Employee Background Check Companies for Employers

Employee background check companies have become a necessity for conducting background checks on potential employees. With applicants making false claims in both their applications and resumes, it is safer for employers to engage the services of background check services to ensure the workplace stays safe. Screening applicants helps discover those who have a criminal history and have tried to hide it. With so many concerns about workplace safety, employee background checks are vital so informed hiring decisions can be made.

How Background Checks are Run  

There are a number of ways to find out the past of a job applicant and to verify if what they put on their resume is true. There are county searches, national searches and Federal database searches. The verification of employment, education and job history are also very important to have done. All of this is particularly time consuming and is open for many errors when inexperienced people attempt to run background checks.

Employers usually turn to employment background check companies to screen their job applicants. These companies use all their resources to access the applicant’s past and current records. Criminal records are the most common background records searched, but these companies know how to search all databases necessary as well as easily verify all the information on applications and resumes. Depending on the requirements of the job, the company can do drug screening, credit checks and much more.

What is Included in a Background Check for a New Job?

The records and reports that employee background check companies search when doing a background check are vast. Some key record searches and verifications done are:

• Credit history record search
• On-site civil history record search
• On-site criminal history record search
• Driving history record search
• Credential and education verification
• Pre-employment physical examination
• Employment history verification
• Federal civil history record search
• Federal criminal history record search
• Military verification

Companies that do background checks can also conduct a Social Security Number Trace. This reveals earlier addresses and shows which counties in which to conduct criminal history searches. Background checks typically go back seven years. There are exceptions in different states depending on the applicant’s income level.

Where to Get a Background Check for Employment

Background check companies help employers to stop wasting time chasing after ineffectual hires and from making mistakes that could cost their company a lot of money. A person who looks good on paper could end up creating a mess that you will spend lots of valuable time cleaning up. So choosing a background check company is something an employer needs to do with care. 

Finding a background check company for an employer would seem to be an easy matter. There are a lot of them out there. The top things to look for are:

• Speed 
• Efficiency
• Background screening reports compliant with all Federal and State laws
• Advanced technology
• Superior Customer Service

For example, Employers Choice Screening, a global provider of employment background screening, provides legally compliant results with a 24- to 48-hour turnaround. They fit the bill for each point noted above, and are named in lists giving the top employment background check companies. 

How is a Background Check Failed?

Failing a background check can ruin a person’s job opportunities, but it certainly alerts the hiring company that this is a person who they do not want on their team. Once an applicant has failed a background check, usually the job offer is taken off the table. There are a number of ways that a background check can be failed. Here are a few:

1. Resume contains false information – if there is a lie on the resume, either about degrees obtained or jobs that weren’t real, it will show up and cause a failure of the background check.  
2. Bad review from a previous employer – although most employers won’t bad-mouth a former employee, if the person left on bad terms or clashed with others frequently, it will often come out during the screening.
3. Issues on the applicant’s driving record – this is important particularly on a job where the employee will be driving and can reveal reckless driving convictions or DUIs. 
4. Poor credit history – when a credit history check is done, it can show if the applicant can handle his or her own finances. It will also show if there is a lot of debt or other signs the person is not responsible. 
5. Extensive criminal history – this is usually the first thing employers look for with a background check. There are a lot of mitigating circumstances and having a previous conviction doesn’t always mean the person isn’t trustworthy or hirable. There are ways to determine if this applicant is a qualified person despite a criminal history. 

What Causes a Red Flag on a Background Check?

When an employment application is found not to reflect accurately the candidate’s history, red flags show up. These can differ one from the other depending on the company and position being applied for, but in general it shows that there exist potential problems on the applicant’s application or resume.

Employment background check companies will red-flag a background check when inaccuracies exist. This is to protect the employer. The different things that cause the red flag are listed above. Discrepancies can be questioned and perhaps clarified by the applicant.  

An employer will do well to hire a professional company to run background and screening checks on their potential employees. It is important in order to keep both the employer and the employee safe in the workplace.