Having an employee is the second-highest expense for small businesses. It’s important to ensure that you’re hiring trustworthy people who are aligned with your company values and mission because a bad hire can cost you time and money. A background check helps you get a better understanding of who someone is when they aren’t directly interacting with you. This will give you insight into their character, behavior, and trustworthiness, giving you a way to measure how likely they are to be honest and reliable in their role as an employee. To conduct a background check on someone from home as an employer, there are some simple steps that you should follow. You don’t need to spend hours on it or pay expensive third-party agencies for the privilege of knowing more about the person interviewing for your job opening.
Check Employment References
Employment references often go unchecked, as most employers prefer to see what an individual can do, rather than what they have done. Make sure that you confirm the information that an applicant has provided, including their employment dates, compensation, and if they have any outstanding debts. This will give you an idea of why they are looking for a job and what they have done in the past. If you have the financial means, you can also hire a third-party verification service to determine whether the references provided are legitimate. This will give you a little more confidence in the information that the applicant shares.
Run a Criminal Background Check
A criminal background check is an important part of any background check because it can reveal any criminal activities that an applicant may have been involved in. If you are hiring an employee who will have regular access to funds, you may want to consider running a criminal background check on everyone who applies for the job. Of course, this may not be legal in your state, but it is something you can discuss with your attorney. A criminal background check will show you if the person has been convicted of any crimes. It will list the types of crimes, the dates of conviction, and give you the name of the arresting authority. All of this information will allow you to make an informed decision about the applicant’s suitability for the job.
Utilize Online Tools to Run a Screening Check
There are plenty of online tools that can help you conduct a comprehensive background check. Conducting a screening check will help you collect a large amount of information, such as an individual’s address history, credit history, driving records, and social media presence. It will also show you information such as an individual’s neighbors, relatives, and friends. This allows you to gain an understanding of an applicant’s social circle and connections in the community, which can help you determine their trustworthiness when interacting with your customers. There are even tools that can help you conduct a criminal record check, verify work history, and confirm educational background. This allows you to conduct a thorough screening check from the comfort of your own home.
Ask the Right Questions During the Interview Process
Once you’ve narrowed down your candidate pool, you should conduct an interview to get a better sense of who each person is. Ask questions that will help you determine whether this person is a good fit. You may want to ask questions that will allow you to determine the applicant’s motivations for taking the job. This may give you a better idea of whether they are interested in being an employee in your small business or are just looking for a paycheck. You can also ask questions that will help you determine the individual’s strengths and weaknesses. This will give you insight into the applicant’s character and how they might solve problems in the future. You can even try to get the applicant talking about their weaknesses to suss out their honesty, as people who are trying to be overly perfect are usually fake.
Conclusion
The hiring process is an important one for any small business owner. If you don’t hire the right person, it can cost you dearly in terms of productivity and morale. A background check is an important part of the hiring process. It can give you insight into an applicant’s past and help you to determine whether they are trustworthy enough for the job. It is important to keep in mind that this process does not provide a 100% guarantee that the person you hire will not steal from you or be a danger to your customers. It does, however, give you a better sense of who you are hiring and allows you to make a more informed decision.
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