What Information is Included in a Background Check?

bpi-admin • Apr 30, 2020

In the abstract, anyone who hires someone to do a job can understand the importance of an employee background check . But when you go from thought to action, you quickly realize that there’s no such thing as a background check; it’s more accurate to say that there are several types, with the big picture highly dependent on the many smaller pieces of information included. Knowing what to leave out can also help to separate the signal from the noise. If you’re new to the process like many Charlotte business owners, hiring managers, and individuals served by Barefoot Professional Investigations, it helps to have someone experienced in your corner.

 

Why Employment Background Checks Help

Before we get down to the nuts and bolts of background checks, let’s address a more fundamental question: why bother conducting an employment background check? In short, it’s about protection, whether you’re protecting your business, your assets, your home, or your family. For businesses, employment background checks ensure a quality workforce; for private individuals, it helps to weed out bad apples. For all involved, it brings much-needed peace of mind.

 

What’s in a Background Check?

With so many variables in play, what should you expect to find in a background check?

Identity Verification

One of the most fundamental parts of a background investigation is also one of the most important. Knowing that someone is who they say they are — their social security number is valid, their address history checks out, their work history is legitimate — is a vital part of any hiring process.

Criminal History

Arrest and conviction records are the backbone of most background checks. They uncover past history of a wide range of criminal activity, including DUIs, sexual offenses, substance abuse, assault, domestic violence, financial wrongdoing, or a history of open warrants. 

Civil History

In some cases, it’s worthwhile to dig deeper into individual conduct. A criminal record search won’t uncover items like breach of contract, defamation of character, and a variety of other conduct that may not be criminal but that certainly calls an individual’s character into question.

Financial Information

Someone may have a spotless criminal record but still have red flags. A spotty credit record, bankruptcy, or other personal financial problems can prove problematic if your business deals with large sums of money, or with sensitive personal information.

 

Education and Certifications

A wide range of professions rely on specific educational background or certifications. Whether it’s a babysitter with a CPR certification, an IT professional with specialized security credentials, or an educator with a concentration in developmental delays or speech language pathology, you want to be sure that the person you hire has undergone the learning and certifications they say they have.

Digital Footprint

Judgement matters. Unfortunately, some people exhibit poor judgment on social media and elsewhere online. In some cases, these injudicious posts can be an embarrassment to your company. In other cases, they can reveal someone’s patterns of indiscretion that can give you second thoughts about your own privacy and security if you should hire them. Check their digital footprint !

 

Hiring Barefoot Professional Investigations for Employee Background Checks

The background investigation process can be fraught with pitfalls and errors — especially if you or your business haven’t been in the habit of running background checks up until now. Ensuring you get the information you need, that you get it quickly, and that it’s accurate, isn’t the kind of thing you want to leave to chance. That’s why so many in the Charlotte area have turned to Barefoot Professional Investigations for results they can trust.

 

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