Ensuring the emotional, physical, or monetary safety of your home, workplace, and rental properties is important.If you conduct a state or federal background check, you can discover any potential criminal offenses, sentence info, corrections data, and court records of the individual.When you make a final decision about the person, you need to carefully read the results of the background check.
Step 1: From the background check, you can determine your needs.
A background check is a wide range of information that one person may want to know about another.It is different to conduct a background check for a potential roommate or tenant than it is for an employee.A financial background check is more important for a tenant than a criminal history check for an employee.Criminal history civil records driver records employment history educational background license verification credit history personal references are some of the areas to consider checking.
Step 2: The company is accredited by the NAPBS.
The list of companies that are accredited to perform background searches is maintained by the National Association of Professional Background Screeners.Contact the company or companies that will provide the service you need after reviewing their information.One company may specialize in financial information and another in criminal records checks.There are questionable online commercial sites.A quick Internet search for "background check" will lead to many companies that claim to be able to provide a "free" or "immediate" background check on anyone in the country.Many of these companies use sources that are available to the general public to perform limited or incomplete record checks.The information you get may not be reliable.Stick to companies that are accredited by the NAPBS.
Step 3: Do you have the ability to complete a background check on your own?
If you don't have the funds to hire an accredited service, you can conduct your own search.It will take time and effort to get the information you need when you complete your own search.It's wise to spend money to have someone do a background check for you if you don't know how to do it yourself.Start by doing basic searches online.When conducting a search, put the person's name in quotation marks and then type what you are looking for.A lot of information on the internet may be false.Follow your search with verified government websites.You can check your state's court system website to see if someone has an arrest record.In Iowa, you can use the court's online search function to find court records.Ask the person what they know.Asking the person for their full name, address, phone number, and social security number is one of the easiest ways to start conducting a background check.You could ask the person if they have ever been charged or convicted of a felony, or whether they've ever filed for bankruptcy.You can use this information to verify their answers online.
Step 4: Try to find a lawyer.
Regardless of whether you use a professional service or conduct a background check on your own, you might want to hire a lawyer to make sure you are following the law.A lawyer will be able to give you the information you need.Contact your state bar association's lawyer referral service to find a qualified lawyer.You will be put in touch with various lawyers after answering a few questions.
Step 5: It's important that you and your searcher comply with the FCRA.
The federal law requires certain disclosures to be made to the person you are checking on.Compliance with the FCRA is assured if you use an accredited or certified background screener.
Step 6: Before you conduct your check, you should get authorization from your subject.
Background checks are a part of almost any application in today's society.You will need the permission of the person you are researching to get the records you need.If you apply for a job, residence, or something else, you should include a form that the applicants will sign, which will allow you to conduct the background check that you need.You can check online for templates of forms.Whatever company you use to conduct the search will likely have a form that you can reproduce and include in your application materials.
Step 7: The NICS can be used for firearms checks.
The National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS, is administered by the FBI and provides immediate information to people involved in the sale of firearms.Federal Firearms Licensees have access to the NICS.FFLs can call an access number and get a reply about a prospective buyer.
Step 8: The subject of the information you receive should be verified.
You should always check the report you receive to see if it matches the person who is applying to you.Before you conduct your search, collect as much information as possible from the individual.Middle names, initials, prior addresses, and spouse or family information can be used.
Step 9: The importance of criminal information should be decided.
A background check that turns up a history of criminal activity by your subject does not mean that you have to deny that person's application, whether for a job, a residence, or something else.You have the right to look at the report and decide if the history would justify a denial.If you are hiring someone as a school bus driver, a recent conviction for a moving motor vehicle violation would probably be important enough to deny the application.A history of parking tickets from a long time ago is likely not.If you are checking on prospective tenants or roommates for an apartment, you may or may not be concerned if the individual has a conviction for marijuana possession.It is up to you to decide.You might not have the freedom to exercise discretion in some positions.For employees who care for the elderly or young children, background checks may be required in some hiring positions.
Step 10: It is advisable to read all parts of a financial credit report.
A financial credit report, which will usually come from one of the three major credit reporting agencies, usually consists of five sections.You will want to make sure that the information you receive is important to you.There is identifying information.You need to make sure that the report you receive matches the person applying to you.If you have a middle name, check the details of the full name.You need to contact the reporting agency to find other ways to verify a match if you have any questions.There are public records.You can find information in the public records section of the credit report.Civil judgments, tax liens, and bankruptcies will be included.To determine its relevance, you will want to review the dates of each item.If everything else seems strong since that date, a bankruptcy case from many years ago may not be relevant today.There are Collections.You can see if the individual has debts that have been turned over to collection agencies.Someone with a long list of collections may be a risk to take on as a tenant or an employee in charge of finances.Credit history.You will see the subject's buying and payment transactions in the credit history section.You can use this information to see if the subject pays his or her bills in a timely fashion and is responsible with credit.There are inquiries.A list of other offices, individuals or agencies who have made requests about this subject's credit is provided in this section.An inquiry is not a negative point.You may question the reason if you find a lot of inquiries.
Step 11: If necessary, seek assistance from a professional.
If you have questions about the results of a background check, ask them.If you did your own search, you should contact the agency who provided you with the report to find out what the meaning was.If you used a background checking company, you should ask the company how to interpret the report.You do not want to make a decision about someone's application based on incorrect interpretations of the data.
Step 12: The subject of your search should prompt a review of any negative information.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act gives the subject of a background search the right to be notified of bad decisions.He or she has the right to review the information that led to a negative decision.Before you make a final decision, you should report any negative information to your subject and ask for an explanation.
Step 13: Know your credit history.
Before you apply for a job or a loan, you should know the information that your prospective lender is going to find out.Before you apply, you should get copies of your credit reports.If you find things on the reports that need to be corrected, contact the reporting companies or individual lenders.Negative items can be removed if they are old or incorrect.
Step 14: You have the right to limit reference checks.
You can limit the people that the employer contacts for reference checks if you apply for a new job.If you know that a previous employer is going to give a negative report about you, you should not allow a prospective employer to make that contact.It is likely that limiting the contacts that a prospective employer may make is going to raise concerns.A prospective employer might conclude that you are hiding something and use that as a reason not to hire you.Carefully consider your options.If you have a problem with your old boss, you may be better off explaining it to the prospective employer.
Step 15: You should be aware of your social media footprint.
In making decisions, hiring personnel are likely to use all the resources they have.This could include social media postings.Before you submit any applications that will include a background check, you should conduct your own social media check.Look at what information is available by searching for your name.You don't want a potential employer to see photos of wild parties or inflammatory comments you may have made about your last boss.Change the security settings on your accounts if you want to remove compromising photos.Private information should be kept private.It would be a good idea to close any accounts you no longer use.