To be sure good decisions are made related to a background check, the company should have a guideline/procedure/policy that defines responsibilities, methodology, content and scope. Meditor may help preparing such a guideline. It should cover:

• Who is responsible
• Who will be able to order and evaluate results
• Purpose; why we have decided to check (or not check)
• What positions / functions to be checked
• Scope: requirements for vendors/partners
• The content; what should be checked
• The forms / documents to be used
• Use of results and findings

 
Look for potential risks / threats and areas that errors, failure, sabotage and integrity breaches might occur. Then decide which positions / functions work in these critical areas, and ultimately create a simple risk classification based on what is revealed. Smart tip: Involve your HSE/Security Manager.

 
Notify internally (owners, directors, management and employees) and externally (partners, suppliers, clients and job seekers) that background checks will be part of your business practices.

 
All the preparation and planning is done, and the company has decided to implement screening into business operations. Here are some tips that may improve your efforts:

• Inform the candidate
• Obtain consent and relevant documentation
• Check available databases and online sources
• Contact sources; schools and former employers
• Collect responses / feedback; preferably written
• Assess the information received; compare with what you already have
• Uncover discrepancies, errors, omissions and inconsistencies
• Documents and collect the results in a safe place
• Use the results to make better decisions