The majority of American employers conduct a comprehensive criminal search on their job applicants before they make an official hiring decision. The comprehensive criminal search, as part of the hiring process, is typically a requirement after you already have a job offer on the table, and you have agreed on all other things. A comprehensive criminal search has become an essential step in the job applicant process.
Today, at least 77 million US residents have an arrest record of some sort. At least one in every four adults have been arrested at least once in their lifetime. Perhaps, this explains why employers are taking criminal background checks more seriously since it’s their responsibility to keep the workplace safe.
Comprehensive Criminal Search and Job Employment
The existence of a criminal conviction found by the comprehensive criminal search may not necessarily disqualify an applicant from employment consideration. However, a criminal record showing multiple arrests and convictions may be sufficient to blow away their chances of landing a job. Sometimes, the employer may offer first time offenders who are trying to build their life after a criminal offense the opportunity to get back on course.
Employers are always cautious about how they use the comprehensive criminal search data. Most of the time, they look at the severity of the offense, how old the charge is, and its implication. It’s not always a case of a single strike, and you are out of favor.
Keep in mind that a comprehensive criminal search is now easier to access due to digitalization and the increase in the number of firms that perform the background checks. Employers argue that conducting criminal background checks before hiring is all about safety and security. People who are already working for a particular company depend on their employer to thoroughly look into the criminal backgrounds and history of prospective employees before hiring them.
Preventive Measure
Although the question of privacy has been raised regarding the comprehensive criminal search, employers say that most job applicants don’t consider criminal background checks as an invasion of their privacy. Most employers are not willing to hire violent criminals, embezzlers, sex offenders, notorious offenders among others.
A pre-employment background verification and a comprehensive criminal search are regarded as a preventive measure that allows employers to establish whether a candidate’s criminal background point to a possible safety threat to the other company staff or the general public. According to Forbes, sometimes applicants fall victim to a faulty criminal background check, and they should quickly set the record straight.
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