Get a background check for employment in South Africa before you offer someone a job. Because it’s good to find out a persons history before accepting them for a new position in your business.
Trusting your employees is so important. So performing background record checks prior to employing people can give you the peace of mind that your business is in good and trustworthy hands.
Fortunately, there are ways of conducting free background checks on individuals that you intend to hire.
How can I do a background check for employment?
There are a few different ways to do a background check on someone before employment in South Africa.
One of the easiest ways to find out about the history of a potential employee is to ask them to present a valid Police clearance certificate. Usually not older than 6 months.
You can get this document from the police station and it will prove that the potential employee doesn’t have a criminal record.
However the downside of this is that a Police Clearance Certificate usually takes about 4 months to arrive after application. So if a potential employee doesn’t already have one they will be left out of the loop.
Another DIY option is to conduct a Google search using the person’s name (and possibly identification number) to see if any dodgy dealings arise.
Although this may be construed as slightly stalkerish, check out their Facebook profile to see if the really are the person they pretended to be in the interview.
You can also make use of an employee’s reference list or contact their previous employer to find out about their personal background and work-related attitude.
Unfortunately, there are not many background check services found for free online anymore. Because the police usually keep this kind of information on their own private administration systems.
Online background checks for employment
However, there are online services you can pay for that will allow you to do a background record check for employment.
These services have access to various databases that may turn up information about a potential payroller.
A computer program allows you run the potential employee’s identification number through a number of criminal databases. And you will have to pay a fee for each search.
In South Africa trained professionals will conduct criminal record checks that involve a thorough scan of any instances of crime.
The police, private investigators and lawyers may have access to databases. Where you can look out for misdemeanors such as theft, lawsuits, bankruptcies and other background record scars.
This may also interest you: How to Report Illegal Immigrants in South Africa
Use RefCheck to help with a background check for employment
A professional company that conducts background checks on potential employees is RefCheck.
Which offers an online verification process to ensure that the job applicant meets your company’s employment standards.
RefCheck was established in 2000, and has been giving employers peace of mind for over a decade.
The company harnesses the best technologies and systems and uses expert staff to provide comprehensive background checking solutions.
RefCheck can verify details about a person’s background including:
- Credit Bureau Reports (Experian and TransUnion)
- ID Verification
- Criminal Illicit Activity (AFI Switch)
- ID Verification
- Tertiary Academic Qualifications (Local and Global)
- ID Verification with Fraud Listing
- Matric & Secondary School
- Drivers Licence
- Employment History (Local and Global)
- Permanent Residency
- Professional Association Memberships (Local and Global)
- Bank Verification
- Fit & Proper Screening
RefCheck also offers personality questionnaires, as well as background searches on specific businesses.
To contact the Support department, call 021 555 9700 or email refcheck@lnrm.co.za . The Sales department can be reached at 011 245 6602 or contact@lnrm.co.za.
How Your Local Police Station Can Assist
Contact Your Local Police Office:
Approach your nearest police department to inquire about the criminal history of a job candidate.
Access to Offender Database:
The police station typically has access to a local database of offenders. So this can be used to verify if the candidate has been involved in any criminal activities.
Prepare Identification Information:
To streamline the process, be prepared with the potential employee’s identification number. Because this will be required to conduct an accurate search.
Consideration of Request:
The police may assess the validity and reasons behind your request. Depending on the circumstances, they may or may not be able to assist.
Running the Identification Check:
If the police agree to help, they will run the persons identification number through their system to identify any matching criminal records.
Outcome and Next Steps:
Based on the results you can make informed decisions regarding the employment of the candidate.
In Summary
In conclusion, conducting a thorough background check is a critical component of the hiring process that benefits both employers and employees.
By verifying an applicant’s qualifications, work history, criminal records, and other relevant details, employers can make informed hiring decisions that contribute to a safer and more productive workplace.
As a courtesy to the job applicant, you may want to tell them that you would like to check up on their background information.
Aside from being polite to the potential employee, this may also cause them to tell you about any previous offenses and save you the trouble of sifting through them yourself.
And if you don’t hear from them again… perhaps its best to keep the post open for now!