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Recruitment & Retention

The Future of Background Checks

Lisa Rummler

Background checks long have been a means for employers to look into the pasts of potential or current employees. Although some consumers might find this practice unnecessarily nosey, others recently have starting turning the tables. Many employees now buy their own background checks and even bring them to their interviews.

“It used to be that an HR executive would check into somebody’s records,” said Robert Mather, founder and CEO of the Pre-Employ.Com family of companies. “Now, consumers are starting to be proactive in proving that they are who they say they are, that they’re trustworthy or whatever the case may be.”

Mather said this phenomenon is relatively new, although companies have been using background checks since the late 1980s. Every month, millions of people either request their own background check or run one on someone else, he said.

A basic background check reveals a person’s criminal record, and more in-depth ones verify employment history, education, etc. Allowing people to buy their background checks can eliminate a step in many application processes, Mather said.

“HR executives want to be able to allow applicants to use their background checks in other areas of life such as housing, rentals, volunteer organizations and online dating services,” he said. “Background checks are just being used more and more in life. It’s kind of like credit reports in the late ’70s and early ’80s — they were only really being used by employers, but nowadays, you can go buy your own credit report, look at your score and analyze it.”

Putting the responsibility on applicants to provide a background check also benefits hiring professionals, Mather said.

“I think HR executives and people in general want to make educated decisions,” he said. “If you’re convicted of a crime, that doesn’t mean you’re not going to get a job, but it does mean that most HR executives will want to have an intelligent conversation about the crime and make sure, in the position you’re applying for, that is not an indicator of future problems. We predict the next five years, a major percentage of employers will at least be offering applicants the opportunity to buy their own background check.”