What is a Criminal Background Check For Employment?

Criminal background checks are done by organizations that wish to make sure that the candidate they hire has no liability records that can affect the company. It can be done through police verification records or online checks.

This blog will share details on how you can conduct a criminal background check effectively and some of the top companies you can hire for this job.

Are you afraid that you may hire a candidate with a criminal history? Do you want to be sure about the profile of the candidates you hire? Then, you need to conduct a criminal background check. Want to learn more? Keep on reading further.

A criminal background check for employment is a great way to ensure that the candidate you are hiring is safe and has no criminal history. They are conducted by companies who will guide you and prepare a list of the candidates’ accounts from thousands of websites. You can then use this data to confirm if the candidate’s history will harm your organization at any point.

Pre employment criminal background check is a part of the extensive background verification that is done right before a candidate is hired. They are efficient and effective measures that all companies must take to prevent any future liabilities.

This blog will guide you through different aspects of criminal background checks like:

• What is a criminal background check?
• What is the process of conducting a background check?
• What all is checked in a criminal background check?
• What are the top Companies that conduct criminal background checks?

What is a Criminal Check for Employment?

A criminal background check for employment is a form of background check that involves checking the criminal and court records of the candidate. This process is done before hiring a candidate to make sure that their past is not a liability to the company. It is done by surfing through a variety of public domains that may contain the record of the candidate.

A criminal background check is majorly done after the candidate clears all the interview rounds but it can also happen at any time during employment if necessary. It provides an opportunity to check and validate the candidates' profiles beforehand.

The frequency and time for a criminal background check can vary from country to country. It can take somewhere between 5-10 days to abstract a detailed report of the candidate. A background check includes checking factors like bankruptcy records, social media feedback, drug records, or sexual offenses checks.

Criminal background check for employment can be carried out by an investigator or a company that has a deep understanding of how it works. You can do it yourself by going through the public sites and searching for records.

How do Criminal Background Checks Work?

A criminal background check can be extensive and time-consuming if you don’t have the right resources. And hence, it is advised to get the checks done by a team of experts. Criminal records cover an extent of checks like driving records, sex offender searches, burglary, or any other crime.

Here’s a detailed process of what all happens in a criminal background check:

1. The first step of conducting a criminal background check is to inform the candidates that there might be a police check at the time of the interview.
2. As an employer, you will have to choose the extent of the background check and what you want to be checked.
3. Now you can hire an agency or a private investigator who will surf through national and local police information from police records management systems. This information can include minor crimes or major crimes.
4. The agency will go through records like warrants, charges, prohibition orders, convictions, or release conditions according to your requirements.
5. They will then send a detailed report about the candidate to you.
6. You can go ahead with the candidate if they have clear records or confront them for their past charges.

A criminal background check for employment is a necessary step to make sure that the candidate’s profile is safe and clear. You can also conduct job-centric searches in a criminal background check. For example, if you are hiring an executive for a stock exchange, you can check burglary or extortion records.

What comes up on a Background Check for Employment?

A criminal background check is a great way to improve the quality of the hiring process and protect the company’s reputation. A background check for employment can cover a variety of aspects ranging from financial assets to criminal and social media records.

Given below is a list of what all can look up in a background check:

Identity and social security verification

Identities can be forged. And hence, it is important to conduct a detailed identity verification before you decide to hire. These checks can verify details like your address, birth certificate, name, and other details.

Credit report

These are the reports that are created by a credit bureau and contain details about the financial assets of the candidate. They contain trading history, loans, or debts that the candidate might have taken. Credit reports are done to ensure that the candidate is not a liability for the company’s assets.

Criminal records

Criminal background check for employment is a great way to make sure that the candidate is free from any criminal convictions. These records contain information about state, country, and federal records. Depending on the job being assigned you can check for advanced details like motor vehicle records or reference checks.

Social media records

Since social media is an important tool to represent a company’s presence, it is important that their employees also abide by that reputation. Background checks can also include details about social media presence, false comments, or LinkedIn profile details. Especially, if you are hiring for the job of a social media manager, a social media check is a must.

These were some of the necessary checks that come under a background check. The most frequent check is a criminal background check for employment as it helps in creating transparency between employees and employers.

Top 6 Companies that do Criminal Background Checks

If you want to conduct a criminal background check for your candidates, then here’s a list of top agencies that will provide you with verified quality information:

Pitch N Hire

Pitch N Hire is an ATS tracker technology that improves the recruitment processes by conducting a criminal background check. It helps in selecting the best candidates with the help of its customer-friendly ATS software. It accesses reports on candidates and improves the hiring process to avoid wastage of time.

Ameriwide Screeners Media

Ameriwide is a full-service background check agency that has been serving clients in the big and small industries for ages. They are best known for providing pre-employment background screening of candidates.

They aim at making sure that the workspace is safe for employees. They conduct a series of exhaustive and thorough checks that include identity verification, drug testing, sex offender registries, and criminal records. They combine with US-based tracking systems to ensure that no information is left offshore.

Accurate

Accurate is known for delivering accurate quality information for background checklists. They offer superior and qualified information that meets the needs of HR, talent acquisition, and professionals.

The best part is the fully-customized packages. You can customize solutions that fit your requirements and prevent any loss of information. They collaborate with HR systems and Applicant tracking systems to create transparent checks.

InfoMart

InfoMart has been recognized by WBENC and PBSA in background screen services. They conduct a thorough criminal background check for employment, criminal history check, continuous monitoring, credit, and driving records, and employment verification. They are dedicated to delivering quality customer services, technology solutions, and accurate reporting.

Checkr

Checkr is a platform that helps understand and improve the past. They aim at making the hiring of millions of candidates quick and easier through an advanced criminal background check. They have helped businesses of all sizes to create a better understanding of the workforce by bringing transparency and clarity to the hiring process.

Intellicorp

Intellicorp is a well-established company that is committed to helping small to midsize businesses hire candidates that fit their needs. They aim at maintaining transparency between the employees and employers through a criminal background check for employment, identity verification, and credit score check.

These were some of the top agencies that conduct a verified and detailed quality criminal background check. They will make sure that your candidate’s profile is safe and meets your organization's requirements. And hence, it is safer to hire a company to conduct time-consuming background checks.

Conclusion

There are different kinds of background checks performed by organizations to make sure that the candidate they hire is safe and fits the company’s reputation. One among these checks is a criminal background check for employment. It is an important check to make sure that the candidates are free from any accusations or criminal cases.

A criminal background check is done by surfing through public and government-based sites to check the records. This can include checking financial assets, sexual accusations, bail records, or custody.

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