When you're hiring your first employee, it may seem overwhelming to consider all that is required to honor your growing business, your customers and those who will be working for you. The best way to hire your first employee is to prepare for it. The point of hiring someone is to help while you turn your focus to other tasks that need your attention. If you're not prepared, you may spend more time directing your new hire than actually getting work done. 

Get ahead of the game with these preparation tips before you hire your first employee.

If an employer screens applicants regularly, they should be aware of federal,  state and local laws around background checks. Businesses of all sizes are being held to these strict regulations or else they are facing punitive fines in court. Consumer rights are protected against inaccurate reporting of their backgrounds. Other laws penalize for discrimination during the hiring process. If your business is running background checks, your hiring and screening policies should be consistent and compliant.

Is your employee screening policy in compliance? Review these laws to find out.

If your company is hiring many employees at once or even if you're an HR department of one and only hire sporadically, a checklist is an organizational tool that is helpful. A checklist will ensure that every step is taken, creating consistency, and covering all of the legal responsibilities of hiring. Selecting the right candidate, on-boarding and integrating the new hire into the team can be a positive and successful experience.

When hiring a new employee, documented procedures, such as a checklist, can make the process better for the hiring manager, candidates and employees.

Employers and property managers rely on background check companies to provide current and accurate information before making the decision to hire or rent. A common misconception is that there is one large database that all consumer reporting agencies rely on for their data. In fact, there are hundreds of databases, records, and other sources that still could have erroneous data on the individual being screened. For this reason alone, screening companies must verify and double-verify data and also rely on the adverse action/dispute procedures set out in the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).

With a possibility for errors, how do background check companies get their information?

E-Verify, the online system that employers use to access the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) database, was put into place as part of 1986's Immigration Reform and Control Act. The legislation requires that employees submit an I-9 form and valid forms of identification to verify their immigration status and eligibility to work in the United States. E-Verify is an electronic version of the I-9 form that confirms 98% of employees' eligibility within 24 hours. The system is undergoing some improvements after the most recent budget announcements by the Trump administration in February.

Employers take note of these important updates about E-Verify. 

Whether you're screening an applicant prior to employment or screening a current employee, the chore of informing that person about a failed background check can feel cruel. They likely have good intentions and, for all intents and purposes, may have been stellar candidates or solid employees. The good news is that you can prepare for this process with some forethought and you may not have to withdraw a job offer or terminate them after all.

Here is a clear process to tell an employee that they failed their background check.

Background checks are necessary for employers who wish to have a clear picture of who they are hiring. It can be quite overwhelming to an HR department of one or an employer who doesn't hire often. With big companies being taken to court over compliance issues to fair chance hiring laws like "Ban the Box", a hiring manager could easily develop ideas about background screening that simply aren't true. 

Here are six common myths about background checks and the truth about what to do.

With Europe ramping up data protection compliance under GDPR and Facebook coming under scrutiny for its failure to keep user data safe, employers should also be aware of the responsibility of collecting employee data. Employees have a right to privacy under federal and state laws.  Their personal identifying information is to be kept confidential, stored securely and disposed of properly. 

Here are HR best practices for keeping employee data safe.

In today's world, it's no longer safe to simply rely on a potential employee's resume as a reliable source of information. While the resume is a great source of information about the previous work history, conducting a criminal background check for employment has become an essential and vital part of hiring new employees.

Considering an applicant with a criminal history can be challenging for employers. With Ban the Box and other Fair Chance laws sweeping the nation as well as the potential discrimination under the Civil Rights Act, many hiring managers have opted to follow the EEOC's 2012 edict of the"individualized assessment".  When the judicial system gets involved, however, things can get even more complicated. 

A Texas judge has ruled the 2012 EEOC background check guidance in unenforceable. What does this mean for employers?