background check company

Use a reliable Background Check Company from keeping the preverbal bad apple from spoiling your bunch!!

November 8, 2011 by Staff Editor

If you have spent any amount of time in a work environment then you know how much employees impact all aspects of your business. Having the right employee brings you much productivity, makes your job easier and keeps employee moral high. Conversely, having the wrong employee can undermine your whole operation. While good interviews are great we have all seen a candidate who is much better on paper and in an interview than what we end up with punching the clock.

To this end I recommend using employee background checks and a pre employment screening to aid you in weeding out the bad candidates so you get the right person for your business. There are many different background checks you can use depending on the Background Check Company you use and the position that you are hiring for. One basic type is criminal background checks. This looks for local, state and possibly federal criminal histories in an effort to ensure your candidate has not been convicted for or even arrested for a crime. Another option I like my Background Check Company to run is past employment and educational background checks. These are two of the most falsified items on an employee’s resume. They can also be hard to track down yourself as many companies no longer give references to other perspective employers.

Finally, pre employment screening for things like sex offender status and financial history can be important. Would you hire someone to handle your company’s funds who can’t manage their own? Do you want a sex offender working in a capacity that would bring them into contact with client’s kids? All of these things bring risk to your company and quality employee background checks can help eliminate these liable hazards.

For more information on employee background checks, background check experts , background checks , criminal background checks , or pre employment screening contact us at the background check company or call 1.770.426.0547

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Employee Steals $41,000. Criminal Background Checks Would Have Prevented!

November 4, 2011 by Staff Editor

I recently conducted an investigation into a very expensive employee theft loss where adequate background checks were not conducted. As I was interviewing the employee it hit me that had this company been conducting criminal background checks none of this would have ever occurred. The employee would have never had the opportunity to steal $41,000 because she would have never been hired. She had been caught before, TWICE!

Background check experts know what to look for and how to obtain it. In many cases a background check company can locate records that are not easily obtainable. Many times when we conduct employee background checks we look “between the lines” of what the candidate told our client. We will find not only criminal records that they lied about or omitted but we will also find serious facts that would curl the hair of any potential employer. Pre employment screening has revealed that applicants have not just stolen from one but many previous employers. We have also found violent crimes including sexual assault and robbery just to name a few.

As a background check company we have also conducted background checks on people who have outright lied about their education. Pre employment screening of this type has revealed candidate who not only did not finish a degree but never even attended the school.

Besides criminal background checks and education employers should look at credit histories, driving records, SSN validations and sex offender records just to name a few. Many employers believe that they have staff that can conduct employee background checks and be their own in-house background check experts. That would be like trying to be your own doctor. It takes special skills and abilities to make this process cost effective and complete. Do not risk YOUR business!

For more information on background check experts, background checks, criminal background checks, employee background checks or pre employment screening contact us at the background check company or call 1.770.426.0547

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Criminal Background Check – A Comparison

January 24, 2011 by Staff Editor

Criminal Background Check – A Comparison

When is a criminal background check not a criminal background check? When it doesn’t deliver accurate results in a timely manner. The search for criminal records always begins at the local courthouse level in the county where the applicant resides, or has lived, gone to school, or been employed. The public records contained here follow a criminal action from arrest to conviction or acquittal, and all the steps in between. Records that come from the county level are generally obtained from retrievers, individuals whose job it is to go to the local courthouse and look up and report records to interested parties, maybe a background check company or an attorney or insurance company.

A step broader that the county search is the statewide repository. These are provided by state law enforcement entities that maintain them and are made available to the public from some, but not all states. The states receive the information from law enforcement and court agencies in that state. The problem with state repositories is that not all agencies consistently report activity to them. Another is that they are frequently expensive, slow to obtain, and the information is more likely to be restricted than a criminal background check that comes from the county courthouse. The advantage is that is covers a much broader area than a county search. Your background company will advise you which states are dependable and economical and which ones aren’t.

A step above the statewide search is the National Crime Information Center, which maintains information gathered from jurisdictions all over the country. Access to this information is severely restricted and unavailable to the public for employment purposes, and the reporting error and missing record rate is high.

Frequently represented as a National Criminal Background Check are records that are offered by a background check company that (there are several of them) maintains its own commercial database, containing millions of records. These records are purchased from jurisdictions that make them available electronically in bulk. They are periodically uploaded to the computer equipment of the background check company and resold to companies as National Background Checks. These are not usually current and can’t be considered comprehensive in any way, as so many jurisdictions are not included. An employer should never depend on a commercial database to make a hiring decision, as most background check experts do not consider them compliant with current federal laws regulating the background check industry.

