How Does A Third-Party Perform A Background Check For My Company?

Performing a background check can be difficult if you have never done it before, but as an employer, you likely know that background checks are absolutely necessary. You could hire and train staff to perform background checks in-house or you could hire third-party pre-employment background check solutions.

Confirming Basic Information

A background check allows you to confirm facts about the applicant. For example, you can try to determine if the applicant is who they say they are. You can also confirm their educational background. However, background checks can be more thorough than that.

Accessing Criminal Records

A criminal background check is sometimes necessary to protect your employees, customers, and your business. Depending on the state in which you reside, you might be restricted on how far back you can go when researching the crimes of an individual. You might also be restricted regarding what types of crimes you are allowed to consider. However, the criminal information you are able to obtain can be invaluable when making your decision.

In some cases, you might even be required by law to perform a background check. For example, if the position involves working with children, you will be required to perform a background check on the applicant.

Scanning Social Media

A background check can reveal positive things about the applicant. For example, you might discover that the candidate has had an interest in your field for a long time. A background check might include an examination of the individual's social media accounts to find out if they are a good fit for the company. 

Automating Background Checks

Background checks are partially automated and involve a search of various databases of information. However, this is only the beginning, and a representative will also be performing research and gathering information for you. Other records that might be researched include:

• The applicant's credit history
• Military records
• Medical records
• Driving records
• Bankruptcy

If you are concerned about whether it's possible for the background check solutions to find something in particular, feel free to ask.

A background check might not be the only factor when determining whether you hire an employee, and you might decide that a candidate is still worth hiring after a strong interview. Red flags may be brought up during the interview, but your candidate might provide a satisfactory explanation for the red flags. Then, you'll be able to move forward with the hiring process.