For the thousands of individuals that reenter the job market after being employed in a single employment position for a number of years, a surprise is awaiting them in the workplace.  Now, many companies will check criminal backgrounds before extending an offer of employment to any individual that applies for a position with their company.  Because most companies will only background check new hires to the company, many professionals that entered the work force before criminal backgrounds checks became popular in the 1990's have never been subjected to a background check by an employer before.  

Searching the criminal backgrounds of their potential employees is one way that companies use to limit the amount of risk in their business and ensure that they are choosing the right people for the growth of the company.  By conducting a background check on each employee before they are hired, the company reduces the risk that they will be the victim of theft or fraud because of their employees.  In many cases, applicants that have felony convictions for certain crimes are immediately disqualified from certain employment positions, especially those positions where the employee is expected to handle money or sensitive information about customers.