Background Checks 101
Background Checks: What are They Exactly?
A background check is a collection of information about you. This information is collected from searches pulled from your public records. Background checks are used by organizations to verify your personal history and credibility.
Background Check Information
The two most important components of a background check are criminal background checks and verification checks.
Criminal Background Checks
Criminal background checks could include convictions from county, state, national and/or federal records. These records will be used to determine if you are a risk to an organization, its employees, and its customers.
Verification Checks
Verification checks may include past-employment history, employment references, credit reports, public filings, driving records, and education. These verifications reveal your behavior patterns and whether or not you have been truthful on your applications.
How a Background Check is Used
A background check could be conducted by potential employers, landlords or property managers, volunteer and non-profit organizations, and even some social networks. Colleges may conduct background checks for clinical placement for JCAHO compliance as well as resident hall applications.
The most common and extensive background checks will be conducted by employers for pre-employment screening purposes. Employers usually conduct criminal background checks and employment verifications. Depending on the position, you may also be required to submit a drug test, which is used for driving positions and to maintain a drug-free workplace. Driving positions could also include a motor vehicle record search.
Some industries require additional, more extensive searches, such a healthcare or government jobs. Many employers now require you to answer a questionnaire or test that is designed to score aptitude or personal characteristics that may or may not be suitable for a certain position. All of these investigations can be a part of the overall pre-employment screening process.
The Personal Background Check
With the growing trend in personal information control, more consumers are purchasing their own background checks to monitor the information and correct inaccuracies, which helps prevent identity theft and fraud. Providing your own background check to organizations helps speed application processes and protects your vital personal information.
With a MyBackgroundCheck.com account, you have the opportunity to view your reports before others do and invite them to view your background checks over our secure network. In addition, you can collect your work references and past-employment verifications to show employers and lenders. With a MyBackgroundCheck.com account, only you are in control of your personal information!
MyBackgroundCheck.com and its parent company, Pre-employ.com, provide background check services to hundreds of thousands of consumers and Fortune® 1000 businesses nationwide. We offer a full scope of options for your personal background check.
Consumer Privacy Rights
MyBackgroundCheck.com and its affiliated companies are consumer privacy rights advocates. We continually invest in the most secure technology in order to protect your personal information and we never compile or sell your personal data.
While each state in the US has its own laws regarding consumer reporting and background checks, the Fair Credit Reporting Act [FCRA] governs the entire process on a federal level. The FCRA regulates the reporting of consumer information, who it is reported to, and how it is reported. It preserves the consumer's rights to protect their personal information, as well as provides the consumer (you) with the ability to dispute and modify any erroneous information.
For additional information on background checks, please visit our Resources page.