employment. It can be a double edged sword, in the sense that while on one hand, they may help employers or government agencies make more objective judgments as to the risk or worth of interviewees and also help them to be more knowledgeable about their the people on whom the background check is performed, it can also provide unethical persons with a means to unfairly or illegally discriminate and violate the privacy of others. A background check can even be made by criminals in order to commit identity theft.
A background check can be done for a variety of reasons other than just for screening applicants for employment references. Another reason may be to verify educational credentials, something quite important in highly technical fields and academia. Another reason might be to check the integrity and character of an applicant, something important in fields where the issue of trust is especially important like in banking or teaching. Gaps in employment history might be checked to see if there was anything out of the ordinary with regards to the reasons an applicant did not seek employment. This might be important in uncovering health issues or whatever thing that might keep the applicant from working reliably. In this day and age, it has also become important to conduct background checks for the purpose of identity verification, to ensure that the applicant is exactly who they claim to be; this kind of background check has been conducted more often in light of the so called War on Terror, now that security is a major concern of most Western countries. A background check is also done by most credit card companies to ensure that the applicant is an acceptable risk and that there is a fair chance of being able to collect on credit dues and fees. And of course, a background check is often conducted to make sure if applicants have criminal records, to see if they will be a risk for employers or an unacceptable risk for countries to take in, in the case of immigration applicants.
A background check, when used properly and ethically, can be quite a useful tool. In the context of a company, they can reduce risks to the company, and indeed, other employees due to the weeding out of the incompetent, dishonest, and possibly violent characters. There is also less liability and responsibility for firms that strictly screen their employees in case of crime or accidents in the workplace involving employees.
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