Background Checks: Employment, Personal, Methods, Why and How?

Background checks are increasingly being used for employment screening. For some jobs, especially those that are law enforcement, national security, or classified, screening is required by state and/or federal law.

Background checks are also being conducted by volunteer organizations, non-profits, and other groups. In fact, state and/or federal law requires a background check for jobs such as: those that work with children (schools, daycare, camps, little league, boy scouts, etc...); those that work with the elderly (nursing homes, physical therapy); those that work with people that have disabilities; and others.

9/11 changed the way that the country and each one of us approached security at the country, state, local, and personal level. This change in mindset brought about The Patriot Act, and heightened security in general has increased identity and background checks by employers.

Insurance and liability protection for employers require background checks. Businesses and volunteer organizations leave themselves open to lawsuits for hiring an individual without getting a background check. Most insurance liability policies now require background checks for employees or volunteers in area previously mentioned in this article (jobs working with children or the elderly, for example).

As an employee gains more responsibility or different job scope, the employer, state, or federal regulations may require a background check to perform the job due to classified, security, or insurance liability reasons.

Before conducting business with an individual, a background check may be appropriate to look for any issues that may cause you to reconsider the business arrangement. If you are about to sign a contract with a person, it is a good idea to look at the background and check for concerns.

Are you or a loved one about to enter a relationship with someone? This is another good reason for a background check. You may think you know all that there is to know about that potential "perfect match", but why leave it up to chance? As Ronald Reagan used to say, "Trust, but verify".

For employment purposes, the answer is yes. This is regulated by state or federal statutes. Specifically, for federal requirements, check the FTC (federal trade commission) website. Look for the Fair Credit Reporting Act and items relating to "consumer reports" or "adverse actions" relating to consumer report information.

If the background check is done by a private individual... well... public records are, by definition, public. So with the correct search provider and a little effort, you can perform a background check on someone or on yourself. Of course, someone else can also perform a check on you.

Well, for starters, it could mean your job!

Just from human nature, people make mistakes. Data entry is still done by people. It could be a Friday afternoon with 5 minutes to go before the end of the day, and in a rush, a data entry error was made on your information. Do you find out about this during a job interview, loan application, business deal, etc... or do you make sure ahead of time that everything is correct. You may also have issues on your record that were supposed to be expunged, downgraded, or other changes made in the past. These should also be checked to ensure that the appropriate steps were taken in the past to present the most accurate information today.

Here is a list of things to check on your own time before someone else finds something for you at an embarrassing moment. Most of these can be checked from one location/service.

Check your credit
Check your driving records
Check your court records
Check your background records

If you have a problem from internet searches or from public records, the best practice is to contact directly the owner of the public record or digital information to start the process of correction or removal.

If your employment record or background check is not correct, you can turn to the FTC for help just as you would for a credit check problem.

You can also check with the privacy opt in/opt out rules for companies with which you do business. These may include banks, insurance companies, medical doctors/dentists, etc... When given the choice, you can opt out of sharing information with others.

The ability to background check an individual provides legal, business, and personal peace of mind to the one needing the information. For the one being searched it is a way for others to validate your credentials. It is similar to your credit score and your resume, you should protect the information in it, make sure it is accurate, and try to live in such a way so that it is not weakened. Like it or not, we are each measured by others when we apply for a job, a loan, go into business, or a relationship. The background check is not going away.

In order to complete a background check on yourself or someone else there are sites available to assist in this process. You can also go to your local county, state, and or federal court house for searches. This takes much time and effort; so, most use the technology provided by the internet and search sites to get the job done quickly and accurately. In general, it is not a free service. Those that advertise for free services will only provide full information for a fee. As is normally the case, useful information will have value.