Background Checks

HR Hat

I am curious about five things on background checks:

1. How many people here routinely conduct them?
2. At what point in the process are they done?
3. What percentage of people withdraw from consideration because a background check is required?
4. Does anyone have stats on how many companies do background checks?
5. If an applicant questions the need for a background check, what do you say?

We interviewed someone on Friday who is an excellent candidate for an open position. At the beginning of the interview, she was given an authorization form to conduct a background check to review and sign. She asked if she could take it home with her to read, and we said fine.

Long story short, the applicant has withdrew from consideration, and is appalled that we would require such a thing! The applicant obviously has not knowingly approved a background check before.

Any feedback on my four questions is appreciated!

Jim

MS HR

As a municipality we require them for any postion that is in public safety (police and fire) or handles money (purchasing agent, comptroller, etc.)
we do the check after they have been made a tentative job offer.
Approximately 30-40% of our applicants have failed: mostly due to trying to hide something.

TN HR

HR Hat,

Welcome to the forum. I'll do my best to help answer some of your questions.

1-Wait a bit, you'll get a slew of responses. I personally don't now, but have in previous lives.

2-With very few exceptions they are always done post offer.

3-??!! and irrelevant in my opinion.

4-Same as above.

5-"It is part of our screening and selection policy. All candidates are required to undergo such process"

The reason I said that questions 3&4 are sort of irrelevant is because I can't imagine anyone tracking this information and for what purpose. Also, it shouldn't matter to you since your policy obviously calls for them.

I have had several candidates in the past hedge this part of the process. I've had flat-out confessions and I've also had the "I'm appalled that you would invade my privacy" theatrics like you had.

It makes absolutely no difference the reason for their withdrawal. Don't get wrapped around the axle with this one. Move-on.

Gene

deniseE

We do background checks on every applicant. It is more expensive, but it also helps us avoid interviewing a candidate that won't/can't be hired.

Our application states clearly that we will conduct a background check and that while a conviction may not necessarily bar one from employment, not disclosing one that shows up on your record will.

We don't keep stats, but we've turn up enough to know that we're glad we do it.

We also randomly run current employees to make sure nothing has changed since they were hired.

Don D

1. How many people here routinely conduct them?
Other than working for the government, which did not do them, I have worked at a major refrigerated transportation company (3000 employees), a children's services facility (around 450), another manufacturing facility (350) and this one (48,000 corporate wide). All of the latter four conduct background checks on all hires.

2. At what point in the process are they done?
Typically, post offer. They're too labor intensive and costly to do them otherwise.

3. What percentage of people withdraw from consideration because a background check is required?
I've never known anybody to 'withdraw' from consideration because of a background check. In fact have never known anyone to not expect that they would be done routinely.

4. Does anyone have stats on how many companies do background checks?
I spoke with certainty regarding places I've worked. Most of my counterparts, upwards of 95% in all the companies I'm associated with or have belonged to organizations with, do them also.

5. If an applicant questions the need for a background check, what do you say?
I have never had anyone question the procedure, expresss concern about it or act as if they were surprised by it. If anyone were to tell me 'they are appalled' by our running a background check, I would give theirs particular scrutiny. That goes double for your applicant who asked if they could delay the process and go home and read the form.

TJH

We do background checks on every new hire pre-employment. Not all of our employees have need for computer access but at some time they might and our government counterpart that we work for requires BG check of their own. We also have people in a DOT program and this gives us a good idea of if they would qualify for that down the road. We do ask about convictions on applications and during interviews. Does not necessarily keep them from being employed but lying about them, does. At one point, we were beginning checks and allowing them to start work while waiting on results. Got burned on one that had worked for us for one week; another one came in to in-process, received check results same day and had to stop in-processing; and since absolutely waiting until check has come back before in-processing, have had one that we had to reject. So now, we absolutely do NOT in-process anyone until check results are back.

Parabeaglex2

We do background checks post-offer, and make the offer contingent upon successful completion of a background check. We're also very open about the types of things we are interested in (credit, criminal, driving record (if applicable) etc.), which, since I've been here, has resulted in maybe a dozen candidates withdrawing from consideration at that point.

Our application clearly states that the individual will be subjected to a background check and, at the time of the offer, we have them sign a standard FCRA release which clearly outlines the areas we are going to look into.

Hunter1

My initial reaction was: Who DOESN'T do background checks in this day and age? Negligent retention, workplace violence, respondeat superior (is that spelled correctly?), employee theft, etc. Need any more reasons?

Even though we're a government employer, and maybe because we are, we do background checks on all positions. I think candidates expect it, it says so on our application and they sign off on it at the time of application. We do ours pre-offer, but at the time we've made the selection. Sometimes we have to move on to a second choice.

marc

We not only do them on EEs, but also on volunteers who will be working with our clients.

HR Hat

Thanks for all of your help!

I agree that stats on percentage of people withdrawing from consideration is irrelevant, but I was just curious.

We have been doing background checks (BG) for several years, and less than 1% have withdrawn from consideration because it was required.

It has been several years since this has happened. The interview went well, and an offer would likely have been made, except for BG

We ask applicants to sign an authorization form for us to run a background check at the beginning of the interview. If a decision is made to make an offer, we run the BG at that time. That way, when the offer is made, everything has been checked out.

This was so unusual, that I thought I'd ask you great people what your experiences have been.

Thanks again!

Jim

Don D

"We ask applicants to sign an authorization form for us to run a background check at the beginning of the interview. If a decision is made to make an offer, we run the BG at that time. That way, when the offer is made, everything has been checked out."

Boy! That's some wizard you have running your backgrounds. If he/she/they can furnish you with a background between the time you begin your interview and finish your interview, I want their name! It sometimes takes as long as 10 days to two weeks to get all of our results back.

nietra

1. How many people here routinely conduct them?

We complete a background check for every employee

2. At what point in the process are they done?

They are completed after we are interested in the employee but prior to the offer. We work with persons with MR and MI and we are required to do this by the state.

3. What percentage of people withdraw from consideration because a background check is required?

Haven't had a single one... although there have been a few that I would have thought would have after receiving the report back.


4. Does anyone have stats on how many companies do background checks?

Sorry

5. If an applicant questions the need for a background check, what do you say?

It's required by the state of Iowa for you to work in our facilities