If you’re looking to hire a new employee, you likely already know about the importance of doing background checks on your applicants. But did you know that if you’re hiring someone for an information technology position, a background check is even more important? Because of the role that employee will have in your organization, you need to be extra careful when expanding your IT department. Here’s why:
IT staff have access to sensitive information.
Your information technology department is in charge of guarding, and often even building, your company’s infrastructure. This means they have easy access to sensitive information, from company email to human resource’s employee records, to confidential memos and documents, not to mention the information they can gain access to if you have a customer database. Because of this, you need to make sure that the people who have the keys—and install the locks—are trustworthy, and the best way to do this is to verify their information.
Negligent hiring lawsuits are on the rise.
A rogue IT employee snooping around your company’s files can be more troublesome than you might think. Sure you’d expect the hassles of disciplining them or letting them go, and the loss of a customer or of public trust if the word got out that you’d been compromised. But did you know you may be legally accountable as well? If you hire someone without looking into their background, a case can be made that you’re jointly responsible for any damage they cause. Running a background check prevents this from happening.
Go beyond the basic background check.
Most people think of a background check as including education and employment verification, legal work status, and a criminal records check. Depending on your company—and your state and local laws—it may be worth taking steps beyond that. If the job involves travel for any reason, you can look into a candidate’s driving records and vehicle registration history. If the job involves handling money or bank accounts, you can look into their credit history to make sure they’re not corruptible due to large debts or bankruptcy.
Are you on the hunt for a dependable information technology hire? If you work with a technology specialist at Contemporary Staffing Solutions, we can take care of screening candidates for you. Contact us today so we can get started finding you a perfect IT employee!