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Background
Screening FAQ’s
Why
should I conduct My Personal Background
Check?
Performing a personal background check is your
opportunity to verify information provided about you by your
job other employers or criminal records that have not been
corrected by the court system Background checks also help
confirm dates of attendance and degrees or certifications
earned. It can also reveal information that was either
mistakenly omitted - such as residency in other state.
What does a Background Check consist of?
A
genuine Background Check means verifying the background
history of a person. In the context of normal civilian
pre-employment screening, this usually refers to the
completion of one or more of the following: an ID.
verification which includes the verification of their
Social Security Number and their address and employment
history, a Criminal Conviction History check, a Civil
Litigation History check, a Drivers License Record
check, a Personal Credit History check, an Education
Verification, an Employment Verification, a Professional
License Verification --- and usually, a Drug Test to
detect the use of illegal drugs and/or the illegal use of
controlled substances. .
Is this practice
legal?
Every aspect of the research performed by
HireSafe is fully compliant with all Federal and State
laws and applicable legal standards. By using HireSafe,
employers legally protect themselves and ensure that the
rights of their applicants are also being upheld.
Although we cannot provide legal or hiring advice to our
clients, our legal advisors ensure that HireSafe procedures
comply with the Fair
Credit Reporting Act and other Federal and State
laws concerning privacy, discrimination and equal opportunity.
These laws dictate what records can be reported, how
they can be utilized, and, who can use them. All records
are subject to Equal Opportunity laws, which prohibit unfair
use of the data.
How are the records
used?
The records are used to verify the statements of
the prospective employee or tenant, as well to alert the
employer or landlord to potential safety issues.
Employers and landlords have an obligation to exercise
reasonable care in the hiring and leasing process. For
example, a child day care center needs to know if an applicant
has an undisclosed criminal background.
Do you
need a special license to run background
checks?
Currently, the State of California does
not require a specific license for a company performing
Background Checks. However, the president and CEO of
HireSafe, Alfred Firato, is a licensed California
Private Investigator (CA
PI #25313), which provides our clients with an extra layer
of protection and professionalism. Mr. Firato is a
founding member of the National Association of
Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS).
Can I
do a nationwide criminal background check?
Yes, but an
accurate county court nationwide criminal history
search would be cost prohibitive. We offer the
"Nationwide Criminal Profile Search" but it does not include
all states and is done by searching databases, and the
contributing courts. These databases rely on courts to submit
their records to them and many of the courts do not
participate - and if they do participate, the records
are frequently outdated. There is no central repository of
criminal records available to the private sector - to conduct
a nationwide criminal history check for this criminal
background check, we would need to search over 3,300
courts throughout the country.
Contrary to what you
may have heard or read, there is NO, repeat, NO
NATIONAL CRIMINAL REPORTING SYSTEM available to the public.
The National Criminal Information Center (NCIC)
is maintained and run by the FBI and is authorized for use
only by law enforcement in the pursuit of an
investigation. The NCIC is NOT available for use by the
general public under any circumstances.
Stored
data base searches help in a secondary and back-up role
when the counties from the address of record have also been
searched. Stored database criminal records from jurisdictions
beyond the primary recorded counties could point to
convictions that would not have otherwise been
known.
How do you know where to look for a
criminal record?
The best way to determine where
your applicant has lived is to from an Address History
Search. This is based on their Social Security Number and
uses information from the credit reporting agencies as
well as numerous other resources to develop a complete
history of residency, or their address of record. Each address
will have the County identified, and a County Criminal
Record search can be completed for the appropriate counties.
Our system automatically orders the appropriate County
Criminal Searches without any additional data entry. It
is a reasonable conclusion to look at ALL the counties
from the address of record for criminal records, a practice
that will maintain the integrity of the due diligence
process if the background report becomes a legal issue. A
complete and legally recognized background check will
always include all counties from the address of
record.
What if I have lived in other
states?
HireSafe can retrieve criminal reports
from anywhere in the USA, Canada and 172 foreign
countries.
What if someone has changed
their name, been married, etc?
If you know the
alternate name, you can include it in your background check
search request. If an additional name is disclosed
during the background check - by the Address
History/Social Security Trace for example - then you should
include it in your searches. A complete and legal
background check will always include all aliases, maiden names
or AKA’s.
How much does a background check
cost?
Background Checks vary in cost depending on the
types of searches included in the report and number of
county courthouses need to be searched. All county court
record searches are conducted at the court house, anywhere in
the USA.
Will I encounter any surcharges when
ordering a background check report?
In some
regions, governmental agencies, schools or employers
that provide us information charge a small fee for
releasing this information. Rather than increasing our prices
for all services, we add these fees to a customers order as a
surcharge (at no additional markup), only when such a
fee applies. These fees, when applicable, average
approximately $6. (However, the New York state Office of Court
Administration imposes a whopping $55.00 per name
fee!)
How long will it take to complete the
background check?
Employee background check reports
generally are complete in 48-72 hours. If a criminal
record is found, the entire court case file must be
pulled to retrieve the necessary data. Often this involves
additional time by the court clerk. Academic and Employment
Verification completion times vary greatly, owing to the
individual nature of each organizations cooperation.
Every effort is made to return a completed request in
the fastest time available without a compromise in accuracy.
How will I receive the results of the
search?
Completed report notices for background
check reports are sent E-mailed directly to you. The
results can be viewed online with the proper password at: https://www.instascreen.net/hire-safe/.
What does it cost to sign
up?
Nothing! We do not charge any registration fees,
standard setup fees or monthly minimums. You pay only for the
services and reports that you request.
Can
we talk to you about questions or issues that we may
have?
Emphatically YES! We welcome all calls from
our clients as a way to learn more about your business
and what role we can play to assist you. Call us toll-free any
reasonable time at: 888 792-4473 or in Sacramento County, at:
916 226-2550.
Or E-mail us at: mailto:research@hire-safe.com
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