Conducting a Thorough Background Check: What Should You Look For When Hiring Temp Employees?

Many employers would agree that background checks are important — but not everybody agrees on how to accomplish this kind of employee screening. Here are some tips to doing a thorough background check on temporary employees, to make sure you’re getting a high caliber of people on board.

Get Legal Permission

In order to really dig into the background of a potential employee, it’s best to have documented legal permission to do the background search. Make a standard waiver form that an employee can sign before you get started trying to figure out if he or she was ever convicted of a criminal charge, or has other shady items in the rearview mirror.

Criminal History Checks

One of the fundamental steps to a thorough background check is to conduct a real criminal history check. That can mean checking multiple sources such as municipal courts, state offices, and the FBI. It also runs using precise information including a Social Security number that’s accurate. Imprecise searches can turn out false positives and lead to other issues. When it comes to a criminal history check, it’s not enough to just ask about felony and do a quick online search. There may also be additional sex offender registries that employers can use to catch these serious cases of criminal offense. Doing a solid criminal history check can protect a company from all sorts of liability later.

Look at Job History

Many employers also like to look at job history to figure out more about a person’s background. They may decide to investigate or ask questions about a person who has extensively moved around the country or someone who has big job gaps or address gaps. Address history is a critical part of a thorough and well-performed background check, and it can tell you a lot about a person.

Apply Background Checks Consistently

Sometimes a background check kind of seems like a legal minefield. A company that does too much research on one person and not enough on others can be accused of discrimination. Create a proper background check for employees and apply it to everyone who walks in the door.

Job-Relevant Background Check Techniques

In addition to a criminal background check, many companies also want to check for competency. Use all available resources to look at how a person has done a similar job in past, and whether or not the person has a history of conflict on the job.

About Full Steam Staffing

Full Steam Staffing is a full-service staffing agency in Modesto focused on providing clerical and light industrial staffing solutions to manufacturers, distribution centers and other organizations that need qualified, reliable workers. If you are currently looking to hire and grow your workforce, contact our team of skilled recruiters today!