Hiring interns is not very different from hiring experienced candidates. While there are separate laws related to internships, and their work structure is different from the permanent employees, they still have to undergo background verification before they land the internship in their choice of company.
Background checks or verification is a process that determines candidates’ authenticity. It ensures the employers that their past is spotless. Companies are hiring interns in huge numbers these days due to their expansion and goal achievements.
Though 95% of the candidates are good to go, there are still some who go bad. In such a case, you would be fortunate if you get to know this earlier. But if you tend to ignore their notoriety for long, the damage can be huge.
But don't worry, because there is a step in the hiring process called "background checks," which helps companies get rid of any such risks before giving the intern the job. Its usage is increased by more than 50% by companies of all sizes and industries.

In this article, we'll talk about what needs to be covered when doing a background check on an intern. There are some set standards to screen candidate information before hiring them. Employers cannot simply run a check on candidates without notifying them. The BGC usually includes the following:

1.    Criminal History:
Companies acquire this data about a candidate’s criminal records, from sources whether they have one or not. They also need to learn if the candidate is not out on bail or has any charges of harassment against them.

2.    Overall Conduct:
How did the candidate act when he or she was in university, college, volunteering at NGOs, or going to a vocational training centre?
Authorities keep track of how candidates behaved in general while they were studying or getting that experience. There shouldn’t be any history of cheating, frauds or suspensions in their case.

3.    Qualification Check:
Check if the candidate is qualified as per the requirements of the internship. Check if the education qualifications mentioned on CV are correct or not. The degrees and mark sheets must be original since many times some candidates arrange for fake ones just to get on board.

4.    Medical History:
Check whether the medical history of the candidate is clear. Not to press upon the generic diseases but unhealthy mental state may lead to major company-wide faults later on.

5.    Credit History:
It's very important to check the credit score of the candidate to be hired. Candidates must have a clear bank score, or there mustn’t be any financial issues over him. Such issues often lead the bank agents to the companies demanding for a solution to the same, which may be embarrassing plus very inconvenient to handle. This is also important if they are going to join your finance team.

6.    Drug Test:
No one needs druggies working for them. Youngsters all over the world are known to be very liberal with such acts. It's important to have their drug screening done and that information must also be on the official records while you decide to hire them.

7.    Identity and Age limit:
It’s a well-known fact that the candidates must not be minors to work in any type of industries, nor can they work as a replacement. Hence, getting their birth certificate while they apply, is important. In order to get quick jobs, candidates commit such age and identity related frauds.

All the above points are an integral part of Background Verification Process. This is specially needed while hiring candidates as they have no prior experience of working in real offices often times. This inexperience should be the very basis of checking them thoroughly before they join your organization.

As an employer, you can’t be too careful because occasional people related mishaps do happen, but taking measures to avoid them from happening is a must.

Do you need more info about BGC? Feel free to contact us at employability@internwise.com.