What Does a Background Check Search?

In a time where increased security measures are becoming more and more common for all types of organizations, the following question arises much more frequently: what does a background check search? We get this question from everyone: employers, volunteer organizations, staffing agencies, and churches to name a few. As much as we would love to be able to have an easy, definite answer, that’s not really the case. Background checks can encompass a lot of different attributes, and it is up to the organization to decide what is required. With that being said, it is also the responsibility of the background screening company to educate their clients about their options, what is necessary to search, and how to keep the organization protected.

Here is what is included in a common package many of our clients use, along with some explanations:

• Social Security Verification

  • This part of the search verifies the social security number of the applicant. This is important because it ensures that the social security number provided is not only correct, but it is also tied to the person’s name and date of birth. The verification gives you the peace of mind that this person is who they say they are.

• Address Verification

  • The applicant will also be asked to enter their current address. This is verified with the social security number and provides another layer of security.

• National Sex Offender Registry Search

  • The National Sex Offender Registry Search (NSOR) is a real-time integration solution that allows us to verify if the applicant is a possible sex offender.

• National Criminal Database Search

  • The National Criminal Database Search is a real-time integration solution that is utilized as a tool to pull any possible records outside the applicants address history. We verify and validate this information by going into the corresponding county or federal court to pull the record and provide our identifiers.

• One County Criminal Search

  • The current county of residence is typically a part of the background screening package. The typical turnaround time for this county search can be up to 3 -5 business days due to the thoroughness of the search.

Along with this common package of best practices, there are some other options that we recommend to help make your background check package even stronger.

• ArrestAlert

  • Similar to driving a new car off the lot, once a background check is done, the value diminishes rapidly. You could do a background check on an employee on Tuesday, but if the employee gets arrested on Wednesday, you might not know about it until you rescreen the person. That could mean there could be a three year gap between the crime and the time you know about it. With ArrestAlert, you can add this on to any background check, and you will be notified as soon as that person is booked into the jail. Please follow this link to learn more about ArrestAlert.

• Federal Criminal Courts Search

  • This can be added to any background check package to help strengthen your background check. This will search the federal criminal courts, along with the county criminal courts to ensure nothing is missed and you are searching as much information as possible.

• Driving Records

  • If your applicant will be driving for your organization, it is a good idea to do an MVR background check on the individual. You can enter their driver’s license information, and you will get a report of their driving record to make sure they are safe and able to drive for your organization.

• Automated Reference Checks

  • Through a partnership with RefLynk, automated reference checks can be added to your background check package. With RefLynk, the reference checks are completely candidate-driven. You can customize your surveys and questions. The candidates are notified via text and email to enter their reference information. References are also notified via text and email to complete the reference check. RefLynk sees an average turnaround time of 12 hours per reference check, so it will not only save your organization time from calling references, but it will also quickly get the results back to you. If you would like to learn more about RefLynk please follow this link.

Background checks can be complicated. They can be completely customized based on your Clients needs, so it is important to know what is required, and how detailed you want to be. Please feel free to contact our sales team at sales@safehiringsolutions.com or call us at 866.434.0002 to talk about our services and what would be right for you. We are always happy to help walk you through selecting the right package, so if you are feeling overwhelmed about the process, please contact us. 

Other than the features and products listed above, SafeHiring Solutions has many other options that can be added to your background check package, so be sure to ask about what we can do to further help you. To learn even more, tune into The Safety Zone Podcast with our CEO and Founder, Mike McCarty.