It might sound a little strange, but you don’t always know if someone is who they say they are. That’s why it’s sometimes necessary to run a background check – not just to verify a person’s identity but also their employment history, credit score, and more. For small businesses, this can be important. For example, hiring is an expensive process when you’re on a tighter budget, so you want to make sure you get the right person for the job. But surprisingly, 62% of small businesses have made a wrong hire – something that could have been prevented with a thorough background check. And since about 78% of applicants lie, it’s a good idea to screen candidates. Of course, that’s not the only reason to run a background check, and there are plenty of services designed with small businesses in mind.
There are various kinds of background checks you can run and a lot of information to find out. Of course, what you need to know depends on your business’s needs. For instance, if your business operates in the education industry, it’s especially important for a candidate not to have any kind of criminal history. To be certain, you can run a criminal background check that will find previous convictions, arrests for minor charges, and outstanding warrants. These kinds of checks frequently search through sex offender registries as well. Some background check services will also handle drug testing for your candidates. If your small business requires anyone to drive a vehicle, then you can use a background check service to verify a person’s driver’s license.
Reputation is important, and businesses don’t want to be associated with employees who bring the company into disrepute. To prevent this, there’s social media screening. Background check services comb through a person’s social media profiles for inappropriate posts – even finding hidden accounts. Similarly, some employers like to check an employee’s credit, which is another feature that background check services provide.
No one has time to go through every background check service to find the right solution. To help out, we’ve collected three of the best services that are ideal for small businesses.
Having been in the business since 2015, TruthFinder is well versed in running background checks on U.S. residents. The service scans private and public records, gathers people’s data, such as their social media profiles, location, and criminal records, and compiles it into easy-to-read reports. TruthFinder's diverse search methods allow users to look for information about someone by filling in their full name, phone number, email, or address. The results from these searches are data-rich and well-organized in reports, which can be accessed from computers and mobile devices. Prices start at $4.99 per month for phone reports and at $23.52 for people search reports.
Staying relevant as a background check service with so many competitors on the market is no easy task. Nevertheless, Intelius has remained in the spotlight since its foundation in 2003. The company provides a highly refined search engine that returns several types of personal data, such as birth dates, criminal records, financial information, and more. Users can look up a long-lost friend or family member, or check the background of a new neighbor with ease. Intelius isn’t restricted to just the browser, as the smartphone app makes searching for people on the go straightforward. Although it’s not a free service, the cheapest subscription is charged every two months and costs $21.13 per month ($42.26 in total).
Social Catfish is a web-based online platform specializing in verification and background check reports. With a database of over 300 million records, it provides thorough reverse search capabilities via names, usernames, addresses, phone numbers, and photos.
The reports include extensive information, from personal details like usernames and relatives to property and business information. It has plenty of plans, with prices starting at $5.73 for the first 3 days and $27.48 after that. Plus, its Social Media Pro plans all include a 20% discount.
For something as important as a background check on someone’s past and identity, there are strict rules to follow – especially for businesses. This is chiefly because of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which is a set of federal laws designed to protect people’s personal information when used for things like background screening, credit checks, and employment. What this means is that whenever your business needs to run a check that falls under FCRA regulations, you’ll need to get consent from the candidate or employee first. Punishment for FCRA violations depends on the severity but goes from fines to prison sentences. However, a good background check service should take care of this for you.
Naturally, a background check costs money, with prices depending on the service and the type of check. But doing nothing costs small businesses more in the long run. Indeed, on average, a bad hire can cost a business $17,000 – making a background check service peanuts in comparison.
When it comes to deciding on the right background check service for your business, there are a few things you need to consider. The most obvious one is cost. Some services are cheaper than others, which is great if you’re running your business on a small budget. But you might not be getting the most comprehensive reports available. You need to consider the number of checks you’re going to be running as well. Many background check companies provide subscription models that allow you to perform as many as you want. Speed is a factor too – some services will give you a report in minutes while others can take days. And don’t overlook the importance of great customer support either.
Often background check services are specialists in particular areas. For example, not every service has the capabilities to run checks on international workers. Meanwhile, a business working in the healthcare industry will want to know if a person was accused of patient neglect in the past. Then there are others that specialize in other industries like transportation, manufacturing, construction, and more.
As we mentioned, for small businesses, FCRA-compliance is a must. Not every option is designed with businesses in mind. So you need to ensure that your background check service is FCRA-compliant to ensure that you’ll avoid any large fines.
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