I suppose this comes under the category of kids don’t try this at home. Even in the era of do it yourself, or DIY as it is more commonly known, conducting in-house background searches can lead to awkward issues. Attorney, Lester Rosen, points out some of the possible mishaps resulting from in-house background checks in his recent blog on Toolbox for Hr. He entitled his article, appropriately enough, The Dangers of Do-It-Yourself Background Checks.
Rosen points out to a variety of complications when you conduct in-house background checks. Among them are the issues arising from Fair Credit Reporting Act or FCRA compliance standards. If your Human Resources Managers and support staff are not fully aware of the FCRA compliance standards, and most are not, certain liability concerns may result. Rosen also sites education form, meaning when an employment candidate claims to have graduated from a college or university that is little more than a diploma mill. These are scam colleges that award diplomas for a few hundred bucks based on “life experience.” Just what you need.
Rosen does point out the possible benefits of conducting reference verifications in-house. Arguably, the person conducting the reference verifications would be more aware of the skill sets required of the job applicant and be able to direct questions to the reference source accordingly.
In all, a good article with valid arguments.
Just remember, whether it be a do-it-yourself system or a third party provider, when it comes to employment, check them out before you hire.
