12 Common Questions Regarding Background Checks

What is checked on a background check?

A background check will investigate a candidate’s background based on criteria determined by the Client. A check of a candidate’s background may include employment, education, criminal records, credit history, motor vehicle and license record checks.

How much is a full background check?

The cost of a background check typically ranges from $10 to $500. The price depends on which components are in a background report. Background checks with only criminal searches tend to be less expensive than reports with employment and education verifications and drug testing.

How do I get a personal background check?

To run a personal background check, you will need to provide basic personal information like your name, date of birth, residential address and Social Security number. Although results typically appear instantly, some searches can take up to a few days.

Is it legal to do background checks?

On January 1, 2018, California’s ban-the-box law will take effect. Amendments to California’s Fair Housing and Employment Act (FEHA) will make it illegal for private and public employers with five or more employees to ask about criminal history until the later stages of the application process.

What is the most common background check?

County criminal history searches are the most common form of criminal background check. These searches allow employers to pull reports from court records of specific counties. There are multiple questions on these background checks that will be asked including past offenses, felonies or misdemeanors, convictions, incarceration, etc.

Are online background checks accurate?

Online Criminal Background Checks and Unverifiable background checks are not accurate. A third party screening company, with costs just a bit more than free, will not only offer results but will verify the sources and the conditional matches against the candidate. No company that charges $50 can do a thorough background check that’s actually worth the money. All you get is a basic and cursory list of publicly available information. You are not even getting what you pay for with searches like these. You may receive a lot of information, but very little of it is actually valuable.

Can I do a background check on someone without them knowing?

Criminal history information (and most other information that background checks find) is public record. If you want to run a name-based background check on a significant other, a neighbor , or someone else for purposes that are relevant exclusively to a personal relationship, you can do so without consent.

What’s the difference between a background check and a criminal background check?

General BG checks give some information, but may miss important facts. Most criminal background checks will include a person’s name, known aliases, description (including tattoos and other identifying marks) arrests, convictions and prison terms. Some may even include information on outstanding warrants.

How do I run a criminal background check on someone?

To perform a background check you’ll need to get the full name, social security number, and/or date of birth of the employee. You will also need the employee’s permission for credit reports, school transcripts, and military records.

Can I request a background check on someone?

In the simplest terms, yes, you can run a background check on anyone. If you have a person’s name, it is possible to look into their history, check their criminal record, find details about their driving record, and more.

Will a background check show all my jobs?

They’re left to wonder whether a background check can reveal a candidate’s past employers. The simple answer is no. No background check can return a list or database of the jobs that a person has held over the years. Our investigators contact the companies or employers listed on a resume to verify crucial details.

How can I find my previous address history?

1. Check your credit reports. You may be able to pull some past addresses from your credit reports.

2. Pull your tax records.

3. Search your public records.

4. Search your online accounts.

5. Credit and lending decisions.

6. Job offers and employment verification.