What is the most crucial thing a background screening provider can offer? It’s challenging to narrow it down to just one. Although the report is essential, there are more valuable qualities that companies need to consider. The factors that make up a proper background screening provider are compliance, price, quality data, turnaround time, and customer service. With these multiple elements working together, you have a positive experience and confidence in your hiring process.
It’s crucial to choose a background screening provider that brings real value to your company.
Compliance
One reason why a company conducts background checks is to avoid a risky hire. A reputable background screening company makes compliance a priority for you.
Background check companies should be the expert in federal, state, and local laws on employment screening, including the Fair Credit Reporting Act. They should offer you up-to-date disclosure and authorization forms, along with pre-adverse and adverse action letters.
Price
The phrase “you get what you pay for” applies to background checks too. Ask yourself if the lowest price is the best option. Although it is necessary to keep your budget in mind, it’s critical to run quality and up-to-date background checks.
When evaluating for a background screening provider, be sure to compare reports of similar quality. Sometimes less expensive background checks are missing critical data, which can be concerning. Find out if your screening provider is searching through multiple sources of data to compile a complete report on your candidate. Since background screenings are a vital component of hiring, the value they bring to your company should be more important than the cost.
Quality Data
Database searches can be a valuable tool when used alongside other background check reports. Keep in mind that database searches are not a comprehensive stand-alone background check report. Quality providers offer other sources to help ensure an in-depth search for records in addition to a database.
Although there are standard federal regulations, states can have their restrictions on reporting crimes in a database. Some states also restrict case details provided to a database, and some won’t release any information at all to a database. Direct searches are a source of revenue for some state and local governments, so they won’t release information in a database. Using the database search with a county criminal background check is the best way to have an in-depth report on a candidate.
Turnaround Times
You want to make sure that the background check has quality reporting and is done in a timely manner. The typical turnaround time for a background check is two to three days. In the United States, there are over 3,000 counties or county-equivalents each with their court record database. The turnaround time to obtain the search results varies from county to county, depending on the technology used. Although some counties have online databases, some still use ledger books or microfilm for storage of court records. Results can take longer in counties that are clerk-assisted. A quality background check provider should keep you apprised of any unexpected delays.
Customer Service
Some companies consider customer service one of the most valuable qualities for a background screening provider. Having customer service representatives that are highly trained and qualified to answer your questions are essential qualities. Customer service doesn’t end after a phone call or online chat is over. It’s about the overall experience that you receive from the background check provider.
At SELECTiON.COM®, our customer support team is all in-house, along with our IT department. Customer support is available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (EST) Monday through Friday, via phone or Chatrax® our online chat system.
Background check companies should keep you informed on the background screening industry standards. Through monthly newsletters, blog posts, and emails, a background screening company should share essential updates, court closings, background check news, and relevant industry information. The more knowledge you have, then the better your hiring process will be.
Overall Value
What is vital for your company’s hiring process? While compliance, price, quality data, and customer service are all crucial components of a background screening program, the most important thing is your partnership with your provider.
Make sure your overall experience with your background check provider is more valuable than just a report.
Contact us today to see how SELECTiON.COM® can take your employment background check process to the next level.
This article gives a general overview of the legal matters. However, it is your responsibility to ensure compliance with all the relevant federal, state, and local laws governing this area. SELECTiON.COM® does not provide legal advice, and we always suggest consulting your own legal counsel for all applicant approval matters.
Established in 2003, PBSA is the only association of its kind and has become the trusted authority for the screening professionals. PBSA was established to promote a high level of ethics and performance standards for the background check industry. This association currently represents over 880 member companies engaged in employment and tenant background screening across the United States.
This rebranding allows for the association to transition fully into a global organization. Currently, the organization has three international chapters and is expanding. The rebrand includes a new logo, branding, and website.
PBSA Member companies are Consumer Reporting Agencies defined under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and these agencies are regulated by both the Federal Trade Commission and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. SELECTiON.COM® is a proud member of the PBSA.
The PBSA offers a Background Screening Agency Accreditation Program. Its purpose is to achieve excellence through high professional standards, including the adoption of best practices, awareness of legal compliance, and development of rules that protect clients and consumers. SELECTION.COM® is part of this prestigious program as well, and achieving this certification was no easy task.
To become an accredited firm, SELECTiON.COM® had to demonstrate initial and ongoing compliance with the accreditation standards as prepared by the Background Screening Credentialing Council. Compliance is determined through a rigorous review and on-site audits, which are completed by an independent third-party auditor. SELECTION.COM® documented each of the policies and processes required in each area within the standard and demonstrated visible compliance with their policies to the auditor. The program also required SELECTiON.COM® to commit to uphold and deliver the highest level of industry standards in the following critical areas: Information Security, Legal and Compliance, Client Education, Researcher and Data Standards, Verification Services Standards and Business Practices.
Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRAs) like SELECTiON.COM® help provide the country and its citizens with a safer environment in which to live, work, and play. The common goal for CRAs and PBSA is to continue working together to identify best practices and promote the highest ethical standards.
This article gives a general overview of the legal matters. However, it is your responsibility to ensure compliance with all the relevant federal, state, and local laws governing this area. SELECTiON.COM® does not provide legal advice, and we always suggest consulting your own legal counsel for all applicant approval matters.
New technology helps companies to go
beyond pre-employment checks and allows for the monitoring of current employees
for concerning behavior. Continuous monitoring is a real game-changer for
employment screening and adds immeasurable value to any employer. While some
industries are mandated to do periodic screening, there are more companies than
ever embracing some form of continuous background check.
Continuing compliance with the Fair
Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
guidance and applicable state laws is essential. Employers will need to
familiarize themselves with these regulations before starting a continuous
monitoring program.
Continuous monitoring programs can
help to make workplaces and communities safer. Listed below are five questions
an employer should keep in mind when implementing an ongoing monitoring program
with a third-party background check company.
Will your hiring and employment policies need to be amended?
The simple answer, yes. Ask yourself what type of report that will be run and add this to your policy. What procedures will you follow after receiving the results of the report? Consult with legal counsel to remain within jurisdictional regulations.
When should you seek authorization and consent?
The FRCA mandates that employers must obtain the job applicant’s consent before running a background check. State laws dictate the language that is required on a background check authorization form. If the applicant signs the Release and Authorization form during the hiring process, this document works for background checks at any time. However, it is essential that every time the employer wants to run a background check for their employees, that they make sure the release form still complies with the current FCRA regulations. If the release form is no longer compliant, a new form will need to be obtained for continuous monitoring.
How do I make sure the information reported is accurate?
A third-party background screening company runs a quality check to verify the information. At SELECTiON.COM®, precise searches are returned almost immediately, and all searches returning with records are reviewed manually by our experienced research team to reduce false-positive results and to ensure accuracy. In those cases, the average turnaround time is two to three hours, during regular business hours – Monday thru Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM.
How often should I re-screen current employees?
Quarterly Watch® by SELECTiON.COM® combines our Search America® national criminal database with background check automation. Employers can re-check their employees to verify that no illegal activity has occurred since hiring. Most of our clients choose to re-screen every three months, while others prefer annual and semi-annual checks.
What action can be taken from the record?
Employers
should follow procedure after receiving the background check report. According to the EEOC, an
employer cannot act or base employment decisions solely on arrest or incarceration
records. However, new criminal activity may lead to an investigation to
understand the details and other circumstances surrounding the event. After the
independent investigation, it is up to the employer to make a disciplinary
decision regarding the specific employee.
When an employer finds a criminal record
on a background check run pre or post-hire that causes the applicant to be
rejected or terminated, they must follow the FCRA mandated adverse action
policy. This process gives applicants and employees the opportunity to review
and dispute the information in the report. Your legal team should determine how
this policy applies to continuous monitoring and what the procedure should be for
the employers regarding suspension, discipline, or termination of an employee.
The Quarterly Watch® product by
SELECTiON.COM® has proven to be a great asset to many companies. Out of over
one million Quarterly Watch® searches ran by SELECTiON.COM® in the past
year, 949 employees/volunteers had criminal hits. The Quarterly Watch®
report
catches criminal activity before it becomes an issue for your company.
Contact
us today to add Quarterly Watch® to
your company’s background screening process.
This article gives a general overview of the legal matters. However, it is your responsibility to ensure compliance with all the relevant federal, state, and local laws governing this area. SELECTiON.COM® does not provide legal advice, and we always suggest consulting your own legal counsel for all applicant approval matters.
Streamline Your Background Checks By Adding These Features in Fastrax®
There are many elements that companies worry about on a day-to-day basis. Making sure that background screening is done correctly shouldn’t be one of those worries. At SELECTiON.COM®, we can manage your business’s compliance with the FCRA along with state and local background screening laws, so you don’t need to yourself. There are several features that you can add to your background screening account process to better manage your company’s time and resources.
Applicant Entry
Save valuable time by having the applicant fill out the background check form themselves. Our applicant entry feature can be added at no additional cost. Once activated, you can send a secure, one-time-use link to the applicant’s email through Fastrax®. We can customize the email to include a personalized message and greeting. From there, the applicant can input their information, including name, social security number, date of birth, and current address. Depending on the types of reports you wish to run, the form can be customized to include additional information such as employment history, education, or driver’s license number.
Once the applicant has filled out their information, the background check can be run immediately. Alternatively, you can also place a hold on the form and review it before approving it for a background check. This is helpful when interviewing multiple job candidates and helps narrow down applicants before running a background check.
Bulk Print
Bulk print gives you the ability to be able to view or print more than one report at a time in Fastrax®. Check the box near the name of each applicant you’d like to see in order to convert the reports into a single PDF file. This allows you to easily print or download multiple reports at a time.
