Editing Background check (section)

=== Employment screening ===
Employers often request background checks on job candidates for employment screening, especially for candidates seeking a position that requires high security or a [[position of trust]], such as in a school, courthouse, hospital, financial institution, airport, and government. Background checks in the corporate realm have become a commonplace practice for many companies, aimed at mitigating legal liabilities and preventing adverse actions within their workforce.

They can also be requested when purchasing a firearm (from a legal authorization). A government agency traditionally administers these checks for a nominal fee, but private companies can also administer them.<ref name="Oxford University Press">{{Citation|title=Is Reform Possible? Checks, Smoke, and Mirrors|work=National Security and Double Government|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780190206444|doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190206444.003.0006|year=2014}}</ref> Results of a background check typically include past employment verification, credit history, and criminal history. The objective of background checks is to ensure the safety and security of the employees in the organization.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Bushway|first1=Shawn D.|last2=Nieubeerta|first2=Paul|last3=Blokland|first3=Arjan|date=February 2011|title=The Predictive Value of Criminal Background Checks: Do Age and Criminal History Affect Time to Redemption?*|journal=Criminology|volume=49|issue=1|pages=27–60|doi=10.1111/j.1745-9125.2010.00217.x|issn=0011-1384}}</ref>

These checks are often used by employers as a means of judging a job candidate's past mistakes, [[Good moral character|character]], and fitness, and to identify potential hiring risks for safety and security reasons. Background checks are also used to thoroughly investigate potential government employees to be given a [[security clearance]].<ref name="Oxford University Press"/> However, these checks can sometimes be used for illegal purposes, such as unlawful [[discrimination]] (or [[employment discrimination]]), [[identity theft]], and [[violation of privacy]].<ref>{{Citation|last=Guojian|first=Yao|title=Identity Discrimination In Employment - Household Registration And Regional Origin|work=Taking Employment Discrimination Seriously: Chinese and European Perspectives|pages=133–156|publisher=Brill|isbn=9789004177178|doi=10.1163/ej.9789004177178.i-306.30|year=2009}}</ref>

Checks are frequently conducted to confirm information found on an [[Application for employment|employment application]] or [[résumé]]/[[curriculum vitae]]. One study showed that half of all reference checks done on prospective employees differed between what the job applicant provided and what the source reported.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uwyo.edu/studentatty/background-checks|title=ASUW Students Attorney Program|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014021359/http://www.uwyo.edu/studentatty/background-checks/|archive-date=October 14, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> They are also conducted as a way to differentiate potential employees further and pick the one the employer feels is best suited for the position. Employers are obligated to ensure their work environment is safe for all employees and helps prevent other employment problems in the workplace.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usdoj.gov/olp/ag_bgchecks_report.pdf|title=The Attorney General's Report on Criminal History Background Checks|publisher=Usdoj.gov|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090530095916/http://www.usdoj.gov/olp/ag_bgchecks_report.pdf|archive-date=2009-05-30|url-status=live|access-date=2013-10-25}}</ref>