Employment Background Investigations
Employment Background Investigations
Central College is responsible for safeguarding the resources of the college through a variety of methods including effective pre-employment and employment practices. The college reserves the right to conduct background investigations on prospective and current employees and volunteers to determine fitness for employment.
A background investigation may include, but not be limited to, a combination of the following screenings:
- Social Security Number Trace
- Education and Professional Credentials Verification
- Motor Vehicle Records Search
- Criminal History Records (County, State, and/or Federal)
- Employment or Personal Reference Check
- State Sex Offender Records
- Credit History Report (limited to positions with institutional financial responsibility)
The Office of Human Resources will make arrangements for all background investigations. Such investigations may be conducted in cooperation with an outside vendor in accordance with the consent and notice provisions of the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
The college will keep all information gathered in background investigation records confidential and will use the information solely for the purpose of establishing fitness for employment, either as an applicant or continuing employee. The college will not disclose background investigation records or information contained in such records to third parties without applicant consent, except if required by law.
Criminal convictions shall not automatically disqualify an applicant from hire or an employee from promotion, reassignment, or continued employment. Criminal convictions shall be considered based on factors such as, but not limited to, the nature of the crime, the age of the individual at the time the crime was committed, length of time since the conviction, the nature of the conviction and the job-relatedness of the conviction, the individual’s employment history, performance reviews, and employment references.
Any identified misrepresentation, falsification, or material omission of information in the employment application, resume, or related documents discovered during the selection process or after hire (whether through the background investigation process or otherwise), may exclude the candidate from consideration for the position or result in withdrawal of the conditional offer of employment or termination of employment.
New Candidates for Employment. All new candidates recommended for employment with the college (including faculty, staff, part-time, full-time, adjunct), language assistants, and select volunteers are subject to a background investigation. Applicants to whom tentative or conditional offers of employment have been made, new language assistants, and volunteers will be required to execute a written consent authorizing a background investigation. Please note this written authorization is “continuing” in nature, which will provide consent to the college to conduct additional background checks throughout employment for employment purposes. Commencement of employment will be contingent upon the results of the background investigation process. A conditional offer of employment may be extended pending the satisfactory results of the background investigation process. However, if a conditional offer is extended prior to receipt of the background investigation results, the conditional employment offer will be contingent upon results of a background investigation acceptable to the college.
The Director of Human Resources and other individuals, as deemed appropriate, will review the results of the background investigation in relation to the position under consideration, and determine whether or not the conditional offer of employment will be withdrawn.
Current Employees. The College retains the right to obtain additional background checks during the course of employment for purposes of evaluating employees for promotion, reassignment, continued employment, or other employment purposes.
If an employee’s work duties may include operation of a motor vehicle and the employee is charged with a violation of laws governing operations of motor vehicles, or if any employee is charged with a felony or a serious misdemeanor, the employee must notify Human Resources.
This notification requirement includes convictions that occurred prior to dissemination of the policy. Members of management who have credible knowledge of such a conviction are expected to disclose the information to Human Resources.
The Director of Human Resources and other individuals, as deemed appropriate, will review the results of the background investigation in relation to the employee’s job duties, and determine whether or not any employment action is necessary, up to and including termination from employment.