Podcast: What Global Employers Need to Know About Background Checks

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, more than 90 percent of US employers conduct background checks to screen job applicants. But restrictions can vary widely from state to state. That's even more true when the requirements involve different countries.

On this podcast, we examine what US-based global employers need to know before conducting background checks abroad with New York City attorney Erika Collins, who co-chairs the international labor and employment practice group at Proskauer Rose.

Podcast: What Global Employers Need to Know About Background Checks

September 9, 2015

Collins says the biggest mistake employers make is assuming there is no problem with conducting background checks internationally since they are used to performing them in the US. She notes that depending on the country involved, this is not necessarily the case.

"Also, there can be some real sticky situations with expatriates and foreign applicants applying for jobs inside the US," says Collins. "You really have to think about the requirements of both the location of the applicant and the location of the job."

Unlike in the US, she explains that it is generally neither required nor advisable for an employer to explain that an adverse action was based on the results of a background check. To learn more about this and other key differences, listen to this XpertHR podcast.