Background Screening Blog

Have you been thinking about your goals for your next round of hires? It may be just the time to start thinking about future staffing needs and how your background screening strategy can keep up. Scaling up and down quickly to accommodate busy seasons is second nature for some industries, but more employers across industries are looking for ways to welcome new employees, sometimes quickly. We are tracking influences on hiring trends and ways to modify your background checks to prepare for growth. See what we learned:

Topics: Employment Background Checks, Background Check Packages, Bulk Background Checks

How many reminders do you have set on your calendar, your phone, or the classic stand-by sticky note? We’re a Minnesota company, the place where Post-it notes were invented, so we have nothing against this helpful tracking method. But chances are that you’ve got more than a dozen reminders on your list. Before you see your workspace littered with colorful flags and reminders to keep your background checks on track, we have a couple decluttering solutions.

Topics: Efficiency, Employment Background Checks, Candidate Self-Service, Employment Verifications, Academic Verifications

Are you considering making the jump to remote teams? Maybe you have already have teleworkers on your team. Companies are showing their strength and versatility with the use of technology to meet their goals in daily operations, hiring, and prospecting with potential clients. Regardless of the industry, there are many opportunities for employers to embrace remote employees and the flexibility that comes with these roles. For hiring managers, remote positions also raise questions about the hiring processes and structure for hiring managers to create more efficient workflows.  

Topics: Employment Background Checks, Technology

It’s no secret that connecting all human resources processes in one convenient ecosystem is the gold-star goal for many HR leaders. The efficiency and professionalism of your onboarding process has significant payouts – earning the trust, respect, and confidence of your candidates—and it all starts with how you use smart tools and HR systems.

Topics: ATS Integration, Employment Background Checks, Candidate Experience, Technology

Background checks generally take anywhere from a single day up to three days on average to complete. Conducting drug tests can extend this average since time to collect, test and validate results can take additional time. When 96% of drug tests are negative, meaning no indication of substance use is found, the benefit of expediting the availability of negative results changes the game for employers that drug test current and prospective employees.

Topics: Employment Background Checks, Rapid Drug Testing

Applying for a new job can sometimes feel overwhelming. And just when you think the process is near the end, the background check might bring on added anxiety. But honestly, there’s no reason to be intimidated. While employment background checks vary in complexity, they tend to have a straightforward and consistent process, which makes it fairly easy for you to prepare. Start with getting familiar with the steps to complete a background check and where you might be able to plan.

Topics: Employment Background Checks, Candidate Experience, Self-Background Check

“What background checks are other companies searching?” This is a question we often hear from HR professionals like you when we begin consulting on the current state of background checks. The most up-to-date trends can be an easy and obvious starting point for evaluating your background screening strategy.

Topics: Employment Background Checks

Background checks seek the truth about your candidates’ and employees’ connections with potential crimes. Screening products, packages, scope, actual order product mix, and methodologies used all contribute to how comprehensive a background check is. When added up, you can get a good sense of how likely it is you’ll prevent relevant information about a candidate from slipping through the cracks.

Topics: Employment Background Checks, National Criminal Database Search, Federal Criminal History Search, National Sex Offender Registry, ID Trace, Social Security Trace, Driving Records, Background Check Scope

Nearly everyone knows the Forrest Gump quote about life and boxes of chocolates. But the classic movie features another gem of wisdom when Forrest explains, “My mama always said you can tell a lot about a person by their shoes, where they going, where they been.” This folksy observation holds an essential lesson for HR professionals. Do you know where your candidates have been in their careers? Because much like shoes, employment verifications can give you much insight into the candidate’s past. Verifying a candidate’s work history can confirm the information they provided or listed on their resume, give you a peek into how they perform as an employee, and even offer detail about their personality.

Topics: Employment Background Checks, Employment Verifications

When the weather gets cold, the best defense is to layer up with coats and sweaters to put as many barriers as possible between you and the frigid temperatures. If you don’t pack on the layers, you could leave yourself vulnerable to a cold snap. This is not unlike the criminal history searches in your pre-employment background screening program. A criminal record strategy relying on the thin fabric of limited information sources could miss important records. With the potential to lead to unintended consequences, many companies choose to take a layered approach instead. Here’s why you may want to consider layering up this winter to reduce potential risk to your company.

Topics: Employment Background Checks, National Criminal Database Search, Federal Criminal History Search, National Sex Offender Registry, Driving Records