Background checks of an employee is a critical aspect of the recruitment process. All companies outsource the background checks of their employees to external agencies. Now let us understand why background checks are important. The primary reason why background checks are important is to check the past employment records of the prospective employee, education verification and to check whether the employee has been involved in any unlawful activities. Social security number checks are also done by the employers. Pre employment screening has become one of the most important aspect of the employment process without which companies do not generally give the offer letter to the employees. The HR team insists that a candidate with a clean background is an asset to the company because most jobs involve critical information which the company cannot afford to lose to competition. Let us see how this process is executed by professional screening firms which check the records of an employee.

Generally a company may ask the screening firm to execute a fixed set of tasks. These may include social security

number trace, employment history background check, criminal background and general employment background screening. It may include other tasks also such as Federal records check, I9 compliance and driver history. The professional screening agency gets down to these tasks immediately and gives a response within the agreed timeframe. Time is critical in this business because if the employer is taking more time in completing the verification checks the employee may join some other company. Based upon the feedback that the company gets from the employment screening service it is decided whether the candidate should be absorbed in the company or not. However, there are certain parameters that are followed by employers before they reject the employee. If it is found that the details given in the records are not matching entirely, then the candidate is not selected at all. However, if there are minor discrepancies the company may consider the case and take a decision on whether to hire the employee or not. The job of an employment screening agency is critical as it can make or break the career of an employee. Therefore it is important for an employer to hire a agency which can do the job professionally with correct results and within the shortest possible timeframe possible.

Even a decade ago employment verification checks were not considered so seriously by employers except the larger multinationals. However, in recent times even smaller companies ensure that the employee records are verified before the employee joins the organization. As a result employment screening services have come into much demand. Let me give you a brief idea of how this job is executed. The screening agency has agents who either call up the respective educational institutes or if required they visit the place physically to check the records provided. They also check the police records, license records and SSN details of employee that is screened. Drug records are also verified by the screening company. The company that hires a professional screening agency saves on time and money. The average turnaround time for a verification agency is less and a

report is generally submitted within 24-48 hours.