If you’re looking for a Pinellas County, FL employee background screening service, you’re likely in the exciting position of looking to add valuable members to your team. However, hiring an employee is not a task that should be taken lightly—a misstep in this area can cost the company valuable time, training resources, and energy.
When you’re hiring a new employee, it’s important to do your due diligence and make sure that you are making the best possible decision for your company. One way to do this is by conducting a background check. This will help you learn more about the potential employee’s past, and can give you a better idea of whether or not they would be a good fit for your business. So, what should you look for in an employee background screening company? In this article, we will address this question and more.
What Is an Employee Background Screening?
An employee background check is one of the most fundamental steps you can take to protect your business, your assets, and your current employees. But what is a background check, exactly?
Most thorough employee background screenings will dig up information regarding an individual’s credit and employment history, criminal records, education, and any other relevant activities that may paint a fuller picture of their past. This information can be useful to an employer when deciding if someone might be a good fit for their company, but it is important to note that discrimination based on sex, religion, ethnicity, race, disability, age, medical history, or skin tone is illegal. More than anything, a comprehensive background check will verify a candidate’s credentials as well as take note of any criminal history that may prohibit their employment.
Why Is It Important to Screen Your Employees?
As a business owner, you have so much more to think about than simply the bottom line. Protecting your company assets is a huge part of expanding your business—and those assets include your valuable employees. Asking each applicant to consent to a background check not only improves the sense of safety within the office, but it also shows employees that you are serious about their wellbeing in the workplace as well.
Not only this, but hiring someone who may be dangerous or a liability can have all sorts of complications and unwanted expenses. Asking all applicants to consent to a background screening is a fair, safe way that you can potentially eliminate hiring the wrong candidate for your team.
What to Look for in an Employee Background Screening Company
There are a wide array of background screening services available, and many will emphasize the different services that they offer. However, when it comes to selecting a top-notch background screening service, there are a few key characteristics that will separate the best from the average. An industry-leading background screening solution will offer at least all three of the following services.
Adherence With Local and Federal Legislation
The last thing you want when running a background check on a prospective employee is a lawsuit on your hands. But if a background screening service is not compliant with federal and state laws, including the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FRCA), they could also find themselves in legal trouble—not just the business.
Before you settle on a background screening service to perform this important safety step for your company, do your due diligence and make sure they are operating up to speed with current regulations and laws.
Focus on Your Business' Experience
You’ve likely heard it before, but just because a company’s services are economical does not mean they are a good match for your needs. For example, it would do very little good to hire the cheapest background service only for them to miss the mark on valuable information pertinent to your business.
In selecting a proper background screening service, you will need to find a company that takes the time to understand what sorts of information is relevant to your business. The right background screening service will be knowledgeable of your industry, take interest in your company values, and stay abreast of ever-changing laws and regulations that may affect your industry. Facts about a person’s history can be of little value if they are not given the appropriate context, and a good background screening solution will help you to better understand their findings.
Guaranteed Quality and Thorough Results
It doesn’t do an employer much good to have partial information—or worse—inaccurate information about a potential candidate. Especially for individuals with common names, there can be a lot of information to sift through when it comes to verifying a person’s credentials or history. This can lead to faulty background screenings and inaccurate reports.
A good background screening solution will offer verification services that double—sometimes even triple—check the results of their findings. It is crucial that in order to provide an accurate account of a potential employee’s history, a screening solution must provide a complete portrait of all of the collected information, without misleading or omitting crucial data.
Pinellas County, FL Employee Background Screening Services
It may seem like a simple step, but screening all potential employees with a background check is one of the most effective ways you can protect your business—not to mention it may save you untold amounts of money in firing, rehiring, and training better candidates after a poor match. A good background screening solution will provide accurate, verified information with an understanding of what that means for your company; and, they will understand the laws and regulations around delving into this crucial information and what that means for your industry.
Are you looking for Pinellas County, FL background screening solutions? Contact Alpha and Omega for a consultation today!