Before we get too deep into the weeds about ferreting out criminals and frauds, it’s important to remember that the primary purpose of doing a background check is to help insure that the candidate is right for the job and that the job is right for the candidate. There’s so much copy being written these days about sex offenders, convicted felons, and outright frauds that it’s easy to forget that criminal history checks are just one part of the candidate selection process.
Making sure the candidate is who he claims to be is just the first step. Determining if the candidate can do what he claims he can is just as important in the employee selection process – particularly for supervisory positions and up!
Thirty-five years ago, Barada Associates was known primarily for providing objective and independent assessments of overall job performance by checking the candidate’s references – actually talking with references to find out how well the candidate being considered for employment will fit the position to be filled and the corporate culture of the organization. As a matter of fact, reference checking is still the core of our business. And I’m still proud to say nobody does reference checking better than we do.
So, once you’ve found out that the candidate really graduated from the school he claimed, remember that it’s just as important, if not more so, to make sure that the candidate’s management style fits the organizations needs – based on what people who actually worked with him have to say.