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As a business, it’s important for your reputation and the safety of your staff that you know who you’re hiring. Background checks have become the new standard for ensuring potential hires are honest and that people you may be lending too can pay you back.
However, you may wonder what type of background checks industries should undertake on a potential new employee or when lending money. In this article, we’ll cover the best ones for your business to consider.
- Criminal Background Checks
The most commonly recognized check, a criminal background check, is designed to check whether a new employee has a criminal record and whether the offenses will impact the suitability of the person for the role they’ve applied for. Some examples of criminal offenses a background check could uncover are:
- Misdemeanors
- Pending criminal cases
- Convictions for felonies
- Faud
- Violence
- Theft
- Serious offenses (sexual assault or murder)
A Triton Canada criminal record check (or similar criminal record check) is important to avoid risk and ensure the safety and security of your business.
- Drug Testing
Drug testing is another background check which should be done when screening new employees, especially if the role they’re applying for involves machinery. Construction sites, transportation companies and healthcare are key industries which should consider drug testing. Drug testing could be done before hiring or at random intervals throughout the year to ensure everyone on the team is drug free. Some common drugs which may be screened for are:
- Heroin
- Cocaine
- Methamphetamine
- Cannabis
- Opiates
- Amphetamines
- Benzodiazepines
Drug testing regularly can create a safe and drug free workplace for all employees.
- Education Verification
If you’re hiring for roles which are more advanced, it’s important to do a background check into the candidate’s education. This may involve:
- Reviewing and verifying certificates and degrees with the institution which awarded them the certificates.
- Talking to the candidate and asking specific questions about their skills and give them a scenario which could occur and let them answer how they would handle that situation. By asking questions you’ll know whether they have adequate knowledge for the role they’ve applied for.
- Review dates when the certificate was completed. If it was done over 10 years ago and the industry has changed a lot since, consider whether the old course would have taught the skills required for the job now. Technology advancements for example have come a long way so you need to know the candidate is skilled for the new advancements.
While some jobs may train on the job, others may require additional and specialized education in order to gain clearance. Don’t be afraid to dig deep if your role requires more specialized individuals.
- Credit Checks
If you’re a finance business which provides financial services to customers, it’s a good idea to do routine credit checks if they’ve applied for loans. It’s also good if you plan to lend staff members money internally. Credit checks are designed to find out whether a person has the ability to pay back money to a lender. Some reasons why a person may have poor credit includes, but isn’t limited to:
- Not making payments on time
- Missing payments
- Exceeding credit limits
- Bankruptcy
- Credit applications
- Defaults on payments
For businesses who lend money whether to customers or internal staff, it’s always important to do a credit check.
Endnote
Background checks are important for businesses when employing new staff or loaning money out. If you want to create a trustworthy, safe and stress-free working environment, don’t be afraid to set the standard of mandatory background checks for employees before and after hiring.
