What Criminal Charges Should Disqualify a Job Candidate? Seeking Fair Hiring Practices

Hi everyone!

This time, I want to ask for information on what charges should exclude a candidate from becoming an employee in a company. Background checks are necessary today not to discriminate but as a precaution against bad influence and bringing the wrong player to the team. In order to be very fair, what is the norm or what are those charges that can become unacceptable? Is there any site that can be of help in reading those reports?

Thanks for the help.

Sal

A lot depends on the kind of company employing and the nature of the job.

I currently work in the public sector in the Attorney General's department. Obviously, this kind of organization has to be seen as "squeaky clean," so any felony conviction is likely to result in an employee being terminated or a candidate being rejected.

I am also familiar with the early childhood and education sector. In this role, offenses "against the person" (especially children) would not be tolerated. However, property offenses or fraud, for example, may not automatically exclude a candidate from a position. When police checks (criminal checks) identify these kinds of felonies, a range of factors is taken into account in reaching a decision. Factors might include:

- age of the offender when the offense took place
- recency of the offense
- nature of the offense and implications for the job under consideration
- good behavior of the individual since the offense
- honesty of the candidate if they have declared the criminal history before employment

There is "no one-size-fits-all" approach here, and I believe that people deserve a second chance when their offending does not place the company, other staff, or clients at risk.