subject: Criminal Background Checks: How are They Used? [print this page] Ever considered doing a criminal background check on someone? I never realized I could until recently. There are a million and one reasons to do a background check. Some of them are obvious like:
When hiring a nanny: Someone who is going to care for your precious children should always be researched as thoroughly as possible. This includes background checks, checking references, and verifying facts on the nanny's resume.
When hiring an employee: Most employees have access to sensitive information in one form or another. To make sure your business's best interests are also your employees' best interests, it's important to look for any red flags in their history that may compromise their performance at work.
When hiring teachers: Most school districts and preschools are required to perform background checks on teachers and anyone who will be working with children, including parent volunteers.
Here are some other, less known, reasons someone may need a background search.
When adopting a pet: Clayton County Georgia wants to decrease the rate of euthanization of animals abandoned at pet shelters and is now requiring background checks of potential pet owners. This is in addition to the standard application and consideration of family size, housing situation, etc.
Errand runners: A new company called TaskRabbit performs background checks on everyone they hire. The company allows people to hire "errand runners" who help busy city dwellers with things like banking, fixing furniture and more.
This is just the beginning of what could be a very, very long list. It's a fine line between privacy and transparency, but it is true that what is on someone's background check can be taken into consideration in each individual circumstance and that some hiring managers and decision makers may be more lenient than others. So, though it may seem intimidating for those having background checks run on them, there are often very specific infractions a potential employer, landlord, etc. is looking for and within a certain amount of time. In other words, if something minor is on a person's record 20 years ago (or something similar), all should be well.
