| So you know all about Negligent Hiring and how to | | | | county courthouse. This search will pick up |
| protect yourself and your company against a Negligent | | | | misdemeanor and felony convictions up to 7 years |
| Hiring lawsuit. You know all the reasons why it is so | | | | back. (Some states allow you to search back further |
| imperative that you conduct pre employment | | | | then the standard 7 years.) This type of search is |
| screening on potential employees. You know that you | | | | hand searched by researchers who go directly to the |
| need to check for criminal pasts, verify an applicant's | | | | courthouse. The next step up would be a statewide |
| education, references, licenses and previous | | | | criminal search. If you notice that your applicant has |
| employment. What you really want to know is where | | | | resided in various parts of a state, your best option is |
| to start and what types of checks should you be | | | | to conduct a statewide search. Statewide criminal |
| conducting on which people. You just want some | | | | searches obtain records from the state's criminal |
| answers! | | | | repository, covering every county in the state for |
| Let's start with the basics. First off you need to | | | | misdemeanors and felonies. Please note that some |
| determine what types of background checks you | | | | states do not offer statewide criminal searches, in |
| would like to conduct on the applicant or employee. If | | | | which case you will need to search in multiple counties. |
| you are working with a pre employment screening | | | | The states that do not offer criminal searches are; |
| company already, they can help you out and give you | | | | California, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, |
| some advice as to which searches would be best. | | | | Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, |
| When deciding which types of checks to conduct you | | | | Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming. Nationwide and |
| need to take in account the nature of the work and | | | | regional searches are also available but are oftentimes |
| the position the applicant is applying for, and decide | | | | less accurate and should be used as a supplement to |
| which checks are appropriate. If you are looking to | | | | county or statewide criminal searches. It would be best |
| employ someone who will be a driver or using a | | | | to speak with a representative of your background |
| company car, it is a good idea to conduct a MVR | | | | check company to further explore your options. |
| search and perhaps a drug and alcohol screen. If you | | | | If you are hiring someone for a high ranking position or |
| are hiring a top executive or someone who is going to | | | | an executive, it is a good idea to conduct a federal |
| be handling the company's money, it is a good idea to | | | | criminal check. This type of check accesses the |
| cover all of your bases and conduct education and | | | | Federal Crime Repository to identify criminal |
| employment verifications, criminal checks at the state | | | | convictions on Federal charges including, but not limited |
| or county level, federal criminal checks and a credit | | | | to, securities and tax law violations, immigration |
| report. Anytime that an applicant provides previous | | | | violations, embezzlement, terrorism, weapons violations, |
| employment information or references take the time to | | | | interstate drug crimes and civil rights violations. |
| check them out. Anytime that an applicant is required | | | | There are other types of background checks that you |
| to have a degree for the position they are being hired | | | | might consider for your employees depending on their |
| for, you most certainly want to check the degree | | | | job responsibilities, the nature of your company's |
| information to be sure it is in fact valid. | | | | business and your background check policy. These |
| Taking the time to verify any degrees or licenses that | | | | searches include, but are not limited to credit checks, |
| the applicant has received and past employment he or | | | | MVR checks, drug screening, Registered Sex |
| she has supplied is essential. This can be done in | | | | Offender and Wants and Warrants searches. If you |
| house, or you can hire a third party to do the | | | | are an employer who also hires people internationally, |
| verifications for you. You want to be sure to verify the | | | | remember that there are international verifications and |
| school, degree type awarded, dates of attendance | | | | international criminal checks available as well, and are |
| and major. For employment verifications be sure to | | | | equally important to domestic background checks. To |
| verify the company name, business title and dates of | | | | get a better idea of the services that would be best |
| employment. License verifications should be checked | | | | suited for you and your company speak with a |
| for validity by verifying the license type, where it was | | | | representative from your background check company. |
| received and date it was received. It is well worth the | | | | Individuals have privacy rights, which are protected by |
| effort to get this information, as according to a recent | | | | the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). As an employer |
| study done by the American Psychological | | | | there are certain parts of this law that you must |
| Association, 67% of job applications and resumes in | | | | adhere to when conducting a background investigation. |
| the U.S. contain misrepresentations. | | | | You must provide a written disclosure to the applicant |
| Next you may want to conduct a criminal search. If | | | | clearly stating that you will be obtaining a consumer |
| you are working with a pre employment screening | | | | report on them for employment purposes. (A |
| company that provides a social security number trace | | | | consumer report refers to any and all information that |
| product, you should take advantage of this. The social | | | | you would obtain written or oral pertaining to the |
| security number trace will provide any aka's that the | | | | background investigation). This written disclosure must |
| person may use, previous address history and tell you | | | | be a separate document not included as part of the |
| whether or not the social security number is valid. | | | | application. Before obtaining the report your company |
| Based on the address history that you receive from | | | | must receive this written authorization signed by the |
| the trace you can determine the type of criminal | | | | applicant or employee. |
| search to conduct. | | | | Remember that it is important to implement a pre |
| When choosing a criminal search you want to get an | | | | employment screening policy, and it is equally import to |
| idea of where the applicant has resided in the last few | | | | choose background checks that appropriate for your |
| years. If he or she has lived in the same county for | | | | company and the position you are hiring for. It is a |
| many years, it is probably best to conduct a county | | | | good idea to work with a background check company |
| search. A county criminal search is the most accurate | | | | who is FCRA compliant and is familiar with the |
| criminal search as criminal records originate at the | | | | individual laws set forth by each state. |