Background Screening Blog

Criminal history searches have long been among the most popular types of background checks. Based on Verified Credentials’ internal research of its clients’ order history, 94% of all organizations include criminal searches in their employment screening activities. But how do those employers know what criminal history search to get?

Topics: Employment Background Checks, National Criminal Database Search, Federal Criminal History Search, County Criminal History Search, Statewide Criminal History Search

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

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

The weather is warm, the flowers are in bloom, and the sun is shining. The return of summer means wedding season is upon us once again. For family and friends, there’s nothing like seeing two people who are perfect for each other come together to start a new chapter in their lives. For HR professionals ordering background checks, there’s a different kind of union that can be just as important: the marriage between product and scope. Just like a successful marriage depends on two people working together, what comes up on a background check depends on the product and scope working in harmony. Let’s take a closer look at why this relationship is so important and what you can do to make sure you and your background check process live happily ever after.

Topics: Employment Background Checks, National Criminal Database Search, Federal Criminal History Search, ID Trace, Driving Records, Background Check Scope

I’m sure you know that background screening terminology, services, and technology can be a little confusing. Like many other HR professionals, you may be looking for a background screening company to educate you about what exactly you can expect in their background checks. For many reasons, including how screening services are named across the industry, questions can still remain. That’s not the only problem. You don’t want to wrongly identify what service will get you the background information needed.  We have seen some employers have difficulty deciphering labels for a few searches in particular, best summed up with a central question: What is the difference between the “national” criminal database and the “federal” criminal history search? In many other situations, it is completely reasonable to assume that the words “national” and “federal” are interchangeable. Think about it, “national” parks are on “federal” lands and the “Federal” Bureau of Investigations” deals with matters of “national” security. It quickly becomes clear how industry jargon and legal distinctions can confuse HR professionals when it comes time to build a background check package. Well, when it comes to background screening, “national” and “federal” are actually quite a bit different. Understanding the difference can be beneficial to your background screening process as the terms indicate different sources that return very different results. Keep reading below and we’ll tell you exactly how these types of searches differ. Mistaking one for the other is not an error you’ll want to risk.

Topics: Employment Background Checks, National Criminal Database Search, Federal Criminal History Search