Every individual has numerous points of data that can be accessed in a background check. When hiring a new employee, you might assume that you should just "run all the checks". You don't have to. You can save the wait time and the money buy only running the screens necessary for that particular job. 

If you're looking to protect your business, running an employment background check can help minimize the risk of negligent hiring claims and high turnover.  Let's look at a basic employment background check and determine which screens you should include when hiring. 

When an employer or landlord runs a credit check on a future tenant or employee, they expect accurate information. Consumers also want to know that the information is correct and up-to-date. Adverse information on a background check, especially a credit report, can affect employment, housing, buying a car or obtaining a loan.  It's imperative that the information be true, verified and safe.

When running a credit background check on an applicant, can you trust what you see?

To individuals and businesses alike, background checks can be a mystery. Where are consumer reporting agencies (CRAs) or background screening companies getting their information? How accurate is the data? Is there a reason to update a background check on an employee? Just how well do you know your employees? At VeriFirst, our mission is to be a trusted and transparent screening provider so let's dive into these questions.

How often are background checks updated and where is the information coming from?

We do get asked this question occasionally (and probably should more often). Recruiters and hiring managers may naturally peruse an applicant's social posts - especially if they've applied via a social network such as LinkedIn. Is it a good idea?

Let's take a closer look at why an employer would want to check out a potential employee's use of social media. Can you include social media in background checks?

Many employers will require a new hire to take a pre-employment drug test. Some employers may also require random drug testing during the employee's tenure with the company, especially if there is some suspicion of drug usage or the usage can affect the employee's ability to perform their job. What happens when an employee or new hire fails a drug test? It really depends on the situation.

Here are some examples of what could happen next.

Non-profits, youth sports, religious educators and other charity organizations that recruit volunteers are being held to a higher standard than in previous years.  Simply put, the safety of children and elderly and the security of non-profit finances require handling by those who can be absolutely trusted. Unfortunately, non-profit and charity organizations often skip volunteer screening due to time constraints and cost. 

To save time and money on volunteer background checks, here are the most popular and necessary screens to run.

The drug testing process can be a mandatory hassle for human resource professionals. Between screening new hires and implementing randomized testing for current employees, the paperwork and lag time between testing and results can become a real issue. Is there a way to make drug screening easier for employers?

Does your human resources department need an electronic drug screening process?

When hiring a new employee, it may be tempting to run every background check available. This is a bad idea for two reasons - (1) running unneeded background checks will take longer and (2) they'll cost more too.

Instead of checking the box on every background check, consider certain background checks may only be needed for certain types of jobs. Understanding the types of background checks, and what information they reveal, can also be helpful to determine which background checks best fit the situation.

How to select a background check package for new hires

With many thanks to our subscribers and clients, we're excited to bring you the latest company news. In addition to VeriFirst's continuing services of employment and hiring background checks, tenant screening, and customer ID verification, we are expanding to include business and corporate screening services.

VeriFirst Background Screening is one of four companies under the umbrella of BYL Companies. Each of these sister companies has their own specialty and yet work together to provide outsourced back office operations to our clients. Expanding our service offerings to include corporate screening was a natural development of our current client relationships and requests.

Read to learn more about corporate screening services and why you may need it.

Employers run background checks on employees to keep both their business and their customers' interest safe. A basic background check is used to verify a potential employee's identity and determine if there was any past criminal activity. Credit checks aren't necessarily included in a basic screening but would be used if the job description requires it and could affect employment chances. Federal law prohibits employment discrimination based on gender, race, and religion, however as of this writing, only 11 states have limits against discrimination based on credit.

Can an employer look at an applicant's credit report? The answer is, "It depends."