Overlooking criminal history is asking for trouble when hiring. In the beginning processes of hiring a new employee, companies base their applicant pool on certain credentials such as experience, education and personality. These are the core principals that are important in candidates however they are not the only thing that are needed to be considered. A major trait that an employer should look into is criminal history but with focuses on other aspects it is easy to see why this may be overlooked. Finding the perfect applicant not only need to possess the correct job requirements but they also need to be someone who is trustworthy and free of criminal records that could reflect poorly on the company.
According to the Wall Street Journal, small businesses are particularly vulnerable to embezzlement and other kinds of employee theft because they lack the checks and balances of big corporations (By: Colleen Debaise 02/07/2010). Conducting a criminal history background investigation on applicants is something that is generally quick, easy and cost effective.
As important and overlooked as this is, spending anywhere from $20.00 to $150.00 will provide you with a comprehensive criminal history check on an applicant to weed them out and save your company in the future.