Pre-Employment Background Verification

Employee background checks are very important for our safety and nowadays many employers require every employee to pass a background check prior to employment, although there may still be some jobs that do not have a background verification requirement, especially if it is a supervised position.

This growing trend of background verification must first be accepted and approved by potential employee as there is a need for a release from the employee prior to undergoing the check. Should an employee not be willing to submit a background information check, he may be immediately terminated upon being hired.

The good news is that the results of background check can be and must be released to the employee regardless of the outcome of the employee being hired or not, and these may be shared with a future employer by the employee, should the potential employee want to do so.

There is a number of things an employee must submit for his or her background check.

For example, a copy of driver's license may be requested or a copy of a social security card and number might be asked for.

Some employers require a few references from their employees to be listed on the background check information. If the position is one which is defense related or confidential and investigative, then a criminal background check may also have to be submitted for approval and hiring. This type of background check information is a bit more sensitive and therefore harder to come across by the employer.

Bankruptcy filings and work history records are very easy to obtain since they are part of the public records and not classified information. More difficult for an employer access is the criminal history and records of a prospective employee, as there are different laws in each state.

In the case a future employee was a student, again in order to obtain the school records a release from the employee has to be obtained first, otherwise the school records will not be released to the prospective employer.

There are many states that do not disclose past convictions, and possible criminal offenses information is very difficult to obtain. Sometimes it is necessary for an employer to hire a person for a job which requires security clearance, and that is when a potential employee will initially be asked to undergo a background check, thus from the outset the employer will know what to expect before the hiring process begins.