Everybody knows background checks are becoming a must for most employers, and the scope of today’s checks can take a lot of time and turn up a lot of information.
There are several advantages and disadvantages of background checks to both employers and employees, according to an article by CvTips.
For employers, background checks easily uncover lies on an employee’s resume or cover letter and accompany interviews, in turn helping the job selection process and ensuring employment of only honest and legitimate candidates with no criminal history. Completing a thorough background check also often protects and employer against possible future lawsuits or negligent hiring claims.
“Globalization has made it easier for people to leave behind their former lives and identities, and carry on, afresh, in another town, state or even country, erasing any stains on their character as they go,” the article notes. “Records and data are scattered and do not always link up. It is pretty futile relying on the information supplied by an applicant for a job. A criminal is very unlikely to reveal a true picture of their past lives.”
On the other hand, background checks can often cost employers a lot of time and money. Also, failure to deal with private information or data in a responsible way can result in penalties against the employer, including misplacing or losing personal data, which usually results in heavy fines for fraudulent activity.
From an employee’s perspective, a company that conducts background checks will most likely be able to provide a safe working environment for its employees. An employee also should know a company has to adhere to the laws set forth in the Fair Credit Reporting Act when conducting a background check.
At the same time, some employees feel that a background check is an invasion of privacy, as they can reveal details you would rather not disclose to a prospective employer. Also, an employee can face penalties for falsifying information when applying for a job.
“A person may miss promotion due to one mistake made during their youth, regardless of their present day integrity, work experience or qualifications,” the article states. “In today’s environment of terrorism, security checks are becoming more important and therefore, more common. As employers tighten up their belts, it may soon be a thing of the past to be able to get a job without, first passing stringent security checks.”
An employee may also be concerned about receiving a bad reference from a company that performed a background check, or a background check company making errors.
