New Employee Background Checks

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The primary method of an employer to verify information from a job applicant is to conduct a new employee background check. This step is crucial in the new hire decision-making process for many organizations and businesses, and the information they receive can help in determining if a candidate is the best fit for a job role. Everything from driving history to criminal conviction and education credentials, pre-employment screening is a vital step in the onboarding process for companies around the globe. 

But, what does the new employee background check process entail? What information will be shared, and how can an employer use it when deciding to hire someone? These are critical questions that need answering before conducting a new employee background check.

Why New Employee Background Checks are Necessary

Outside of wanting to verify references or criminal history, several additional reasons warrant running an employment screening on a new employee.

Verify Their Identity

Ensuring that a new hire does possess the required skills, education, and other credentials necessary to perform the job you hired them for is a critical step in the onboarding process. Additionally, you may reveal the type of character they possess if you uncover embellished or falsified information regarding these areas in your screening process.

Increased Productivity

Conducting a new hire background check will allow you an opportunity to get insight into how your candidate performed in previous job roles. This provides a strong indicator of the performance you might expect from them when working for your company, and the effect it may have on existing team members. 

Increased Safety

The serious liability employers face when bringing a new employee on board is safety. When new employee background checks are not part of the hiring process, you risk being blind to a candidate’s potential history of aggression or other behavior that endangers the safety of your current team.

Past employee conduct could expose your organization to the risk of a negligent hiring lawsuit if they endanger those they work with and even customers. Types claims that often occur as a result of poor hiring practices include:

  • Injuries from reckless driving
  • Sexual harassment
  • Assault and battery
  • Theft
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Types of New Employee Background Checks You May Need

Earlier, we mentioned that depending on the type of job role you are hiring for, or the industry you belong to, the new employee background check service you need could vary. Many times, you may need to use several pre-employment screenings to meet these requirements.

Credit Report Check

Employers rely on credit reports to check the fiscal responsibility of a new employee. This background check is helpful for the hiring of individuals who will be responsible for company accounting, credit approvals, and similarly related financial areas. 

Motor Vehicle Records Search

Organizations and businesses should make motor vehicle records search a standard practice for any employee that will be using a company or a personal vehicle while on company business. This screening will highlight any potential red flags about their driving habits like frequent moving violations, DUIs, or car accidents, that could cost a company millions in lawsuit damages.

Previous Employer History

In today’s age of technology, it is easy for employers to now determine if someone’s previous job history is accurate or full of embellishment. New employee background checks can help hiring managers cut through the falsehoods quickly and avoid hiring someone that does not have the skills they claim to possess.

Criminal Records Check

One critical step in mitigating risks of sexual harassment claims or instances of theft or workplace violence is to run a criminal background check on new employees. This can prevent the hiring of a registered sex offender to a job role that exposes them to vulnerable customers like children or the elderly, and other dangerous situations that can open your company up to a negligent hiring suit. 

It is important to note that using information from these types of new employee background checks requires careful adherence to local, state, and federal law, like the equal employment opportunity (EEO) guidance provided by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). It is recommended to use a criminal background check service like, Pre-employ, which has the necessary Federal Credit Reporting Act certification to conduct such research fairly and has the training to guide companies on how to handle adverse hiring decisions.

Legal Challenges in Conducting Background Investigations

Conducting a new employee background check requires professional training and knowledge surrounding the many different legalities when requesting these types of screenings. This is an important aspect of investigating different histories of a candidate because many laws and regulations dictate how this information can be requested, used, and shared.

There is numerous federal legislation to comply with, including:

  • EEO laws
  • The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
  • Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA)

State laws also tend to overlap with many federally mandated legislation and regulation. This often means having additional guidelines to follow when it comes to requesting credit reports, holding on to sensitive records documentation, and even the legality of running a criminal history screening before making an employment offer to a candidate.

Use Online Background Checks to Vet Job Applicants

One of the top reasons companies choose a third-party background check service provider has to do with the fast turnaround time, reliability of the information, and the savings on productivity. Pre-employ achieves this with our advanced technological pre-employment screening tools and automated software suite. Not only do we provide a simplified approach to important searches like criminal history record checks and identity verification, but we offer a centralized location to easily request, manage, store, and distribute results so that you can focus on conversions. 

With award-winning customer service and FCRA certified experts standing by to help provide the guidance you need to remain compliant with local, state, and federal law, our services give our thousands of clients a streamlined workflow that eliminates bottlenecks. There may be numerous alternatives for obtaining access to this insightful data, but only Pre-employ offers an unwavering focus on superior customer support and excellent applicant experiences backed by a 100% US-based service and support team. 

Contact us today to learn more about our employment screening solutions.

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