One of the toughest things I find about being an employer, is knowing how to pick the right staff. I have honed my interview questions, I consider myself a great judge of character and body language, and I can tear apart a CV in seconds to get to the bare bones of it. But there are some things that practice and intuition cannot help you with, and that is where background checks come in.
Nowadays, it is become more and more commonplace for prospective, and current employers to run background checks on their employees, and for many job roles, it is a necessity before a contract is even offered. Particularly for those that work in healthcare, management, positions of trust, or roles where they will be handling cash, credit cards, or personal information- getting to know the ins and outs of someone's past is crucial to getting a good idea if you can trust them or not. It is also a great way to "cover your back", should something go wrong- you can prove that you carried out sufficient due diligence on any employee, contractor, or freelancer that you are associated with.
One cannot open a newspaper these days without reading a story of an employee that has gone off the rails, or one with a dubious past that was hired into a totally unsuitable position. These kinds of stories rarely end well, and it is important to note that they all could have been avoided if a simple background check had been completed.
But don't worry, you do not have to shell out for a private detective, nor do you have to spend hours trawling through police and court records, as today, thanks to the power of the internet, there are powerful search engines available that will do all of the groundwork for you.
But the use of these services is not just limited to employees and employers- you can use the search engine for anyone that you may encounter on a day to day basis- if you are an employee, why not look up your boss? You can also
look up romantic partners, roommates, handymen, co-workers, caregivers, friends and even celebrities, and get a full report on anything shady that may have occurred in their past.
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