Employment Background Check Information

Employment background checks are basically conducted by companies for various reasons while recruiting employees. The background checks can differ as per the position of the jobs and the organization in which one is seeking a position.

Employment background check has been necessitated by negligent hiring decisions.  It was observed that people with criminal records were appointed to responsible positions. The employers are often held liable for any action that might result in the harm of an individual. A company’s reputation lies on the shoulder of an employee. A decision on part of the hiring official can simply dent the reputation of the company. This in return can put the career of the hiring officer in jeopardy. For this reason hiring personnel’s do not rely on their instinct for hiring any more.

Recently, the cases of child molestation and abduction have gone up. So the laws which govern the process of hiring have made it clear that employment background check is necessary and individuals who work in schools and day care centers will have to undergo criminal background checks. These rules are applicable also for those who are coaches or volunteers in schools and colleges youth sports and also leaders of scout troops.

The terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001 resulted in high security across the country. The employers of various organizations especially the government agencies have become rigid in their hiring process and they have undertaken various identity verification strategies. The job applicants and people who are working for long periods in an organization are going through background checks irrespective of their trust worthiness and goodwill. The 9/11 attacks have completely changed the whole scenario of the U.S.

People who are working as corporate executives, directors and officers have to undergo scrutiny that includes both personal and professional details, which were unknown before the Enron debacle.

Another point of concern is the suppression of facts by many job applicants. There have been several instances of inflated and false information provided by the applicants during the hiring process. These types of false information provided to the company are termed as fraudulent activities. The human resource professionals have become much more aware of the fact that fraudulent means are resorted to by job seekers. These have increased the rate of background checks for potential job applicants.

Background Checks and Their Various Components

Background checks include almost everything, for instance it can include the social security number to the account details of the potential employee and his acquaintances. There are also certain evidences as a result of which the hiring officers are also searching the profiles of the applicants on social networking websites to get some sort of information of the applicant’s whereabouts. The result of a survey on October 2007 on an esteemed web portal resulted in an astonishing figure. It showed that there were almost 44% of the employers who prefer using the social networking sites to get information about the job applicants and 39% have searched such sites to gather information about the employees who are working currently.

There are certain components that are an inherent part of background checks. Without these no background check can be complete and it will not project the true picture of the job applicant or the current employee. These records are an essential part of the public records and they are gathered by the government agencies.

The components of the employment background checks include vehicle registration, criminal records, driving records, social security number, court records, credit records, bankruptcy, neighbor interviews, character reference, medical record, past employers, incarceration records, personal reference and sex offender lists.

Components Excluded from a Background Check

The employment screening national standards have been set by the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The background checks conducted as per the norms of the FCRA and it can be done only by an outside company which is known as “consumer reporting agency” and it falls under FCRA. Any background checks that have been organized in-house do not form a part of FCRA.

A background check report is known as “consumer report” under FCRA. However the FCRA states that the components that cannot be reported include: bankruptcy, tax liens, civil suits, collections and other negative information barring convictions related to crime.

Agencies that Conduct a Background Check

There are many organizations which are specialist in employment background checks. One of the significant factors, which we need to keep in mind, is that the organizations which are specialist for background checks can be classified under broad categories. The classifications can range from private investigators to organizations which conduct background checks. You can get the list of all the companies which undertake background screening from the website of The National Association of Professional Background Screeners.

An employer can also investigate with the help of the consumer report for “adverse actions” as stated under the federal law. Then the employer must follow the guidelines that are mentioned on the website of Federal Trade Commission which is http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/credit/bus08.shtm.

People Who Can See the Findings of the Report of the Investigation

The investigation report can be seen by people or agencies like employers who ask for background checks or agents who are conducting such investigations. The reports can be accessed by state or federal officers. Organizations which are self-regulatory in nature can access such reports. Government agencies that work as per the guidelines of the FCRA have the authority to go through the reports.

The employment background checks are basically done to get proper information about a job applicant or a person who is employed in an organization especially a government organization. You can learn about the procedure of the background check and the fee for it from the FBI website http://www.fbi.gov. You can also visit in person the FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., Federal Bureau of Investigation, J. Edgar Hoover Building, 935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20535 0001, or call 202 324 3000.

Employment Screening Services & Background Checks

Employment screening and employee background checks are vital in order to maintain workforce integrity and safety.  Background checks can also be used to verify the social security numbers. It includes an analysis of an employees work history with a full credit report in addition. A background check will also include the credit payment records, driving records and criminal record history. All these reports are important and related to job.

The right way to ensure that you pass a background check is to include the correct information within your resume. One of the better ways to prepare for a background check is to be aware of the details that an employer might find.

Additional Information and Laws Regarding Employment Checks:

SBA Guide

SCORE Guide

U.S. Department of Labor

FTC