How to Deal with False Information on Employee Background Report

Background checks in the employment industry are paramount. They offer employers a chance to learn more about individuals they hire before they commit to a business relationship with them, thereby reducing the risk of hiring certain individuals. Background checks serve many different functions for corporate companies, but mainly they keep the work atmosphere safe, productive, and consistent. Employee pre-screening background checks can eliminate applicants and job candidates who have a significant criminal background, a poor track record in previous employment opportunities, or those who simply do not meet the exact experiential criteria for a job.

Anyone can put anything on an application and resume—that doesn’t make it true. However, a problem arises when the reliability and validity of a background check itself is compromised. False information can make its way onto a background check due to any number of circumstances. Here’s a little more information on how frequently this occurs, why it occurs, and what you can do about it whether you’re an employee or an employer.

Types of information that might be incorrect

What kinds of information are employers looking for when they hire an employee? The answer to this question often varies depending on the company who is doing the hiring; however, the most common issues that come up in employee pre-screening background checks are: false criminality and past convictions; credit report errors and misinformation about someone’s finances; or missing educational information about someone’s degree or credentials. You’d think that these errors could potentially work in someone’s favor; however, more often than not they’re damaging and debilitating to the applicant’s career.

How common is this issue?

You might be surprised to find out that simple, clerical errors occur on background checks everyday. These simple errors can be the result of an inaccurate documentation via computer problems or human error involving switching numbers, adding a zero at the end of an amount, or even providing the wrong spelling of someone’s name. This can lead to someone not getting a job who is more than qualified or who doesn’t have a significant criminal background after all. This is problematic for the background check company, but it’s also important that employers choose background check companies who do their homework.

What the employer can do to help the situation

As just mentioned, the best thing an employer can do in these situations is to evaluate the effectiveness of their background check company. Utilizing background check services that have a history of integrity and accuracy is important in the employee pre-screening process and gives applicants a fair shot at the job. Furthermore, utilizing a background check company with a less than optimal track record could pose a serious threat to your company if you hire the wrong individual who’s criminal history was simply inaccurate. Of course errors aren’t always the fault of the background check company, so it’s important to follow-up with the prospective employee in certain instances to see if the information is indeed correct and collaborate on where to go from there.

What the employee can do to change false information

When false information comes up on your background check, you’ll likely feel violated and misrepresented; and if it costs you a job, that can be incredibly concerning. Furthermore, background check information such as credit reports play a huge factor in financial opportunities and investments, and false information can hinder your ability to create a happy, productive life. You can challenge the false information with the various agencies that are responsible for reporting the information, but it’s best to ask that the employer run a second background check to ensure the problem doesn’t lie within the background check service itself.

How Affordable Background Checks can help

Here at Affordable Background Checks, we offer competitive pricing for comprehensive background information in employee pre-screening processes. We pride ourselves on the high degree of accuracy our background checks offer employers, which serves the world of employment well. Occasionally, background checks include information about an individual that doesn’t line up with their statements. In these instances, we ensure that our background check is performed accurately each time with the information provided to us. Our affordable, accurate, background checks help keep places of employment safe and productive. If you would like to learn more about the services we offer, please look over our website in more depth or contact us directly.

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