Choosing a Risk-Free Background Screening Solution

Hiring decisions are some of the most important choices you make as your business grows. The right employees can boost your organization’s productivity, but a single bad hire can result in grave consequences.

With the right background screening partner, you receive comprehensive, detailed, and accurate data about your applicants to make better hiring decisions. This leads to a safer working environment, a lower risk of bad hires, and the realization of long-term goals.

Here are some tips to choose a risk-free background solution for your organization:

Get Your Money’s Worth: It is essential to aim for competitive pricing, but remember that you get what you pay for. The cost of an employee background check is a fraction of the cost involved in recruiting a replacement, training a new employee, or settling a negligent hiring lawsuit. Cheap services usually mean less comprehensive data that may not reveal everything you need to know.

Look for Personalized Services: Stay away from background screening companies that offer a ‘one-size-fits-all’ package. With a single package approach, you might miss out on essential information that is needed or end up paying for unnecessary information. Companies who follow this process usually fail to understand your visions and goals, risks, compliance issues, and business needs. Choose a company that works with you to understand your needs and offers a suitable screening program that fits your requirements.

Customer Service: Steer away from companies who don’t answer their phones or direct you to inexperienced call center employees when you need help. A reputable company will give you direct access to customer service staff that is well trained in background screening compliance so you can get quick answers to your problems. An employee background check company should do more than just pull raw data, you should be able to work directly with a professional to interpret the results and guide you.

Relevant Knowledge of Your Industry: It is essential to choose a background screening company that understands the special needs and relevant hiring risks in your industry. For example, hiring an executive in the financial sector will require different verifications than a restaurant waiter.

Legal Compliance: The Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) governs background screening in the U.S, so the company you use must be FCRA compliant and have a deep understanding of state employment laws. By choosing a company that really understands pre-employment screening and hiring laws, you’ll receive data and forms that you are legally allowed to use. Also, before you choose an employee background check provider, contact the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS), to verify that the provider is a member. A membership is a good indication that the company has a good standing and is educated in current employment legislation and practices.

Secured Data: The data provided in a screening report is highly confidential and sensitive. It is imperative that the screening company has strict policies in place to ensure complete secure the information. The reports and data must be restricted to only those who are authorized to view them. Also, ensure that they provide you with a data protection statement that goes into detail about their security protocol.

In-depth Criminal Record Check: Criminal checks for tenant screening is a crucial component of any employee background check. However, due to budget and time constraints, many companies often only rely on national databases and exclude a local database check. A reputable background check company will offer thorough criminal searches at the county, state, and federal level.

When selecting a background screening provider, select a company that is knowledgeable, reputable, competent, experienced, and reasonably priced. Hiring decisions should not be taken lightly. Find a company that can support your decisions, so you can hire confidently.