Pre Employment Screening | Criminal Background | Background Check Companies

The thumbnail picture to the right is a sample document you would typically see from non-FCRA compliant background check companies. Note the inclusion of certain categories of information which should have absolutely nothing to do with your decision to hire this person. This contains data such as assets and liabilities, neighbors, and marital status. All of these are no-nos when it comes to making hiring decisions, and your business could be found liable for civil damages if sued. On the other hand this type of service is so much cheaper than the FCRA compliant background check companies... so is there a safe way to use it? The short answer is yes.

Non-compliant background check companies are so incredibly cheap to us it behooves anyone to use them. Subscription costs for unlimited searches is about $10/year - so it won't be hard for it to pay for itself - but how do you do it legally?

The answer lies in what information you use, how you use it, and what you do with the search results when you've finished with them. The information on the pre-employment background report has information you CAN use without treading into any grey areas. You should verify the following information that was provided on your application form (or their resume for executives):

• Name
• Date of Birth
• Address
• Phone Number
• Social Security Number
• Emergency Contact (not always available)

Using the cheap service this way can be an effective way to get application information correct, and to verify in a most basic way that the person is who they say they are.

An individual who does not get hired may still sue, but in all honesty you as an employer have a fiduciary obligation to the other employees to make at LEAST this minimal invasion to a potential new hire. A company owes it to the other employers to verify just who exactly is working there.

Also - the minute you're done with the information, protect the privacy of the individual by shredding all copies of it completely if printed, or by logging out completely out of the background screening service company.

Once you have your target applicants narrowed down to two or three people it's time to make sure they have a clean personal history. Now it's time (and cost effective) to do a more thorough (but legal) investigation of the person. Here (click thumbnail image) is what you can expect in terms of a pre-employment criminal background check. If the person you are investigating has something on their record that hasn't been annulled, it's going to show up here. The important reason to use a compliant service like this is because it excludes the records you have no business seeing. FCRA compliant background check companies walk the fine line between protecting the individual and protecting the other employees at your workplace.