Backgrounds Online's Knowledge Bank

There are multiple reasons to make background checks a routine procedure in your hiring process.

Employers often have questions about when to background check applicants or employees and Backgrounds Online has recommendations to help them establish good practices when it comes to this subject.

Backgrounds Online believes a good rule in knowing when to background check applicants is to check them prior to the training or hiring phase. Many companies offer paid training and some run their background checks after this has been done, contingent on the applicant passing the background check. While this is perfectly acceptable, as long as the applicant has full knowledge that they are being hired on a contingency basis, employers run the risk of losing money and manpower in training job applicants only to have to let them go should the background check fail. Background checking prior to training or even prior to the interview should help employers save time and money.

Another issue employers sometimes run into is when to background check existing employees. For many employers, background checks need to be run more than once due to the nature of the position. For instance, drivers usually are checked periodically to make sure their driver’s license is still valid. Knowing when to run these background checks is a question that a company can answer when incorporating the background check policy. For positions requiring ongoing background checks, Backgrounds Online recommends running the checks at least on an annual basis. Many clients who follow this procedure have a set time each year that they submit their checks.