Pre-Employment Screening Guidance for New Businesses

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Pre-Employment Screening Guidance for New
Businesses
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• Screening applicants to determine who you invite
  for an interview or who you may wish to hire, is
  a sensible step taken by most companies and can
  prevent problems in the future with employees who
  may have questionable backgrounds. Many employers
  outsource this process to third parties that
  specialize in conducting background checks.
• What is the main purpose of pre-employment
  screening?
• Pre-employment screening is primarily designed to
  verify the information that job candidates supply
  on their resumes and application forms when
  theyre applying for jobs.

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• Screening can also give employers information
  about a candidates previous criminal convictions
  or character flaws that may make them unsuitable
  for the job they are applying for.
• What other checks may take place before
  candidates are interviewed for positions?
• Criminal history
• Some states have laws governing how criminal
  information can be used when evaluating potential
  employees, and the services of the FBI and other
  state identification agencies may be employed to
  help businesses further investigate candidates
  backgrounds when considered necessary.

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• Tracing social security numbers
• This service can be used to check whether social
  security information provided by job candidates,
  is valid when checking for credit and criminal
  history.
• Testing for drugs
• If an employer wishes to conduct drug tests on
  candidates, they must inform them prior to
  interview and they must be sure to follow the
  legal guidelines issued by the state.

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• Lie detectors
• There is an act called The Employee Polygraph
  Protection Act that prevents most employers from
  conducting these tests for the purposes of
  pre-employment screening. However, some companies
  are exempt from this, such as those who provide
  armored car services or who manufacture,
  distribute or dispense pharmaceutical drugs.
• Workers compensation claims history
• Evidence of prior or current injuries that might
  make a candidate unsuitable for a role, may be
  revealed if they have previously claimed or

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• appealed for workers compensation, since this
  information is made public for employment
  purposes.
• Sex offender registry screening
• This may be undertaken by employers if the
  candidate is likely to be working with vulnerable
  members of society, or simply to protect their
  current employees from risk.
• Motor vehicle records screening
• This is usually only used when candidates may
  have access to vehicles as part of their job.

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• Credit history
• These checks may give employers an insight into
  the nature of applicants, and if employers
  request a credit history check, then they must
  gain the applicants consent first, and their
  findings must be shared with them. Credit checks
  are regulated by The Fair Credit Reporting Act
  (FCRA).
• Employment verification
• Some employers may wish to check that the
  information relating to previous employment
  provided on the applicants resume or application
  form is accurate, but some employers will limit
  the response they give to such inquiries.

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• Education verification
• Verifying the information provided by applicants
  on their resumes related to their educational
  qualifications, is something that many employers
  will want to do, especially for entry level jobs.
  Under The Family Right to Privacy Act, candidates
  must provide their consent for their previous
  place of education to release their records to
  employers.
• It is commonplace for employers to conduct at
  least one of several pre-employment checks
  available to them, and it is even more common for
  them to engage with outside parties during the
  process. Outsourcing the screening process also
  ensures that employers adhere to The Fair Credit
  Reporting Act, and that a candidates rights are
  protected.

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• When employers conduct a check of your background
  (credit, criminal, past employer) or use a third
  party to do so, the background check is covered
  by The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).
• Apollo Payroll is one of the premier small
  business payroll services companies in Miami and
  Coral Gables. Apollo Payroll is dedicated to
  delivering expert advice, responsive service, and
  highly accurate payroll processing and reporting
  to ensure the success and growth of the business
  that we serve. Our services include comprehensive
  online payroll services, employee background
  check and employee timekeeping services.