More and more companies are conducting often-extensive background checks to verify job applicants? information ? and experts say it?s worth the effort.
“Firms lose jobs when employees they assume have the credentials are working on a job they don?t have the credentials for,” said Jim Randisi, a principal with Baltimore-based Randisi and Associates, which provides businesses with pre-employment screening.
In a 2004 survey from the Society for Human Resource Management, 96 percent of human resource professionals said they always conduct reference checks on applicants, such as employment history and driving record.
Just over half of these said they outsource some or all of the background checking.
Most respondents said they check an applicant?s criminal record and dates of previous employment, but only 34 percent said they verify colleges attended and 35 percent confirm degrees obtained, according to the survey.
Getting some background information can be tough, so more companies are turning to third-party screeners, said John Dooney, manager of strategic research at the Society for Human Resource Management.
Failing to do checks can lead to severe consequences, experts said. Randisi said what he called “negligent hiring” can even lead to injuries on the job if a person isn?t qualified, as well as high insurance costs to the company.
The extent of the screening depends on the level of responsibility the employee is given, Randisi said.
The more access an individual has to a company?s documents processes, the more in-depth a company should screen.
The most basic steps a company can take are calling to verify previous employers or education, he said. But when it comes to extensive screening, such as criminal conviction searches or credit checks, he said companies should outsource the duties.
