A background check is basically a procedure that a firm or an individual uses to verify an individual's identity, to check if they are who they say they are, and this gives an opportunity to uncover and check an individuals criminal history, education, work history, and many other personal documents from their past. It is used by firms and individuals alike to prevent the possibility of fraud and safeguard their assets and lives. This is very important as you do not want your identity stolen by someone posing as a legitimate representative of a certain company, organization, institution, etc. Below we will go through all the different types of these checks and how they can be used for your benefit:
Employment Background Checks: One of the most common uses of a background check these days is with regard to hiring. As an employer, you have to make sure that you get the right employee rather than one who has a dubious record or past. Moreover, you also want the right employee to have a good future within a certain company. This can be done by doing a comprehensive background check on applicants. The information that you would get through a thorough background check would include a complete picture of an individual's past employment records, criminal history, educational background, military records, et al. All these records would give you a clear and concise picture of the applicant's actual capability as well as his or her suitability for a position in your company.
Criminal Background Checks: Due to the fact that a large number of individuals have been arrested for various crimes across the US, employers nowadays prefer to do comprehensive criminal background checks on all of their applicants. This helps them determine if the applicant is telling the truth about their character, as well as their capability in handling a particular position. Apart from this, fingerprinting is another procedure that is used in background checks.
Fingerprinting is typically conducted by submitting photographs of a person into a central database, where it would find matches with any recorded fingerprint. However, the whole procedure typically takes a few hours, depending on the volume of fingerprints being submitted. Furthermore, most background checks which utilize fingerprints only come with a charge. In many cases, these charges are nominal, especially since it usually costs less than hiring a full-time lawyer. On the other hand, it is typically more expensive than doing a complete background check using only fingerprints.
Employment History Checks: Most employers conduct multiple background checks on potential employees every year. Because of this, they need to check whether the potential candidate has any criminal records, which could pose a problem for them. For instance, most of us do not know that there are databases which list civil cases filed against an applicant. This makes it quite easy for employers to hire applicants with criminal records, especially those who have been divorced or in serious relationships.
Credit History Checks: There are several different reasons why an employer may want to run a credit check. One reason is when hiring someone who will be handling financial money such as paying bills and managing company funds. Another reason is when the job applicant has a poor credit history and his application is being scrutinized based on that. Lastly, employers can run a credit check to make sure that the applicant's information is correct and that he has no outstanding loans pending. A recent study shows that there are nearly 18 percent of all employers who use at least one form of social security number checks to evaluate potential employees. This means that even people who have had a change in address and several different credit cards accounts can disclose some basic information about their life which can help their chances of getting hired.
Employee References: One of the things employers look for in a possible employee is his or her references. This includes former employers, previous jobs, educational background and work history. However, there is a loophole in the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) which permits employers to use a candidate's former employers against that candidate. An example would be a potential teacher using his former school as leverage to get a certain job. The problem with this is that it can lead to discrimination if the teacher is not fair-skinned and does not have good credit. Therefore, a background check consists of a comprehensive check of a potential employee's previous employment and educational background.
Background Check Service: There are also several online resources available which can be used to conduct a background check. One of them is a free online service which allows users to submit names of applicants and review their FICO scores, report any criminal convictions and financial debts etc. It can save you a considerable amount of time running an offline version of this check. Moreover, it is far more efficient to use these services because they update their databases almost daily which ensure that the information provided is accurate. The downside of these services is that the cost of subscription can be a little high, but these services provide very accurate information.
