2 Things Your Background Checks Shouldn't Always Include

Background checks are complicated. Your department has dozens of procedures, either laid out in writing or by informal training, about how to handle every step. One of the most important things that HR recruiters can know is how to stay in compliance with the FCRA and other hiring regulations. A large part of that focuses on justifying hiring decisions legally, while another portion focuses on privacy and security. Satisfy both demands by making sure your team only asks for the information they need. Here are two sets of data that shouldn’t be requested all of the time:

Credit Reports

Credit reports are a big part of background checks for hiring decisions. However, there is a continual conversation about limiting potential employers’ access to the information. If you’re looking for applicants in a non-financial field, consider what the report can really tell you about the applicant. You also need to decide if having the information is worth the potential liability of a claim.

With an integrated background checking tool, you can categorize once and for all the positions that need that information known and which don’t.

Driving Histories

Some positions include a driving portion, and not just for occasional travel. Many businesses are specializing to fill the gap in last-mile shipping and in freelance taxi demand. District managers need to travel store to store, and delivery personnel needs to drive trucks safely and securely. Under these circumstances, a driving history is absolutely vital for hiring decisions. You need to know that employees won’t be unsafe or drive up your commercial insurance premiums.

But don’t use a driver history to fill in the details on a potential hire’s personal history. The information doesn’t provide a reasonable context for judging someone in a non-driving capacity. Also, many states have individual constraints on when you can request driving histories and what you can do with the data.