Use accurate background checks and tools made for that purpose to find the right person for the job.
Resources for a Background Check
You're taking a big risk when you hire a CEO, a subcontractor, a babysitter, or even a new tenant or roommate. People will go to great lengths to misrepresent themselves in business, which is why there is a need for background check resources and references.
Remember these 5 key points to avoid doing business with dishonest people:
- Hire someone with confidence and after doing your research.
- Sort facts from lies and deal with interviewees who aren't being honest.
- Use waivers that will protect you legally during the process of a background check.
- Write full histories based on vague or misleading answers
- Take care of legal matters, such as what questions you can and cannot ask.
Personal References
A personal reference could be anyone the candidate knows, even if they have never worked for the candidate. People who want to rent an apartment or hire a nanny for their kids should still ask for business references and not personal ones. The relationship between a landlord and a tenant is still a business one, just like the one between a nanny or a home health care worker and their employer. Personal references have become one of those overused phrases that hide the real work of checking references in a responsible and effective way.
Checks on the past
Background check is another catch-all phrase that means making sure that basic information given by a job candidate or other person is true. It's an important part of the hiring process because it lets the potential employer get rid of applications from people who aren't at least who they say they are.
Finding out if the candidate is who he or she says he or she is is a good first step, but it should lead to real reference checks. Before making a final decision about a job candidate, a possible tenant, or even a babysitter, there is a lot more to find out about them. And the only way to find out is to talk to people who have worked with, rented to, or gotten care or service from the candidate in question.
Issues with Job Applications
There are a few things employers can do to make it more likely that employees will give honest answers to questions about job performance:
- Always ask the person looking for a job to give you a resume that lists all of their jobs and the dates they worked at each one.
- Ask the candidate for the name of the person he or she reported to directly.
- Employers should always ask job applicants to fill out a formal job application that asks for the same information. In some way, even if you have to ask during the first interview, the job seeker will tell you what tasks they were in charge of at each job they've held.
A red flag should go up in the mind of a potential employer if the list of references doesn't include at least one person to whom the candidate reported directly. Some job seekers say they didn't list a previous boss as a reference because they didn't get along with them. That's understandable, but there has to be at least ONE boss who can be a reference in a person's entire work history. If it's true that the applicant has never gotten along with any boss, it's best to find someone else for the job.
No, not every job has a happy ending, but if you keep the above tips in mind, you can lessen your chances of getting burned or not hiring the best person for the job. It's always better to have more information about a job seeker than less. Most of our goals can be reached by working with other people, so it's important to choose the right ones.
