5 Things to Know About Identity Background Check 

Background checks are necessary for the hiring managers or employers to get certain information about the employees they are hiring. It is essential to help employers deal with challenges such as employees being less trustworthy and unwilling to reveal certain information.  

As a hiring manager, you must understand some important details about background checks. This will help you get accurate results and understand the process’s workings and other crucial details. Therefore, as you prepare for the next hiring period and background checks, here are five things you need to know. 

Are All Background Checks Accurate? 

Not all background checks are usually accurate. Some may not reveal the full details you need about the individual. Consumer reporting agencies (CRAs) have different and varying levels of accuracy, and not all will show the details you need hence the need to select the agencies carefully. You must consider various factors to identify the best identity background check website. These facets include history; the organization must have been doing background checks for about five years. This gives them enough time to have an excellent database to generate the most accurate results.  

You also need to review the website to ensure most customers recommend it. You can also check their clients and their partners. Those with partnerships with larger companies tend to be more legit than the new and fast-rising companies. Alternatively, you can hire two agencies to run the checks and confirm the findings to ensure you find more accurate data from these companies.  

What Does The Background Check Reveal? 

The results should reveal specific details about the social security number provided when conducting the background check. The results will give the individual’s identity to help you ascertain whether the details are accurate. It gives the individual’s criminal records; however, it does not provide any criminal records for minors since the states seals such records for protection. It also provides details about the credit records and reputation of the individual. The credit record includes the bankruptcy detail, in case of any, current credits and possibly bank details.  

It can also provide educational and employment history. If you are looking for someone with specific work experience, you can know their former employer and history from the background check. Finally, it also provides details about the driving record. It will reveal any tickets issued and cases of any accidents incurred. The assessments will not disclose specific information considered sensitive. Due to privacy and confidentiality, these details may not reveal the exact account number. The system will only reveal the particular bank or the number of accounts held. 

Common Myths About Background Checks 

There are different myths about background checks; hence you need to understand them before running any checks. The first myth is that the checks are only for pre-employment. There are different reasons to conduct background checks. The first is to ensure the employment details provided are accurate and authentic. The second role is for the employer to monitor employees to ensure they do not engage in criminal activity and uphold company standards and regulations.  

Besides the background checks for employment, you can also do your background check to confirm specific details about you. You can do the checks to verify your details before you submit them to the employer. This is just a cautionary measure to ensure everything is in order. For an employer, it is critical to reduce liability expenses to ensure your employees do not violate any federal codes of conduct.  

The Duration Takes To Conduct The Background Check 

The turnaround duration for the background check results varies based on the agency you use and other factors. The background check process varies based on state, affecting how long you will take to get your results. You must abide by these rules to avoid conducting illegal searches or failing the compliance rules.  

You need to give enough duration for the perfect check results. Hurrying the findings or demanding the results too soon means you will get incomplete data, or sometimes you may get highly inaccurate data. Secondly, when the details you need are too many, the duration will also be longer. When you receive the data, ensure you confirm completeness before you accept the results. 

Limits To What The Agency Can Tell 

Before you run the tests, ensure you seek the employee’s consent and ensure they provide their social security number willingly. Next, you also need to understand that the rules on what the agency reveals vary based on state. These agencies abide by the Consumers Reporting Agency and the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) regulation that must abide by the privacy and confidentiality rules.  

Running background checks without the employee’s consent is a criminal offense. Equally, these agencies also have a limit on the data they can reveal. They cannot disclose sensitive data or those that may expose the employee to particular discrimination and abuse. They cannot reveal any data about religion, race, or ethnicity, but they can reveal the country of origin if you are an immigrant.  

Conclusion 

As an employer, you must understand the critical role of background checks in getting quality employees. You should also understand certain considerations before you conduct the background checks. If you plan to run the test, you should give the third-party agencies enough time to conduct a legitimate and authorized assessment. You also need to understand the regulations about privacy and what the results can reveal. Finally, do not fall victim to the myths.