A background check is an investigation into a person’s history that can reveal their criminal record, past and current employment, academic achievements and more. Many businesses, organizations and government agencies are required by law to check the backgrounds of people they hire or contract for certain types of jobs or positions, such as working with children, elderly or disabled adults, banking employees, alcohol permit holders, truck drivers and others. Other employers conduct checks as a matter of policy or to make sure that job applicants have accurately reported information on their resumes and applications, or to identify issues that could negatively impact the quality of work or safety of coworkers.
In addition to checking criminal records, a standard background check often includes checks of civil court documents and credit reporting agencies. Civil court documents can include bankruptcies, legal proceedings, judgments and liens. Credit reports are used to verify an applicant’s financial accountability and may disclose information such as credit card debt, past due payments, collections and more. The information contained in a credit report is based on public record data and can be obtained from consumer reporting agencies.
Other aspects of a best background check can include verification of the person’s identity by calling or emailing professional references or verifying the Social Security number and education as stated on the job application or resume. A driver’s license record search can verify driving record information, and an employment verification can confirm past employment, length of time at each position, job titles and more. A sex offender registry search inspects state and federal sex offender registries, while global and domestic watchlist searches check a person’s name against government watch lists to identify potential issues of concern.
Some businesses supplement the standard background check with a check of a person’s social media pages to see what kind of content they post and what sort of comments or interactions they have online. This is often done in order to assess an applicant’s character and integrity, but should be used with extreme caution as a background check can contain inaccurate information or a person may use their privacy settings to limit what is revealed. For these reasons, GoodHire offers a fully digital and mobile-optimized process that is both customer and candidate-friendly and provides both status updates and full copies of results. This gives both employers and candidates the ability to understand the findings of a background check so they can make informed hiring decisions. GoodHire also allows candidates to dispute any inaccurate information found during a background check. This makes the hiring process fairer for all parties. If you’re ready to start the background check process with GoodHire, fill out our quick questionnaire to learn more. We’ll contact you to discuss your needs and help you find the right solutions. We look forward to connecting with you!