Watch your back: smart hiring and proper background checks

Perhaps now more than ever, employee hiring can be a difficult, stressful, and lengthy process that is fraught with potential pitfalls if not handled properly, and if not armed with the right information to make educated decisions. By utilizing a thorough employment application, conducting detailed interviews and reference checks, and, where necessary, investigating an applicant's background, problematic issues may be revealed to indicate that the candidate should not be hired. Fortunately for employers, background checks are becoming much more commonplace, even for respected lateral transfers with reputable credentials. Aside from the employees' security, the well-being of a company or organization may hinge upon conducting adequate background checks. Although nothing can guarantee that an employee will not commit an act of violence or other crime in the workplace, employers can substantially decrease the risk of such occurrences by methodically following a lawful process that thoroughly screens all applicants, and by recognizing warning signs indicating that a candidate is not an appropriate hire for your workplace.