Importance of Fingerprinting in the Recruitment Process

A book cannot be judged by its cover-clichéd, but true.

Similarly, a well-presented resume and an enticing personality fail to reveal the true characteristics of a prospective employee. What’s more, considering the fact that an employee with a criminal background can ruin the work atmosphere, it is imperative for employers to include background check through fingerprinting in the recruitment process. Through a proper background check, employers are not only certain about the employee’s history, but also eliminate the liability for a mishap with a customer, another employee or others.

More on Background Check

Background checks for prospective employees are common across various industries, especially in places where the employee is in a position of trust; for instance for handling cash, teaching, handling minors, and more so.

Here, conducting a conventional background check is not sufficient, as it does not reveal the complete history of a person. It only compares the person’s records with the county records, while Live Scan reaches deeper into a person’s history. And this might be the reason why the job aspirants are looking for fingerprinting services in Los Angeles.

Live Scan fingerprinting is a unique and reliable technique of recording a person’s fingerprints through a computer. It compares these fingerprints with the state and federal databases for a criminal background. Live Scan therefore, provides employers with the certainty of employing a trustworthy person with no criminal or offensive history. For, it is the sole responsibility of an employer to provide a safe and secure work environment for all its employees.

The Process

Once employers include background check in their recruitment process, here’s what they need to do for Live Scan Fingerprinting.

• In some industries, Live Scan fingerprinting is mandatory for employment. For others, it is optional. In both the cases, the HR manager should guide the new employee to the place where he or she can obtain his fingerprints. This is mostly done by the State Identification Bureau, State Police station and notary services. These fingerprints are registered on FBI’s fingerprint cards, which can be found on FBI’s website.

• It is essential for an employer to take the consent of the candidate for background check, similar to the consent taken for credit checking, etc. The candidate must sign a consent form, which reads that he is aware that his fingerprints may be given to the State of Federal law authorities.

• The process of Live Scan Fingerprinting is not done without a photo identification proof of the candidate.

• The authorities notify the employer of the candidate’s history. The employer may not employ a candidate with a criminal or offensive history. Moreover, the fingerprints of candidates without a criminal history are destroyed after mailing the details to the applicant.

• Finally, the law controls the distribution and storage of fingerprints by the employer. They cannot do either of these.

The process of Live Scan fingerprinting is not complicated. Mobile notary services now also come to the employer’s office with equipment and others for Live Scan. It is therefore, better for employers to include a background check during employment.

The author is an experienced notary signing agent and eminent writer in the field of notary. In this article, he has highlighted some facts on notary service as well as how a document is notarized.