Employment Screening Definition and Explanation

What is Pre-employment screening, employment screening or employment background checks ?

It is defined as the process used to investigate the criminal, driving, educational, credit  and employment history of job applicants. Pre-employment drug screening is also considered an element of employment screening.

Prospective employers rely on driving records, employment credit checks, employment drug screening  and criminal records checks as well as credential and previous employment verifications to assess the suitability of job applicants.

The due diligence of conducting a thorough employment screening background check may be an employer’s best defense in the case of a negligent hiring lawsuit.

As these background checks have become less expensive and faster, almost 90 per cent of all employers conduct employment screening including some or all of the employment screening tools listed above.  

Most employers use a professional employment screening company to secure these reports.

Numerous laws such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and  Ban-The-Box laws regulate the employment screening process.

These laws spell out the rights of job applicants and the procedures such as adverse action notifications required for complying with the rights of job applicants as it pertains to employment screening.

A professional background screening company can also help an employer stay in compliance with the many Federal, State and City employment screening laws.