Imagine that you are a small business owner and you want to hire some new members of staff to help grow your organization. This means that you have to find people that you can rely on and trust. One way to achieve this is by completing a free background check on each prospective employee.You will be happy to know that doing so is incredibly easy.
How to Complete a Free Background Check
When you complete a background check you will gain access to records about individuals that include things such as their family background, their social security number, their education, where they live and have lived and so on. It will also include important details such as whether or not they have a criminal record. Being aware of someone’s criminal past is very important. Just because someone has a criminal record does not mean they shouldn’t be given a job, it simply means that you are more aware of their potential strengths and weaknesses.
Any business owner should create a SWOT analysis of any prospective applicants. This is an analysis that looks at an applicant’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Naturally, having a criminal record is likely to fall under the weaknesses and threats. However, that does not necessarily mean that they should not be hired as they are strengths and opportunities may weigh far heavier. For instance, there is a huge difference between someone who committed financial fraud and decreased a past employer of thousands of dollars, and someone who hit another individual in self-defence.
Thanks to the internet, it is easier than ever to complete such a background check. However, it does come with a caveat. Particularly the websites that provide you with lots of information at no charge may sometimes not have completely accurate and up-to-date records. Additionally, if something does come up that makes you concerned about the individual you are hiring, it is best to seek a second opinion and look for records elsewhere as well. That way, you would not unfairly judge someone for no reason. Last but not least, make sure you understand the difference between an arrest record and a criminal record. And arrest records simply shows that someone has been arrested, it does not in any way to show the outcome of that arrest and whether or not they were actually found guilty. In fact, they may never even have gone to trial because their arrest turned out to be unnecessary.
At the end of the day, as a small business owner it is important that you protect your greatest asset which is your business. Looking into the background of individuals that you will allow inside of business is very important. However, make sure that your judgement is fair as well.This is why the SWOT analysis is so important, because it will give you a far greater insight into whether or not someone is worth taking a chance on.
