Getting a good job with a criminal record can be nearly impossible, especially if that record contains serious crimes.

Applicants know that they are up against a lot of qualified applicants, most of whom have clean records. So, to even the playing field, many individuals with criminal records, selectively omit condemning information from their resumes and job applications in hopes that a potential employer won’t find out.

What seems like a rational lie to someone with a criminal history can end up costing your company dearly.

Consider the case of the BP Gulf oil spill cleanup supervisor who allegedly raped a coworker. Rundy Charles Robertson, 41, a temporary worker hired to work on the oil spill cleanup, was hired and allowed to supervise workers even though he has a criminal record dating back to 1991.

For now, BP is passing the buck to the Miller Environmental Group, a company they hired to supervise the cleanup. Miller Environmental is passing the buck to Aerotek, the company they hired to staff the cleanup. Aerotek claims they didn’t perform background checks because their contract will Miller Environmental didn’t require them to do so. Amazingly, several witnesses to the hiring process claimed that even individuals wearing house-arrest ankle bracelets were showing up for employment, and getting hired! These workers stopped showing up for work when, three weeks after the alleged rape, Aerotek announced they would be requiring background checks on all workers.

Clearly, someone is liable for Robertson’s crime – not just Robertson.

Although he may be the one accused of the commission of a crime, a little thing called negligent hiring may put Aerotek, Miller Environmental, and BP at risk for legal and financial responsibility for the crime. Certainly, from the victim’s point of view, all had a hand in violating her expectation of safety on the job.

Ultimately, someone will be held legally and financially responsible for not performing background checks on individuals hired to work on the BP cleanup. Sure, Robertson, if convicted, will serve time for his crime. But, neither a jail sentence for Robertson, nor reparations made by any or all of the companies involved will eliminate the fact that a woman may have been unnecessarily brutalized.

A simple background check would have uncovered Robertson’s criminal history and ensured the safety of his victim.

Employers must be doubly careful in this economy to perform thorough background checks on all employees before an offer of employment is extended.

According to the most recent surveys, nearly 3% and 7% of all job applicants have either a misdemeanor or felony criminal record, respectively. This can be disastrous for employers looking to hire people to fill sensitive positions. These types of careers might include health care workers, CEO’s, childcare professionals, police officers, and accounting personnel. Whether someone pads their resume or leaves something out, we find them out. At AccuScreen, we do thorough background searches and run detailed reports on your job seekers to provide you with most accurate and timely information. We equip you to make the very best decisions about whom to hire.

What happens when an employee makes an egregious error on the job? For a nanny with a past child abuse conviction, it becomes critical to a child’s well being to know this beforehand. For a hospital, it could mean a costly lawsuit for errors made by a nurse who has a prior drug conviction and did not complete the required rehabilitation. An accountant with a history of misappropriating funds or skimming off the top for themselves is a risk too big to take. Unfortunately, these situations are realities in today’s job market. People make mistakes and before giving someone a job, it’s necessary) to know their criminal history prior to hiring them. It’s really the best way to protect yourself, your company, and your clientele from hiring a person who could potentially be dangerous.

With the downturn of the economy and unemployment reaching its highest level in 16 years, more people are leaving out parts of their past that may disqualify them from the job. There are fewer jobs to go around and more people saturating the job market. Competition is stiff and many people are resorting to resume falsification in order to get ahead. What advice can be given to former criminals who are trying to get an honest job and start over? The first advice is to be honest! According to a senior federal probation office in Arlington, VA, the next best thing to do is to prepare for a job while still in prison by participating in a job-training program. Another recommendation is to have a birth certificate and Social Security card on-hand so there is more to show than a prison ID card.

Employers have the task of deciding the next steps when someone comes back with a less-than-desirable past. Whether it is a DUI, prior burglary charge, or a minor drug possession charge, knowing the information in the first place is the key. Once you know that there is a criminal past, you can make an informed decision regarding whether or not to proceed with the interview and hiring process. When interviewing those who have a criminal past, it is important to consider whether they have completed job training programs while incarcerated, what their past employers have to say, and if they have completed rehabilitation courses required. These will be deciding factors for hiring that individual. With AccuScreen, resume falsification is no longer under the radar. All of the screening information you need to verify before hiring someone is available in a friendly, accurate, and timely manner.