What to Look for in Background Screening Companies? 27 Oct 2017

We realize that there are a lot of employment background check companies out there, and while you weigh your options, you probably want to know: Why should you choose Trusted Employees?

Rather than tell you why you should trust us with your employee background checks, we thought it would be more beneficial to highlight a few key elements every business should look for when partnering with an employee screening company. With this information in hand, you’ll be better able to decide who to partner with.

Comprehensiveness. This might be the first thing organizations want to know. Will the screening company they partner with be able to provide some of the most common searches to verify or check on the following items?

• Sex-offender status
• Felony and misdemeanor criminal records searches at county, state, and national levels
• Social Security number
• Employment record
• Education record
• Credit reports
• Civil records
• Reference checks
• Motor vehicle records
• Professional licenses
• Workers’ compensation history
• Address history

Flexibility. One size doesn’t fit all, and because your business is different from every other business, you should partner with a screening company that is able to customize their services to fit your needs.

Personalization and communication. Whoever you partner with should provide individualized attention and have an open-door policy when it comes to communication. They should be willing to educate you about the changing legal issues and regulations surrounding background checks. So be sure to ask them about how they will educate and communicate with you. This will be a good indication that they are open and transparent in their methods and will communicate with you in case any problem arises — a key to any relationship.

Reliability. What is the company’s track record? Can they provide any references for you to check? This is important information to gather. A poor track record could result in a bad hire and have negative consequences for your company.

Are they qualified? Be sure to ask the person at the screening company if they comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act and have them answer any questions you might have about this act. Also, working with a company that is a member of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners is a must.

Workflow. From start to finish, having a potential employee screened should be easy on your end. Background screening companies should provide you with the necessary forms for job candidates to fill out and provide clear, easy-to-understand reports and an online portal where you can review results.

At Trusted Employees, we pride ourselves in having developed a flexible and custom approach to background screening, both in terms of customizing the components to fit the needs of the organization and providing flexibility of platform and workflows.