Clients often ask “what is typically included in a background check”. The truth is that there are dozens of different searches that are available to an investigator as part of an employee background check. Some of the searches that are most commonly selected by our clients include:
- Driving Records
- Credit Checks
- Criminal Records (County Level and State Level)
- Social Security Verification
- Residential History
- Education Records
- Civil Court Records
- Workers’ Compensation
- Bankruptcy Records
- Character References
- State Licensing Records
- Previous Employment Verification
- Sex Offender Records
For each corporation, HR Department or small business, the need for information is different and so is what is included in a background check. Each client is able to choose the searches that they see fit for their applicants. The question still remains; “what is a good set of searches”. My usual recommendation for a company without industry standards or an idea of what is really important is to conduct state and county level criminal record searches along with a national sex offender search and a name, address and social security number verification search. In conducting these searches, our clients feel confident that their applicant does not have any criminal records in the state or county in which they reside in. Additionally, because we verified that applicant’s social security number, name, date of birth and residential history, we are confident that we conducted searches on the correct person and that the applicant is who they say they are.