4 Tips for Better Background Checks

Whether you’re doing your due diligence on a prospective employee or tenant in one of your properties, having access to fast and reliable background checks is a necessity for many businesses.

Risk levels are on the rise and lawsuits can cost companies tens of thousands of dollars—it doesn’t make business sense to invest in a new employee, tenant or volunteer without doing your homework first.

Through our partnership with National Crime Search, we can search many different public databases, as well as offer comprehensive on-site drug testing. Commonly requested screenings we provide clients include:

• Criminal screenings: Multi- and single-state criminal database searches, county-level criminal histories, national sex and violent offender registry searches, terrorist searches (OFAC/government watch list)
• Employment screenings: Social security number (SSN), education and credential validation, credit reports, work history screenings, drug testing
• Tenant screenings: Rental history screenings, tax lien and bankruptcy screenings, credit reports
• Social media screenings: Analyst-run searches of the most popular social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram

With so many options, how do you know which reports and searches you need to protect your business and staff? Here’s a few tips from our background check experts.

4 Tips for Better Background Checks

1. Don’t limit your scope

You may only have a basic employment check in mind, but you can add layers of protection by broadening your search. Criminal records or red flags on social media may help you avoid a poor fit in a customer-facing position, for example.

We offer a variety of search packages that can be customized to your specific needs, giving your business or organization a more complete picture before committing to a new employee or tenant.

2. Don’t forget their driving history

Many businesses occasionally ask employees to drive themselves, equipment or products to a location, even if driving isn’t technically listed as one of their job duties. Don’t miss a bad driver and expose yourself to expensive auto claims in the process. We offer direct access to a subject’s driving records, including complete info on any violations, suspensions, and/or revocations.

3. Remember to check your volunteers, too

Many businesses run background checks on their employees, but what about the volunteers responsible for keeping nonprofit organizations humming? While you never want to make a volunteer feel like a threat, it’s important to identify people who might be a risk to kids or other vulnerable populations.

NCS’ SafeChoice program includes multi-state criminal database searches, sex and violent offender searches, SSN validation, lists of known addresses, terrorist searches and more, giving your organization peace of mind when it comes to finding trustworthy volunteers.

4. Remember you “can’t always tell by looking”

It can be tempting to skip background checks, especially in today’s tight labor market. Promising candidates are in high demand, and they don't like to wait when there's multiple offers on the table. But skipping  your due diligence could cost you over the long run. Consider that:

• 50% of all resumes and applications contain false information
• 33% of all business failures are due to employee theft
• 18% of all violent crimes occur in the workplace

Fortunately, background checks don’t need to take a long time. We can get some basic information turned around within hours and more in-depth searches within 2-3 business days.

Our goal is protecting your business while helping you remain competitive when it comes to hiring and leasing. Background checks can do just that, and for less than you might think. Reach out to one of our experts today for a free consultation on how background checks can fit into your workflow.