Why do Start-Ups & SMEs need background checks?

Which background checks are the most important?

How can these Businesses run background checks?

Start-Ups & SMEs are built with a lot of hard work & finances. Over 50% Business Owners of such Organizations use their own personal savings to start their business.  After putting in so much work & money into your business, why jeopardize it by making a bad new hire?  A bad hire will impact your business’ bottom line.

So, how can small businesses make the right hire?  By running Background Checks.

Background Verification ensures that potential new hires have the skills and experience needed to succeed at their job. It also makes sure that an applicant is a safe addition to your workplace.

 The Need for Background Checks

They are an essential way to keep your workplace safe. A criminal check shows you if a job applicant has a history of violence or crimes that they may repeat at your office. This stops you from hiring someone who might hurt you, your existing employees, and your clients.  Background checks protect you from negligent hiring, & the subsequent compliance or legal issues that might arise.  Finally, background checks ensure you get the help you need to grow your business. It shows if job candidates have the skills, education, & experience required to do the job well and help your business thrive.

Background Checks That SMEs Need

As SMEs differ in what jobs they have open, they may require additional background checks.

The most important background checks that SMEs need to conduct:

1.  Identity Verification / KYC – Identity checks help by confirming the job applicant is who they say they are. It also ensures that all later background checks look into the right person.

2.  Criminal Records Check – Criminal Checks show if the job candidate has a history of violence or theft they might repeat at your workplace.

3.  Education Verification – This affirms that the job applicant has a degree or valid certification in the field of study needed for their job.

4.  Employment Verification – It confirms if the potential new hire has had the work experience listed on their resume.

5.  Professional License Check – This is vital if the job you’re hiring for requires a professional license as it shows if the person has any restrictions on their license that could affect their job.

Background Checks are Legitimate

You have to follow specific guidelines as per Industry Standards when running background checks on potential new hires. Here are some of the most important guidelines:

1.  Notify the job applicant that you will be running background checks – Explain to the job candidate which background checks you’ll be using and that the information gathered could affect whether they’ll get hired.

2.  Get the candidate’s consent for the background checks with a separate consent form – Do not put any information in this document that is unrelated to the background checks.

 3. Give the applicant a copy of the findings – Include all the information the background check found.

4. Allow them to dispute the information – There may have been extenuating circumstances involved, or the job applicant may want to explain their side of the story.

5. If you decide not to hire based on the background check findings, tell the job applicant – You should explain that the decision not to hire them was not made by the company running the background check. You also need to give them the contact information of the background check company that did the report.

6. Use a reliable background check company – A good background check company gives you accurate results. It also understands how to comply with the regulations. A reliable company can also help you decide which background checks fit your hiring needs.

At V Trace, we offer customizable background Verification packages that can be tailored to your business needs. We can help you decide what background checks you need for your hiring process. Contact us today to learn more about our tailor made background check packages for Start-ups & SMEs.