Essential Attributes of a Good Background Check Service

Jan 14, 2019 | Background Check, Compliance & Regulations

Whether your business is small or medium-sized, you would really want to avail of the services of a third-party background check provider in connection with your desire to hire new employees. This can help to make you find the most qualified candidate and save you from the tedious job of selecting, screening, interviewing, and finally making the job offer.

But choosing the best employment background check services for small businesses doesn’t come easy. When doing this, you will have a lot of factors to consider, such as price, compliance, whether the service is suited for hiring purposes, and promptness in producing results.

For clarification, let us have a brief discussion of each attribute:

Price

Price can be translated into affordability insofar as the background checking service is concerned. But since the amount of work can vary depending on what you want to know, the price can also change. The deeper you want to dig into a job candidate’s history, the higher the cost would be. Generally, a company that can offer a lower price for the same service should be the better option.

Turnaround Time

A quick turnaround time on a background check is possible if the information you want to get is limited to the minimum. The general rule is that the more information you want to know, the longer it will take for the result to get through. Another cause for this is that information on certain items, such as drug screening, employment history verification, licenses, and education, is administered by separate agencies, and it takes time for these entities to respond.

Compliance

In order to be reliable and effective, a background check service must comply with the regulations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act. To know if the provider you choose is FCRA compliant, you should check it on their website, or simply ask their customer support if their company’s operation and principles are in accordance with the FCRA regulations.

Customer Support

A competent background check service should have a customer support team that’s able to answer customer queries and provide customers with reliable information when asked.

A reliable background check report must contain the following information:

  • Social security number, full name, and aliases
  • Date of Birth
  • Address history
  • Contact information
  • County records, e.g, marriage and divorce
  • Criminal history
  • Financial history, including liens and bankruptcies
  • Driving records
  • Employment verification
  • Education, like degrees, diplomas, and certificates