Background Checked

What's so special about Maine Window Cleaning & Power Washing, Inc. Residential Technicians? We do Background Checks!


Employee Selection.
We carefully recruit and screen all applicants by conducting a complete background check and several interviews to insure that we hire only honest, hardworking, and courteous individuals. These new apprentice window cleaning and pressure washing technicians exhibit personal integrity, a solid work ethic, meticulous attention to detail, a service mind-set and a friendly, outgoing personality.

We then provide full training and an in-depth trade orientation. New hires work side by side with Maine Window Cleaning & Power Washing, Inc. management team as well as our field supervisor to insure they learn to clean to our standards.

Technicians who have worked for other window cleaning businesses are rarely hired. Past experience has taught us that this type of individual almost always comes to work with bad habits and/or work practices that prevent them from meeting our demanding Maine Window Cleaning & Power Washing, Inc. standards.

Four Things We Consider During a Background Check

When sending employees into a client's personal space, we do our best to check their closets for skeletons.

According to a 2012 study by SHRM, more than half 53% of businesses surveyed did not use background checks when hiring and as many as 31% are not using criminal background checks on all employees, meaning they are opening themselves up to potentially hiring untrustworthy employees.

Many employers will conduct background checks or credit checks as part of the process of considering and hiring a potential employee. This is especially important to do when employees will be alone with someone else's valuables or if they are handling money. It is common for all employees of a window cleaning company such as ours; management staff and technicians to be in clients' homes and to collect money; so the background check becomes not just a liability insurance requirement for us but part of creating a sense of security and trust with the client.

Background checks are run for many reasons. Most commonly they are performed to make sure that the candidate does not have a less than savory past. Since there are many types of background checks, ranging from a basic county/state of residence search to terrorist watch list and international searches, the type of search can vary based upon the position that is being filled.

Our Basic Background Check
Background checks prove to be extremely valuable to us because of the amount of information an official check can reveal about a potential employee. We look for several things when completing a background check.

  • Any illegal activity, charges, or convictions
  • Has the candidate been honest about their past
  • Education verification
  • Reference verification
  • Employment history
If an applicant has been untruthful or omitted information on an application, in a resume, or during other steps of the interview and pre-screening process, the data revealed in the background check should help highlight common red flags.

CHECKING FOR THE RED FLAGS

Beyond the basics, we want to ensure that we have done our due diligence...and then some. Why? Because different types of background data show different parts of a candidate's character and attitudes towards a positive working performance, such as honesty, responsibility, and other areas related to employees who will be in homes where property and information security are vital.

1. Criminal Background Check
For any employee who will be delivering service, the 10-year criminal background check is a basic place we start. This check will reach out to the state criminal agencies in every state where that candidate has lived during those 10 years as well as to the national crime database (usually a 12-year check). We may also choose to add a local city and county criminal check, which in some areas include reports not leading to an arrest or conviction.
2. Sex Offender Registry Check
Though in most cases, the convictions of sex offenders will appear on national and state criminal background checks, and a separate sex offender registry check on candidates may reveal additional misdemeanors and can be an added comfort to a prospective client.
3. Drug Screening
While a criminal background check might show an inclination toward drug use, just as many candidates have never been arrested or convicted of drug use. That's why drug screening upon employment has become a pretty standard part of the background check process for us. In addition to being illegal, the use of prohibited substances indicates a tendency to ignore or play against the rules, procedures, and authority.
4. Motor Vehicle Report
When in doubt, you can't go wrong with a $6 Motor Vehicle Report on candidates you intend to hire, especially if they will be:
  • Driving a company car
  • Driving a personal vehicle marked (even temporarily) with company insignia
  • Driving a personal vehicle while in company uniform
  • Driving a personal vehicle while transporting tools of the trade to, between, or from jobs.

The fact is that window cleaning technicians cannot deliver service without driving to and from clients' locations. But that doesn't mean a less-than-perfect driving record has to eliminate a candidate; employers can pair up teams where at least one member is an approved company driver.

If asking technicians to drive their personal vehicles, employers can also require the car owner to provide proof of insurance, have the hiring company excluded from fault on the insurance policy, and complete and pass an approved driver safety training program. And to encourage continued good driving, business owners may consider offering bonuses or compensation for keeping that driving record clean. Our 5 Star program offers these bonuses and incentives.

Including Social Media Reviews in Background Checks
According to a recent benchmarking report, as many as 61% of employers are using or plan to use social media to improve their recruiting efforts, and 21% of respondents intend to use social media as part of their background check procedures.

Employers are now reviewing candidates' social media accounts, seeking insights into behavior patterns, attitudes toward theft or mismanagement, and to see with whom a candidate is engaging.