Choosing a new person to join your team is an extremely important decision, and you need to make sure that you are giving a chance to the right employee who will make the team and the company better. Nowadays, there are millions of people looking for a new place of employment every day, and companies try to give everyone a fair chance. When hundreds of people apply to your job opening, the process of choosing the best fit can take a lot of time, and you need to make sure that when you say your final word, you will be making the right decision.
In this 2024 guide, we are going to talk about some of the benefits that come with pre-employment background screening, and we will give you more information on how this can help you out.
1. Better skilled workers
The first thing we are going to talk about is the skills employees have. As we all know, some people lie and put information that is not correct in their resumes and CVs. Unfortunately, this is not against the law, and people are free to put any information they want. Some people may add a few tasks more than they did in their previous job position, but others can lie about their education and all the work experiences they’ve had.
The issue with this is that someone can seem like the perfect hire, and companies would do anything they can to have a person like that in their team. When you hire a person who was not honest in their curriculum vitae, you risk losing a lot of time and money. Months can pass until you find out that they’ve been untruthful, and you will have to go back to the drawing board and look for a new employee.
The biggest benefit of background screening is that you will easily check if someone really has the experience they claim they do, and you can see if they have the needed skills to fit the position perfectly. This process can save you a lot of time and money in the long run, and every time you hire someone you will know that you’ve made the right choice.
2. Better safety
One of the most important reasons why you should do a screening before you hire a new person is for the safety of other employees and the company on its own. When you do a background check you can find out if the person you want to hire has a criminal record. Some people have made a mistake in the past, and they may have been charged for something small that will forever be a part of their record. On the other hand, there are people who have been convicted of frauds or violent crimes, and depending on the industry you are part of, you may not want people like that in your team.
One thing you should always remember is that people can change, and everyone deserves a second chance. However, when you check someone’s criminal record before you hire them, you will know how safe the environment will be. This process can reduce workplace violence and your other employees are less likely to get harassed. Some people continue with their bad habits and if you notice a pattern in their record or if they have been convicted of the same crime several times in a row, you may want to steer away from hires like that.
Nowadays, there are a lot of services that will allow you do to a thorough check with ease, and some platforms offer this option for free. You can easily check the background of the person you are thinking about hiring, including their record, social media profiles, and even mortgage information. One thing you need to be careful about when using these services is that you are checking the data for the right person. As you already know, there are thousands of people with the same first and last name, so if you mix things up, you may end up with information that is not correct.
3. Turnover
When we hire a new person we want to make sure that they are going to stay with us for a long time. Opening up the same position over and over again will cost you a lot of time and money, and you risk losing your company when you cannot keep the employees you need.
When you hire an employee, you invest in them, you give out resources to help them learn more things about your business and to make sure you can utilize their skills. Even though some people will have the exact knowledge you need, they will still need some time to adjust to your specific way of working and to learn everything they can about your business and your clients and customers.
To lose a person you’ve invested so much in is terrible, and it is even worse when you have to fire them because they are not a good fit, or because they are a threat to your company or your other employees. When you do a check before you hire someone, you will know if they are trustworthy or not. You will learn if they have a record, and you can also find out if they stick to a workplace for more than just a few months. If you notice that someone has a habit of staying in a company for just a few months, and then continuing to another place, it may mean that they are not the right fit for your firm. The statistic shows that when you do a screening before you give someone a chance, you are more likely to find someone who will stay with you for years and even decades to come.
These are some of the main benefits of employment checks, so make sure you utilize your resources before adding a person to your paycheck list. Take your time researching their background and use the right services that will give you all the data you may need.
