By Debamalya Mukherjee
Background checks are a necessity when it comes to getting employed. This is because employers only want the best candidates for their jobs. Weeding out irrelevant job applicants based on their proper history is a must. This is why people need to understand what causes a red flag on a background check.
If you wish to know the reasons for this question, then read this post till the end. You will get all your answers over here.
What Causes A Red Flag On A Background Check?
There can be many factors that can be the reason behind what causes a red flag on a background check. Some of these issues are:
1. Multiple Career Gaps
Sometimes, due to different ambitions and goals that we set as individuals, many people have several gaps in their careers. The reason for such gaps differs from person to person. While some do this to enhance their education and professional skills, many take them for personal and medical reasons too.
However, if you come across a candidate who has frequent career gaps that are smaller, it can raise suspicion. If these career gaps are not filled with productive work, then it can mean that the candidate has been fired from their previous workplaces – a lot. This can mean that the candidate is not sincere regarding his or her job.
2. Inconsistent Experience At Previous Workplaces
Sometimes, it’s your inconsistent education or experience at your previous work that signals more red flags. In our professional lives, not having the right amount of education and previous work experience can spell trouble for you.
Therefore, you must always look over the job requirements first. If you think that you are qualified for the job, meeting all its requirements, then only apply for it. Here, checking all educational and experience qualifications is pretty necessary, especially for posts at higher levels.
In case you fail to meet the requirements, don’t even bother to apply. The background checkers will soon find it out and mark red flags over your head. Exaggerating your qualifications will never be entertained.
3. Criminal Records
Not all criminal histories warrant unfavorable action, and they don’t necessarily have to preclude someone from working with you, especially if they’ve done the required legal action to make things right. Nevertheless, some criminal histories might be dangerous for your company.
You probably don’t want to recruit someone with a history of fraud or embezzlement if you own an accounting business. Similar to how persons with a history of stealing shouldn’t handle inventory, those having violent criminal charges against them shouldn’t work with kids.
If an incident were to occur at your place of business, looking for convictions connected to your line of work can assist in limiting your company’s culpability.
4. Poor Credit Score And History
About 16% of businesses check candidates’ credit records as part of the hiring procedure. It’s a prevalent misperception that businesses seek potential applicants’ credit score information. They typically seek very different information in these reports.
Numerous pieces of information, such as previous employers’ names and affiliations with academic institutions, are included in credit histories. Credit reports may be used to confirm someone’s identification and provide a special window into their financial situation.
Financial security may not be a major consideration for certain employment, but it could be for others. Would you want to work with an accountant that struggles to manage their money?
5. Failed Medical Tests
There are still some industries where drug tests are required, even though they are only required for a very small percentage of positions these days.
It is especially true for occupations where employees must handle heavy equipment since drug usage poses a serious risk to the organization. If this is the case, a negative drug test result is a serious warning sign that employers should not ignore.
6. Negative References From Previous Workplaces
A new employee’s character and work ethic may be better understood through references, and meeting with previous employers makes it simple to verify prior experience. You can hear unfavorable remarks about your prospect when you contact their previous employment. It’s critical to remember that negative ratings might result from miscommunications, internal struggles, or other uncontrollable circumstances.
However, if the same unfavorable remarks are being made, you want to consider it while assessing how well this prospective employee would fit in this position and work environment.
7. Refusing The Background Check
Receiving a valuable candidate when job applications are open is a difficult proposition on its own. Not every candidate that walks through the door is capable and experienced enough to handle all the job duties.
However, some overqualified individuals become a bit too arrogant with their accomplishments. Here, many reports indicate that many highly qualified professionals refuse to get a background check done on them. If you did the same, then it spells an automatic red flag for you.
8. Lack Of Job-Related Convictions
Keep in mind how a candidate’s criminal history may affect the job at hand, even though minor convictions or instances that occurred years ago would not always be employment background check red flags. For instance, a person with a bad driving record generally shouldn’t have a job that requires driving.
Even a small allegation of financial fraud won’t make a candidate a bank’s first pick for employment. It is significantly more crucial to consider how a prior crime impacts the work and business than when it occurred or how harsh a sentence was.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
The answers to some commonly asked questions regarding what causes a red flag on a background check are:
Ans: When it comes to background checks in the USA, they typically cover all recorded history in the past seven years. This includes your professional career as well as other legal and criminal histories.
Ans: A reference red flag is a term used in background checks. When the reference gets a red flag, it means that the references of the person have not been cleared. This can be because of faulty information, missing information, and even negative remarks from a reference.
Ans: Various things that will show up in your background check are:
Past employment and professional history.
➊ Criminal records and pending criminal cases
➋ Legal involvements and issues
➌ Creditworthiness
➍ Medical tests
Red Means No, Green Means Go
Understanding what causes a red flag on a background check is crucial if you are looking for a new job. Before you send out applications to fill up the vacancies, check their requirements once. If you have got it all covered, then you will definitely get a green flag. Otherwise, you will definitely get a red flag on your background check.
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