After looking at a resume and conducting an interview, an employer may have a “gut feeling” about a candidate. The candidate’s resume looks perfect, from education history to job skills to match the needs of the position and, in the interview, the candidate comes across as friendly, resourceful, and enthusiastic. What else could an employer possibly want out of a potential employee?
The fact is, even potential employees, with the best personalities and perfect resumes, may be putting on an act. Behind the skills set, appropriate attire, and enthusiasm may be a poor driving record including multiple DUIs, a criminal history including drug possession, and a previous employer who mentions that this person was consistently late for work and stole pens and notepads from the office. In this case, not the only case as this happens often, the potential employee is covering up a less-than-desirable history.
As with previous posts on this blogs, both large and small businesses, as well as government organizations, don’t always conduct background checks on job candidates. In these cases, such as with Tony Cole and the government aide in Omaha, the employee turned out to be a criminal or has questionable history that could lead to more dangerous behavior and consequences later on. On average, however, small businesses are reluctant to conduct background checks due to the price of conducting a background check, which, for a basic check, can be $70 per candidate.
While $70 per candidate when you have five potential employees vying for a spot can be a bit much for a small business, in many cases, hiring a person with a criminal history can cost a business $10,000, be it fro, things stolen or time not worked. But, in many cases, sticking with that “gut feeling” can result in a perfectly qualified candidate who causes no problems in the workplace. However, as this can be a toss-up, conducting a background check for each candidate, even for small businesses, is one safety measure to make sure you’re hiring the ideal and best qualified candidate.