When hiring a new employee, you likely get a lot of resumes, applications, and strong recommendations. However, it is difficult to ensure that you are hiring a trustworthy individual who will serve your company well. The only way to get a thorough picture of the candidates you are considering is through pre-employment screenings.
Prevent Drug and Alcohol Policy Difficulty
A high achieving applicant can still have issues with drugs or alcohol that they may not list on their application or in their references. If this is the case, a basic investigation will catch any issues that could be a complication in your workplace. Some employers also prefer to do drug tests when hiring, as issues could have developed recently that would not be apparent in a background check. At minimum, it will allow you to address the issue with the prospective hire before making a decision. At maximum, it will advise you to reject them as a candidate due to drug use.
Verify Applicant Information
Unfortunately, it is not as difficult to lie on a resume as it should be. Running pre-employment screenings can include verification of a lot of information. Some things, like higher education, identity, and employment history are fairly straight forward. Others can be more intricate; for instance, reference checks are a useful way to ensure that an employee’s glowing recommendation actually came from their reference. Criminal history checks are important for the safety of your company, and can also open up various hiring incentive programs if you choose to take on an employee. Verifying an employee’s information before hiring will provide you with peace of mind, and a comfortable workplace.
Employee pre-screening is vital to a strong workforce and comfortable workplace. Any project undertaken by a business is a team effort, and a trusting atmosphere is a necessity for people to work together smoothly. Pre-employment screenings are a precaution that will hopefully be found unnecessary, but should still be enforced.