Finally, there is the Federal Court System, which houses the records of those that have violated federal statutes, everything from littering a national park to the RICOH Act. These records are generally obtained by a retriever.

Need help with your criminal background check? Call background check experts at 770-426-0547 or click Background Checks.

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Background Check Experts Advise – Check In-Home Service Workers

January 12, 2011 by Staff Editor

Background Check Experts Advise – Check In-Home Service Workers

Homeowners generally assume that anyone sent by a company into their home to do work might assume that the individual has been checked out thoroughly by the employer’s background check company . But the fact is, the person actually sent out to do the work may actually not be an employee of the company hired by the homeowner, but a contract employee.

Many homeowners will ask the company if they have checked their employees. Often the answer is that they are all “bonded and insured.”

Employees and contractors may be bonded and insured, but this means very little if an in-home worker damages a homeowner. Background check experts will tell you that there is no better indicator of future behavior than the past. The bond and insurance only tells the homeowner that he will receive damages only if theft or other harm can be proven in court. Wouldn’t it be easier for all concerned to avoid all this if it was possible to do so?

There have been far too many instances when an in-home service worker such as an exterminator, duct cleaner, or delivery person has used his job as a means to identify a target who later becomes a victim of his actions. These instances have included serious crimes such as burglary, rape, and murder.

Although the homeowner may trust the company she hires to do the work, can she be certain of the person actually performing the work? The answer to this question is no, but the homeowner should insist that anyone sent to her home should be thoroughly checked by the company’s background check experts, to reduce the chances that something might happen.

Need help from background check experts in Atlanta, Georgia? Call 770-426-0547 or click here.

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Why Do Companies Conduct Background Checks?

January 10, 2011 by Staff Editor

Why Do Companies Conduct Background Checks?

It’s now a given that most companies conduct background checks of some type on their prospective employees. But what motivates them to budget for this portion of their pre employment screening program, beyond interviews and a basic application review?

For some, it is a policy requirement because management determined that in order to acquire the type of employee that fit their expectations, further checking into the applicant past was necessary. Some do it because “everybody else” is doing it, and have made the decision that conducting background checks would be beneficial for their company as well. And some do it because they were previously burned by a (former) employee who hurt the business by improper actions like theft, attendance, poor performance, or one of many other reasons that could have been reasonably anticipated through the application of a check conducted by a reputable background check company.

The latter case, being harmed by an employee, is by far the most painful to the company. In many instances a poor choice of employees could and should have been prevented by including background checks in the hiring process. It is a case of reacting to a problem rather than taking a proactive position to prevent the problem in the first place.

Which sounds like the better business decision?

Employee background checks are an affordable and simple insurance policy to reduce the risk of harm to a company by making a bad hire.

Explore your options in background checks by calling 770-426-0547 or click here for further information.

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HR Uses Background Checks – Atlanta Georgia

January 7, 2011 by Staff Editor

HR Uses Background Checks – Atlanta Georgia

HR managers who use a background check company as part of their overall hiring policy to eliminate undesirable applicants are well versed in the application of the information that can and can’t be used when taking adverse action – that is not hiring the individual base on information contained in a background check.

Any negative information revealed, whether it is a criminal history, poor credit, or something else, should be directly related to the individual’s ability to do the job. In other words, poor credit shouldn’t preclude hiring a person who doesn’t handle cash or who is closely supervised. A minor criminal history shouldn’t eliminate a candidate depending on the severity of the offense, the age of the person involved, and the length of time since the offense occurred.

There is leeway in the decision making process, but as most HR professionals will tell you, all policies, including pre employment screening must be fairly and consistently applied for the position.

Conversely, there are situations where the presence of derogatory information absolutely should prevent an applicant from holding a particular position. A day care worker shouldn’t be a registered sex offender, a home health nurse shouldn’t have a criminal conviction for violence of any sort, and a cashier should be free of any convictions of credit card fraud, obviously.

The HR department should set the breadth and scope of the background check to be conducted for each position and be sure all guidelines are followed.

The HR department should be able to depend on the background check company as a business partner, getting solid advice and guidance about their background check policies.

To discuss your background check requirements, call 770-426-0547 (770-253-4593 in Atlanta, Georgia) or click here.

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Can a Background Check Company be Too BIG?

December 22, 2010 by Staff Editor

Can a Background Check Company be Too BIG?

Everyone wants to grow their business, so is it possible that a background check company can be too big?

It can become too big if it stops caring about its customers and their expectations of what a background check company should be.