E-Verify
Your company can manage the employee work authorization program through Fastrax® from start to finish. Our E-Verify portal will help you to ensure that your workforce is legally authorized to work.
Once an account is created for you through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), you will have the ability to process your applicants from application to employment through Fastrax®. E-Verify should be run within three days of hire. The tab in Fastrax® is labeled “E-Verify” and allows you to create an E-Verify request from the already existing information in our system. Search for the applicant by name or SSN. From there, you will only need to type in the information on your employee’s I-9 form to start the E-Verify process. Most requests are returned instantaneously. Tentative Non-Conformation documents can easily be printed and for your employee’s signature. Our system will notify you once the employee has resolved any issues with their work authorization at the DHS or local Social Security Administration office. With Fastrax®, our program improves the efficiency of your Form I-9 employment verification process and the accuracy of your payroll and tax reporting.
FCRA Delivery
We stay up to date on FCRA regulations and provide the tools to keep you compliant with the click of a button via our proprietary web portal, Fastrax®. Once activated, you can choose to have our in-house staff mail the Pre-Adverse and Adverse Action Letter for a nominal fee, with the click of a button.
You will see a “FCRA” tab on Fastrax®. After you’ve requested a FCRA mailing, a red envelope will show up next to the applicant’s name once a letter has been sent to the individual. The details on which letter was sent will be available to you in the log notes.
SELECTiON.COM® is your one-stop-shop for all things background screening. We will help your company stay compliant and save time.
Contact your in-house sales team member to add any of these services to your background screening process.
This article gives a general overview of the legal matters. However, it is your responsibility to ensure compliance with all the relevant federal, state, and local laws governing this area. SELECTiON.COM® does not provide legal advice, and we always suggest consulting your own legal counsel for all applicant approval matters.
As the summer is wrapping up, parents are getting their kids
ready for the new school year. While parents are buying pencils, notebooks, and
backpacks, school administrators are training and preparing their staff
members.
New teachers are hired and must go through an employee
onboarding process. Before starting a teaching position, teachers must go
through a pre-employment background screening to be able to work in a school.
Learning institutions are working hard to fill positions and understand the
need to ensure that those working with their children lack criminal convictions
related to children or abuse.
Teacher Screening Requirements
When it comes to teacher background screenings, schools are
first obligated to comply with regulatory laws, which vary from state to state.
Since some state’s laws may be lacking in certain areas, additional background
checks should be implemented beyond the official state requirements. This may
be one of the most critical decisions that schools can make to protect their
students and staff members.
Typically, the background screening program used by schools
includes a mix of state and federal criminal checks, child abuse checks, employment,
and education histories. For instance, in Ohio, all candidates seeking an Ohio
educator license, certificate, or permit must complete a fingerprint check
through both the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and FBI criminal
background databases. Ohio also requires credentialed educators to complete an
FBI background check every five years.
Unfortunately, not all states are as thorough. Some only
require public schools to run background checks on their new teachers and do
not have procedures in place to check a teacher’s criminal file after the
initial background screening. As a result, teachers may enter their career
without any record, then may commit unnoticed crimes while working for the
school.
Add to that the issues that are inherent in the fingerprint
databases searches and you have a recipe for disaster. Criminal records and sex offender registries are
not reported across state lines. State background check reports, including
fingerprint-based state reports, can sometimes have missing information. This
happens because the crimes are tried at the county level. Counties are not
required to report all records to the state, depending on the type of offense.
They also have their own schedule on when those records are sent on to the
state database, creating infrequent gaps in data. Human error also plays a part
with missed uploaded records. With fingerprint background checks specifically,
some records, such as misdemeanor drug offenses, public intoxication, and
disorderly conduct, can be missed simply because the crime is a ticket offense
in that area and doesn’t require being fingerprinted.
Go Beyond The Requirements
At SELECTiON.COM®, we have a multi-tiered approach to
background screening that encompasses more areas. We believe that the best
approach to teacher screenings is to go above and beyond what is required by law.
We recommend that clients supplement their fingerprint or
state-based screening program with county criminal checks and a check through
our Search America® national criminal database.
We also offer our Quarterly Watch® service, which will run a
check through the Search America database at intervals chosen by our clients.
For example, the checks can be run quarterly, yearly, or bi-annually. Quarterly
Watch® makes continuous criminal monitoring easy for all employers.
In addition to checks that are in place specifically for the
student’s safety, it is a good idea to verify a teacher’s education. Teachers
should have the proper qualifications and credentials to teach their students.
You’d be surprised at how many people lie on that portion of their application.
In 2018, fifteen percent of education verifications submitted to SELECTiON.COM®
showed that the applicant had lied about their education.
Our recommended background screenings for teachers:
At SELECTiON.COM®, we have worked with some of the nation’s top
learning institutions. Contact us today to create a customized screening solution for your school,
and we will help you hire the right person and keep your students safe.
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