Background Checks: Fast, Accurate & Surprisingly Easy

Employees conduct background checks to make informed decisions about candidates and increase their odds of hiring a qualified employee. Background checks can help verify or offer additional information about employees related to their previous jobs, education, driving history, drug use, criminal history and more. Various industries also have specific requirements for background checks that employers must comply with, in addition to federal and state laws.

In addition to helping to provide information about a potential employee’s background and experiences related to a job, background checks can also minimize fears—and potential risk—related to any threats that an employee may pose. By conducting background checks, employers minimize risks that could lead to liability claims based on the actions of employees who were not properly vetted when hired.

Background checks can reveal a wide range of information about an employee’s past relative to their work history, education, criminal history and more. Since there are many different types of background checks available, employers will choose which checks to run based on the positions they’re hiring for and the type of information that’s important for them to make an informed choice.

For example:

Background checks may also be used to check an applicant’s credit history, determine whether they hold certain professional licenses required for the job, test for illicit drug use, etc.

GoodHire offers more than 100 pre-employment screening and background checks, making it your one-stop resource for all of your background check needs. Some of the broad categories of background checks offered include: employment verification, education verification, identity verification, professional reference checks, driving record checks, criminal records, credit checks, drug screening, civil court checks, healthcare sanctions checks and international background checks.

With so many types of background checks to choose from, we understand that it may feel overwhelming. GoodHire’s team of specialists can help you determine which checks make sense for you based on your industry, employment screening policy, your company location and your candidates’ locations, and the positions you’re filling. We offer maximum flexibility and an opportunity to customize packages to meet your specific background check needs.

Background checks start with verification of an individual’s identity based on the information they provide, including date of birth and Social Security number. Then searches are conducted using a variety of public databases and court records depending on the type of information sought. 

In addition to database checks, some searches will require specialists to manually contact employers and other organizations, such as educational institutions. To ensure maximum possible accuracy, GoodHire’s team of specialists manually reviews background check results with alerts, providing extra assurance that employers are making decisions based on accurate, legally reportable data.

GoodHire’s process is customer- and candidate-friendly. It uses a user-friendly digital and mobile-optimized process that includes candidate consent, ongoing updates and easy access to information for both employers and candidates.

With GoodHire, both employers (HR teams, hiring managers, recruiters) and candidates receive status updates and full copies of results. A user-friendly dashboard makes it easy to review and understand results so employers and hiring managers can make informed decisions. Candidates also have the ability to dispute any inaccurate information and to append additional information to the results to provide context or explanation.

Because of the wide range of different types of background checks, the amount of time required varies, but is generally anywhere from a few minutes to as many as five days.

When information can be attained digitally, the process can be very short. But, if manual searches are required, or if other organizations need to be consulted, the process can take longer. GoodHire’s process keeps both the employer and potential employees informed of the status of their background checks and makes results immediately available to them through a secure online portal.

All employers conducting background checks need to comply with the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidance, and state and local ban-the-box laws, where applicable.

The FCRA requires employers to receive permission from candidates to conduct a background check, in writing. The FCRA also has requirements related to adverse action rules employers must follow if the background check reveals information that may negatively impact the hiring decision.

EEOC guidance seeks to prevent employers from conducting background checks in a manner  that could deny equal opportunity to job applicants in accordance with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, based on protected categories such as age, race, color, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity, as the Supreme Court recently ruled), religion, and disability.

Ban-the-box laws emerged in 1998. Hawaii was the first state to pass a law prohibiting the practice of employers asking job applicants about their criminal histories until after a conditional offer is made. Since then, a number of other states have followed, with a focus on removing barriers that make it difficult for people with criminal records to get jobs.

Compliance laws vary by state; it’s important to be aware of the laws that impact your company based both on its locations and where employees live. GoodHire eases the burden of compliance by automating many compliance workflows, saving you time and giving you confidence that nothing will be missed.

Background check service accreditation means an organization has met strict guidelines and professional standards for compliance and interactions with employers, candidates and others.

GoodHire is accredited through the Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA), an accreditation program for Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRAs). To be accredited by PBSA, GoodHire must meet rigorous accreditation standards, comply with current regulations and laws about background checks, and submit to regular auditing of our practices and procedures.

Yes, GoodHire background checks can be used for international employees, as long as they currently reside in the United States. It is important for companies to conduct international background checks when considering candidates living in the US who have lived, studied or worked outside in another country.International background checks work similarly to other background checks, but the databases used are foreign databases containing information not available in the US, and typically require additional, specific documentation. These background checks help employers obtain information they might have been unaware of, or that might have been difficult for them to attain on their own.