What’s more exciting than getting a genius idea and running with it. Some of today’s biggest businesses were born just like that, someone having a bright idea and deciding to take a risk. However, if you’re thrilled about getting your brand new startup on its feet, do not forget about the need to run proper background checks on your future employees. You might be excited and want to start us soon as possible, but hiring the first guy that knocks on your door might prove a costly mistake later on.
Run a police check on all employees
We don’t mean to scare you, but you never know who the guy sending you his CV really is. Most Australian businesses use police checks obtained from online services like Australian National Character Check (ANCC) because they’ve learned the hard way what are the consequences of a bad hire.
Just to give you a few hints – can you afford to hire someone with a fraud history? What if they steal your genius idea and set up their own startup? What if they decide you’re clearly inexperienced since it never occurred to you to ask for a criminal history check and steal your money?
There are many other reasons you need to do a police check on your employees. Consider a person with a few drunk driving convictions on their record, would you hire them as a driver? Would you like someone with a history of sexual harassment be the person in touch with your customers or business partners?
If the answer is No, you only have to look up a reliable Australian character check agency, accredited with the federal government, and they will process your request in a couple of days. You probably have a lot on your plate setting up shop, but this background check is done exclusively online, it only takes a few minutes to fill in the forms and you get the result straight to your email.
Check their work history and experience
When you receive a job application, the candidate will probably attach his educational credential and list their past employers. Make sure to check up on those, as identity fraud is always a possibility.
Once you’ve established they are who they say they are, have a look at their employment history. If you see any significant gaps, don’t hesitate to inquire why and preferably give a call to the employer that let them go abruptly. You never know.
At the same time, you might want to ask them detailed questions about their previous jobs and their exact responsibilities.
Check their online presence
These days, HR departments also use a new tool. They google potential new employees and check out their social media accounts. Such simple actions can tell you a lot about their personalities, so you can decide if they will fit in the team you have in mind. Since you’re going over their social media accounts, make sure they’re not in the habit of posting about their job and revealing details about their employer.
A startup trying to make it in the big world of business needs to maintain a high level of secrecy about their future enterprise so you need trustworthy employees.
