Using a background check during the hiring process has become more common than ever—and with good reason. You need to hire someone who will be an asset—not a liability—and a thorough background check is one of the ways you can determine who you’re really hiring. That said, not every online standard background check can boast the same quality and safety.
These days, online tools are available that allow just about anyone to perform a quick background check with a few clicks of a mouse. But are these basic online background checks really effective? Let’s take a deeper dive into the pros and cons of online standard background checks.
Quick and Easy
Background checks can be used to verify a person’s identity, employment and education history, criminal history, professional licenses, motor vehicle records, and more. Some of this information is available at anyone’s fingertips through the proper online databases, and one of the reasons some companies choose to go with an online background check instead of hiring a professional background screening company is that it’s convenient.
For a relatively low price and a minimal investment of time and effort, you can procure a supposedly standard background check based on the available databases. Online background checks are fast and cheap—but it’s not often that words like ‘fast’ and ‘cheap’ are associated with quality.
But the kinds of simple background checks that can be performed online with the click of a mouse can be misleading, and have some serious blind spots. That’s why we always recommend working with a background screening company with real people on the other side of the screen. It’s the human factor that makes a professional background check so much stronger and avoids some of the common pitfalls of an online background check.
Problems with Online Background Checks
You can find out a lot about a potential hire by searching online databases—but not everything. In addition to the simple fact that not all information is searchable, there are a few other potential issues to watch out for in online ‘standard’ background checks.
Online Database Searches Are Not Foolproof
The biggest issue with online ‘standard’ background checks—electronic criminal record searches in particular—is a lack of standardized guidelines for these records. These searches can have trouble navigating the fragmented and often inconsistent record systems in many parts of the country.
In addition, online background checks often have imperfect ‘common-name matching logic,’ so it’s hard to know if the information you’re getting back is complete, accurate, and even for the right hire! The same is often true of so-called ‘social media screening,’ which can paint an inaccurate picture of a candidate and land your company in hot water.
The Results Can Be Misleading
- Running an online background check can result in a lot of data from many different sources.
- Some of it can be confusing or hard to decipher, which is why it’s helpful to have background checks performed by a team of professionals.
- The results of your background check may also be misleading if not properly explained by your background check provider.
- This could lead you to hire someone you shouldn’t—or make a hasty judgment to eliminate a candidate who might have been a great asset.
- It’s also smart to work with a professional who understands the legality of how you should proceed based on the results of a background check.
Faster Isn’t Better
This can be a tough pill to swallow in a world where business moves at light speed, but a background check that gives you instant results is simply not good enough. It can be inaccurate, incomplete, and lead you to make mistakes in the hiring process.
This is not to say that background checks should take forever—we understand your time is valuable—but three to seven days for a standard background check performed by a reputable screening company is typical.
The Advantage of CNet Technologies
At CNet Technologies, we rely on the most advanced and up-to-date data sources for our background checks. Just as importantly, we rely on a dedicated team of experts to sift through that data and provide your business with the information you need to make smart decisions and pursue your business objectives. Our standard background check is thorough and accurate, and includes all of the following:
- Alias names
- Social security number trace
- County, state, and federal criminal record check
- National criminal record database
- National sex offender registry
- Terrorism watch check
- Civil records
- Motor vehicle records
- Commercial drivers license check
- DOT verification of employment
- Education verification
- Employment verification
- Professional license verification
- I-9 verification
- Government data repositories.
Learn More About the Real Standard Background Check!
For a background check to be effective, you need more than the best data: you need a team of screening professionals with the skills and dedication to interpret that data. Still, we know that COVID-19 has put tremendous pressure on business when it comes to their hires and growth.
However, when it’s time to find your next new addition, you can’t afford to risk your hire on a provider that might not even be FCRA-compliant! Contact us today to learn more about the advantages of working with CNet Technologies to perform your background screening!