When companies offer a job to a candidate, the next logical step in the hiring process is a background check. Background checks are an incredibly effective tool to verify a candidate’s employment history, academic credentials and criminal record.
But do background checks reveal whether a job candidate was fired from a previous role? In most cases, that information is not revealed during a background screening, which we’ll explain in more detail below.
For quality background checking services you can trust, contact the professionals at Barada Associates today.
Can a Background Check Reveal if a Candidate Was Fired?
It’s possible that a job candidate’s previous employers will reveal if he or she was fired from their previous job and the reason for the dismissal. However, in most cases, don’t expect to receive this information.
Employers are careful about the information they reveal about why a past employee left the company in fear they could be sued for defamation. If a former employer cites an incorrect reason for termination or falsely states they were fired, potentially damaging the past employee’s reputation, the company could be sued.
Many companies have policies that state they cannot disclose the reason past employees left the company. Instead, most prospective employers will provide start and end dates of employment and job titles.
Questions You Can Ask on a Reference Call
The best place to learn information about why a candidate left their plast place of employment is by contacting their job references. At the end of every reference call, you can casually ask one of the following questions:
- Do you know why so-and-so is currently looking for other employment?
- Would you hire him again? If so, what type of position do you think he or she would be best suited for?
- Could so-and-so have stayed with (previous employer) if he had wanted to?
- Is so-and-so eligible for rehire, as far as you know?
- What were the circ*mstances surrounding so-and-so’s departure from (previous employer)?
Next, compare the responses to these questions to the stated reasons the applicant provided on the job application. Some of the more common ways job seekers try to avoid using the word “fired” on a job application is to use euphemisms like “by mutual agreement,” or “reduction in force,” or “company reorganization.”
While any of these responses could be valid, sometimes these kinds of phrases are used as “weasel” words in order for the candidate to avoid saying he was fired. That’s why it’s so important to ask references why the candidate left. After all, lying on a resume is, or at least should be, one of the quickest disqualifiers for further considerations for employment.
From the job seeker’s standpoint, using a phrase like “termination – will explain” is probably the best thing to put down under “reason for leaving.” It is possible for people to lose their jobs for reasons that should not ruin their careers, and they should be given the opportunity to explain. The prospective employer should also be given the opportunity to verify the explanation, as well.
Contact Barada Associates for Extensive Employment Background Checks
Finding all of the information contained during a background check is a difficult and timely task for a company’s human resources department. To ensure quick and accurate pre-employment background checks, contact the professionals at Barada Associates.
We’re one of the nation’s oldest and most trusted providers of background screening services. With employment verification and criminal background checks available, among other services, Barada can provide a solution to all your background checking needs. Get in touch with us today to make an appointment or to request a quote.
