About Citations & Background Checks
Background checks are used by employers when they are interested in hiring a prospective employee. While traffic citations should not concern most applicants, they still will appear on all background checks that companies make.
Many businesses conduct background checks on perspective employees and existing employees. New employees must provide information such as a name and address before the company will hire them. A prospective employee’s Social Security number is not necessary, but it is helpful in finding her information.
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After a business obtains the necessary information, it can find the applicant’s county court. If you don’t have much information on an employee, background checks yield the person’s date of birth, any aliases and Social Security. Determining the applicant’s local court will help the employer discover what charges, if any, the employee has received. The background check will also scan national databases for charges. Companies can be hired that conduct background checks.
Background checks help employers get a fuller idea of what kind of person is being considered for a job. Any convictions that the worker has acquired will show up. Companies must use discretion at that point to decide whether to hire the perspective employee.
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Felonies and misdemeanors of all levels show up on background checks. Someone who commits a traffic violation will receive a citation, which shows up on a background check. Many businesses tell their human resources departments to verify the presence traffic citations when doing a background check on future employees.
Companies will have to decide whether the employee’s past is spotty enough to disqualify the worker. If it's decide that the convictions or citations are too severe for the company, the prospective employee will not be hired. Time taken to acquire charges will be taken into account as well. For instance, an employee who has received five violations in 20 years will be in a better position than someone with five in 10 years.