The Anatomy of a Background Check

In the world of background investigations, the quest for truth is paramount.

Each layer peeled back reveals a candidate's past, illuminating their character and potential fit for a role. From criminal history to cyber footprints, the anatomy of a thorough investigation is a complex and vital process.

Read more as we delve into the intricate steps and best practices that make up a comprehensive background check, ensuring informed and confident hiring decisions.

What can a Background Check Find?

Criminal Inquiries

This category involves conducting thorough criminal record checks at various levels to uncover any criminal history.

County checks are the baseline for criminal record checks, as they only obtain information from local jurisdictions.

State specific searches provide a broader view, including convictions that may not appear at the county level. Most come with expensive third party fees.

Federal searches are crucial for uncovering crimes that fall under federal jurisdiction, or anything that crosses state lines, such as cyber crime, fraud, or drug trafficking.

International checks are important for candidates who have lived or worked abroad, ensuring a more comprehensive review of their background.

Sex Offender and Motor Vehicle

While many have the assumption that these will be covered in the criminal portion, these are actually both separate from criminal inquiries.

Individual inquiries must be performed to retrieve these data sets. Checking the state specific sex offender registry is critical for roles involving vulnerable populations, such as childcare or healthcare.

Motor vehicle checks are essential for roles that require driving, such as delivery drivers or field representatives. They help verify a candidate's driving history and ensure they meet the requirements for the position.

Verifications

Employment verification involves confirming a candidate's work history, including job titles, dates of employment, and reasons for leaving. This helps verify the accuracy of the information provided by the candidate and ensures they have the necessary experience for the role.

Many employers choose to do the last 3 employers, last 10 years of employment, or most relevant past employments.

Education verification involves confirming a candidate's educational credentials, such as degrees or certifications. This helps ensure the candidate has the required qualifications for the position.

Employers usually opt for the highest level degree earned to verify, assuming if you have a bachelors, you also have a diploma.

Reference verification involves contacting references provided by the candidate to gain insights into their work ethic, skills, and character.

CI recommends two professional and 1 personal reference to gauge the employee.

Cyber Investigation™

Cyber Investigation™ involves conducting a thorough review of an applicant's online presence, including social media profiles, blogs, and forums.

This helps uncover any behavior or activities that may be concerning or inconsistent with the company's values. It also provides insights into the candidate's communication skills, professionalism, and overall online reputation.

Industry Specific

This category involves checking for industry-specific certifications and licenses that are required for the role.

For example, in healthcare, this may involve checking for medical licenses and certifications. In finance, this may involve checking for securities licenses. This helps ensure the candidate has the necessary qualifications and credentials for the position.

Vigilant (Continuous) Monitoring

After an employee is hired, most employers stop looking into their history. However, Vigilant involves setting up alerts or notifications to monitor changes in an employee's criminal or driving record.

This helps ensure the safety and security of the workplace by promptly addressing any new information that may impact the employee's suitability for the role.

Do’s and Dont’s of Background Checks

Do

• Verify using the Primary Source

  For example, to verify a degree, go directly to the school in question. This way, you get the most accurate data available.

• Utilize Human Intervention in your Investigations

  AI is built with inherit biases. You want your data reviewed by a human investigator before it gets to you. This reduces risk of liability for you, and also cuts down on false positive readings.

• Partner with an Investigation Professional

  Take the liability off your teams plate and ensure your onboarding process is efficient and compliant.

DON’T

• Take Diplomas at Face Value

  These are easily faked, as diplomas are available to buy on Amazon. Employment history is another that is often faked.

• Only use a Nationwide Criminal History Search

  This name is misleading. It does not cover the entire country and will leave gaps in history. The data cannot be confirmed as up-to-date.

• Verify using Name Match Techniques

  This method can lead to frequent inaccuracies, especially with common names. You should be verifying using all 4 personal identifying information. Those are Name, SSN, DOB, and Address.

Best Practices to Follow

1. Perform a Background Investigation after giving the applicant a conditional job offer.
   
   This practice ensures compliance and shows that you performed due diligence by giving the applicant a fair chance in the hiring process.

2. Utilize more than a Nationwide Criminal record search. A Nationwide Criminal search is unreliable, as the information it receives from the courts could be out of date.
   
   Courts have no regulations on the timeframe they are required to update their records. You can’t be sure the information you receive is accurate.

3. Send the Preadverse and Adverse action letters to the necessary applicants.
   
   This also shows due diligence and compliance in the event your organization is audited.

Stats to Know

35% of all employment verifications are marked adverse by our investigative team

10% of all Cyber Investigations™ reveal additional criminal information not found in the original background investigation.