what does a background check consist of?

There are numerous components of a background check, including:

criminal background check

A criminal background check is conducted to determine if the applicant has ever been arrested for a crime. It provides all relevant information, such as the exact crime a person is arrested for, the dates of the arrest, the final verdict and what punishment was ordered. Typically, the goal is to find a candidate with no criminal record, but if one exists, the company needs to decide to approve the applicant or not. Some companies require a clean criminal record or at least no recent arrests.

Some positions, such as those working with children, also require a child abuse clearance report. This report is done to ensure the applicant doesn’t have any history of child abuse on their record. It clearly states if there were any accusations, what those accusations were and the results of any investigation.

drug testing

Some employers, especially those hiring workers that drive for the company or use any type of machinery, also require a pre-employment drug test. As the name suggests, this test is often done to ensure that there are no traces of any type of illegal drugs in the applicant’s system. Most drug tests are conducted at local clinics and can provide results in just a few hours or days.

educational verification

There are a few ways to conduct an educational verification. First, you can simply call the university or college in question and ask them to confirm that the applicant is a graduate of the institution as well as what field they received a degree. Secondly, you can request the applicant submit a full college transcript. In these cases, the applicant would contact the university and have them submit a transcript directly to your company. Transcripts can show everything from grade point averages to a list of classes the applicant took.

credit check

Personal credit checks on applicants are usually reserved only for those roles that involve finances or handling money. According to a recent study, only 25% of all employers routinely conduct credit checks. Some industries, such as banks, however, conduct credit checks on nearly all employees. Credit checks detail any outstanding bills owed by the applicants as well as any long-term debts. It’s important to note that some regions of the world, such as several states in the United States, have made it illegal to conduct pre-employment credit checks for most positions.

motor vehicle check

If the position in question requires any type of driving for the company, you should always run a motor vehicle check prior to employment. It’s important to make sure that the applicant doesn’t have a dangerous driving history that includes multiple traffic violations and accidents. Not only could an applicant’s poor driving record increase the company’s auto insurance, but it could possibly make your company negligent for any accidents that occur while the applicant is driving for the company.

employment verification

One of the most common aspects of a background check is to verify past employment. This process is done by simply contacting all current and former employers on the candidate’s resume or job application and verifying that the applicant did work there, the date of employment and the position or positions held. Many employers today have a policy that forbids them from providing any additional information, but you can feel free to ask additional questions and see if they’ll answer them.

social media checks

Studies show that 70% of employers now conduct some type of social media check prior to hiring a candidate. In this day and age, where people are so connected to social media, this type of check only makes sense. Barely a day goes by, when a company’s reputation isn’t in jeopardy due to comments made by one of its employees on social media. To protect your company, it’s important to check candidates’ social media profiles to ensure that there is nothing offensive or inappropriate posted online.

what does a background check show?

A comprehensive background check can reveal a lot about the candidate. For example, it can verify educational qualifications, ensure they have the proper licensing and uncover a prior criminal record. The exact information you can obtain from a background check, however, depends on the type of process you use. For instance, a criminal background check is not going to provide information about past employment. Whereas a simple drug test will not reveal any information about previous drug convictions.

It's important to determine exactly what type of information you want to verify or uncover about your candidates, so you know which types of background checks to request. For example, if the role doesn’t require the applicant to drive for the company, there would be no need to run a motor vehicle check.

Reference checking is another great tool for obtaining crucial information about your potential employee. The trick is to know which questions to ask. Download our guide today for a list of questions to ask during the reference checking process.

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