Background Checks are Increasing for Potential Employees
A new survey has revealed that background and reference checks are increasing across the United States
as employers are becoming more security conscious. Employers are now being more careful to avoid making
hiring errors. According to an Associated Press Article, the Society for Human Resource Management states that approximately 96 percent of their companies
conduct some type of background or reference check for those who are applying for jobs. In the survey of
personnel officers, 85 percent say that the most common check is a verification of an applicant's legal
right to work in the United States. However, 68 percent said that potential employees are screened for
criminal activity. With the increase of terrorism and security concerns, criminal background and other types of emplyee screening
are increasing. Approximately 1 in 5 companies have either added or updated their screening practices, especially
since the 2001 terrorist attacks. Most of the applicants that receive criminal background checks are the ones applying for management positions.
Approximately 83 percent said they run some type of background check for those positions while 75 percent are
screened for hourly positions. Employers also are acting as a legal precaution. More than eight in 10 of those surveyed say their check
procedures include standardised questions, designed to gather the same type of information about all candidates
while avoiding subjects like race or marital status to protect against later charges of discrimination in hiring. For the last several years, Instant People Check has noticed a significant increase in background check searches
on the Internet. In some cases, over a million hits for ‘background check' have been reported in just one month alone. Instant People Check does provide discounted background checks for businesses. For more information, please go to
our business discount section on our web site.