GETTING TO KNOW YOU: THE IMPORTANCE OF BACKGROUND CHECKS

Welcome to the April 2017 edition of our newsletter! In this issue, we’ll look at the importance of thorough background checks.

GETTING TO KNOW YOU: THE IMPORTANCE OF BACKGROUND CHECKS

Background checks have become a routine and essential part of several types of transactions, whether hiring an employee or pursuing an acquisition. Recently, six incoming members of the new Presidential administration were either terminated or reassigned due to the results of their background checks. Parties who don’t have the resources of federal law enforcement can also be thorough in their efforts and make more informed decisions.

There is a tendency in researching an employee’s background to give more weight to more recent events, but we’ve found that more historical information can prove very useful. If a subject had financial indiscretions in his twenties, for example, it may indicate a pattern of behavior, or possibly a measure of growth if those activities ceased when he got older. These kinds of data points can help inform interviews of former colleagues, supervisors and associates, which can provide insight into a person’s character and management style.

BACKGROUND CHECKS AS AN INDICATION OF CHARACTER

Another reason for a deeper dig into a person’s background is to gauge truthfulness if they’ve submitted responses to a questionnaire or made claims in an interview. In the past, we’ve found instances where subjects said they had never been charged with a crime, nor convicted of one, only to find that they had either lied or omitted the relevant facts. By assembling disparate facts into a cohesive picture of a person’s history, we can not only better understand their experiences but also use the information as a barometer for potential performance in the future.