Why Employers Will Check Public Criminal Records Before Hiring You

It's becoming more and more common for potential employers to check public criminal records before hiring anyone, although this isn't always a hard and fast rule. Some employers will do it for every employee, while others have yet to jump on this bandwagon. How will you know if any of your potential employers will use such records to check up on you, and what are they looking for? Obviously the answer will be different for every employer, but here are some common reasons.

Working With Children

Because children are so vulnerable, anyone that will be working with them in any capacity will probably be subject to a background check that includes any public criminal records. You don't necessarily need to have committed a crime against children to be excluded from this type of employment. Anyone that would commit assault or any such personal crime may be seen as a danger to someone that is powerless against them. Drunk driving may be another type of conviction that will keep you from working with children; if your potential employer thinks that you have a problem with alcohol consumption, this can be dangerous. These types of charges on your public criminal record can be a problem if you're applying for a job teaching, at a daycare facility, as a driving instructor , or for driving a school bus. Any type of job that involves children will make you more prone to scrutiny.

Working With Money

When considering a check of public criminal records for a potential employer, companies consider those who may be working regularly with money. This would of course include cashiers, bank tellers, counter persons, casino workers, and anyone else that handles cash. But actual cash is not the only concern. Anyone with access to anyone else's financial records or to the company accounts can also be run through these public criminal records. Even a secretary with access to the department's checkbook can be checked out thoroughly in this regard. A clerk that processes orders from customers by entering their credit card, or anyone in the accounting department might also. Even someone working in their own church or religious group that may handle donations and contributions may also be subjected to a search of their public criminal records!

And it may not be actual crimes of theft that keep you from these types of jobs. Anything that may make your employer think that you are irresponsible or not trustworthy can get in the way of such positions. An employer may have certain things that they are looking for in public criminal records, but virtually anything can be considered a major warning sign to them.

Other Areas of Concern

There are many types of employers that will make a habit of checking public criminal records, such as those who hire anyone that will work inside a private home (housekeepers, landscapers, contractors of any type, remodeling crews, and so on), limousine or taxi companies, security personnel, and so on. Anyone working with the elderly or in hospitals is also going to be under scrutiny, since the ones they will be working with are especially vulnerable to physical attacks, scams, and the like.

There may also be some companies that just make a habit of searching through public criminal records for all potential new hires, regardless of their position or responsibilities. In this day and age where lawsuits against companies abound, many employers feel that a policy of checking public criminal records across the board can cut down their liability for such things.

They may also be looking for just certain types of levels of crimes, but for the most part, anything on your public criminal record can be a detriment to your finding employment. You may think that a charge of petty theft or something else that you think is "small potatoes" won't matter, but your potential employer may disagree. Sometimes anything on your public criminal record, even just unpaid parking tickets, can keep you out of the running for that job. So do yourself a favor and keep yourself out of trouble! You hurt yourself and other people when you do something to give yourself a criminal record.


Author and CEO Calindareview. We encourage you to check the information on your background report. If there are errors it could cost you the offer of a position for which you may have been the best qualified candidate. Do a search for yourself and family members to double check on the information recorded. http://www.calindareview.com/Employment-Background-Check.html