RSS icon  Top Stories  Know the Background of Background Checks
August 26, 2002 Related Topics: Latest News  Is the person
you’re hiring really someone you can trust?      Many
employersare turning to background checks to find out. But
checks have their own set ofrules, and if they aren’t followed,
an employer can find itself in a goodamount of trouble.      Sue
Bendavid-Arbiv, the national chairwoman of the labor
andemployment practice group of Arter & Hadden in Woodland
Hills, California,offers guidelines. Though state laws vary,
California’s legislation isconsidered a bellwether, so Bendavid-
Arbiv gives it extra prominence here.   What should a
background-check policy cover? Employers should give employees
advance notice that the employer reserves theright to conduct a
background check—and investigate matters like an
individual’sprior employment history, personal references,
educational background, and otherrelevant information. If HR
wants to go further and ask for credit reports andcriminal-
background c