By now everyone understands that running a preemployment background check is the best way to make sure that you’re getting good employees. Making sure that document is thorough is a priority. Here’s a preemployment screening checklist that you can use to make sure the one you have in place is good. 

Write the Policy Down 

People who work in human resources need to make sure that they have a written policy concerning these types of background checks. That way there’s no gray area and no room for multiple interpretations. 

If you don’t have this type of policy in place at your company now, you should get one in place as soon as you can. It should be a concise document that can be handed to applicants as well as existing employees who will be screened for potential promotion. 

Know the Laws 

It’s important you have a good understanding of both federal, state and municipal laws when it comes to a preemployment screening checklist. That way, you’ll have a good understanding of how these checks can be carried out and what kind of data needs to be protected. It’s always good to keep in mind that no matter what state you’re in you’ll need to get written consent from the applicant. 

There are other parts of the person’s history that can be considered private. Staying on top of any changes in your municipality or state is an important part of having an accurate and trustworthy screening checklist. 

Watch Out for Discrimination 

It’s important for everyone involved in the business and not just the HR department to understand the requirements from the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission). Running up against these rules can be harmful to your company’s reputation and discrimination can also be costly. 

If you’re the HR director and you need to find responsible, credible employees, this type of screening process is beneficial and, in most cases, essential. It presents you with the kind of critical information you need to make an accurate and informed decision. 

Not only will they help you to narrow down the choices, they can also help verify any information these people provide. 

Most of the checklists that you come up with will give you an accurate summary of the person’s employment history.

Pre-employment screening is important.