Every background check is the sum of several parts that go into it: Criminal history searches, address histories, social security traces, credit reports, and so on. The company has outgrown its customers if it turns out an assembly line product that is not reviewed by a competent investigator who is knowledgeable in spotting some unususal circumstances in the background check that are not evident at first glance. A driver’s license from a state not evident as the applicant’s current or listed reference is a good example, or an individual who was without a license for a period of several years. Or an address that is known to be a mail drop. These situations may have logical reasons for them but they bear further investigation.

Criminal background checks sometimes need explanations from someone familiar with the language used in the courts as well as some of the non-standard charges and dispositions.

Every client company should have an individual contact or representative at the background check that they can call and speak with regarding the background check results they receive if they have any questions at all.

A background check company can be too big if it loses touch with those who made it big… their customers.

Need a reliable background check company? Call 770-426-0547 or click here.

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Background Checks and Social Security Traces

December 15, 2010 by Staff Editor

Background Checks and Social Security Traces

Background checks may be made up of a number of elements such as criminal background checks, credit reports, motor vehicle reports, and references of various types.

A valuable but often omitted check that can be used in several ways is the social security trace. When you order and receive a trace from your background check company, what should you expect to see?

The information contained in a social security trace comes from various sources, but mainly from credit reporting agencies. It is sometimes referred to as credit header information, although there is no actual credit information in it.

What you will see is when the social security number was issued, the state in which it was issued, and that it is a legitimate number. You will also receive a history of addresses associated with the social security number, as well as all names associated with the number.

The address history will reveal locations where the subject of the background check resided, whether they listed on the resume or application or not. If not, was the subject deliberately concealing the fact that he or she lived in a particular place? And if so, was it done so that a criminal background check would not be conducted in that jurisdiction? Or perhaps the person moves frequently without cause.

Your background check company will suggest that you order a social security trace and that you check all jurisdictions and courts where the subject resided, in order to get a complete picture of your potential employee.

The trace should not, however be used by itself as a reason to deny or exclude an individual from employment.

The social security number trace is a quick and economical way to enhance the value your employee related background checks.

For further information on background checks, please call 770-426-0547 or click here.

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What Should Be Included in Your Background Checks

December 13, 2010 by Staff Editor

At this point we should all be aware of just how important employee background checks are to your company, its’ security and your bottom line. However, what you may not know is just how extensive your employee background checks need to be. After all, your employees aren’t handling nuclear launch codes or perfecting your patented cure for cancer, right? Right, but they are holding one of your most prized possessions in the palms of their hands; your money. Therefore it behooves you to make extra sure that they can be trusted with it.

Employee background checks are the process of looking up and compiling criminal records, commercial records and financial records. They most typically include past employment verification, credit score and criminal history. The first, past employment verification, is pretty self-explanatory. You want to be able to verify that the person has the necessary experience to do the job you’re hiring them to do. The second, credit score, is often debated. Why is it necessary to check a potential employee’s credit score? Well, in the timeless words of Forest Gump’s mama: “Stupid is as stupid does.” If an individual is irresponsible or unable to diligently control their own finances do you really want them working with yours?

The third, and possibly most important, thing that should be included in your employee background checks is a criminal history. Nobody wants to work next to the next Jeffrey Dahmer or Bernie Madoff and you certainly don’t want to be responsible for their actions. True, lack of a criminal history is no guarantee that an individual won’t indulge in criminal behavior in the future, however past criminal activity can be a good indication of things to come. Employee background checks can be as extensive as you feel necessary for the position being sought, but they should at the very least include the 3 steps mentioned above.

For more information on pre employment screening or background check company contact us at background checks or call 1.770.426.0547

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The Mystery of Employee Background Checks

December 6, 2010 by Staff Editor

The Mystery of Employee Background Checks

Actually, there is no mystery in employee background checks. In fact, background checks help in removing the mystery from a potential employee’s background.

Careful employers use employee background checks as part of a comprehensive screening program. The information compiled by the professional background check company includes information obtained from public record resources as well as information obtained from other sources such as previous employers, friends, credit bureaus, and motor vehicle departments.

The employer may obtain some of this information directly, but more and more employers are outsourcing these tasks to a professional background check company that has developed sources and contacts to obtain information quickly and efficiently, as well as having the expertise to deliver the results in a format that is easy to understand, and is available to interpret and explain the results when necessary.

The professional background check company will also be available to discuss the limitations of employee background checks so there is no unreasonable expectation of the information included. Every background check company is regulated by the Fair Credit Reporting Act as to what information may or may not be included on an employee background check.

The information contained in the employee background check will help the employer remove the mystery by revealing past behavior of potential employees that may directly relate to the duties and responsibilities of the applicant.

Remove the mystery from your employee background checks by calling 770-426-0547 or click here for more information.

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