Working in the HR and Background Screening industry for over a decade, I’ve learned a thing or two about different types of background checks.
Here’s a Brief Overview of What You Will Learn:
- Most common purposes for background checks
- Employment & Tenant Background Checks Average Time
- People Searches & Anonymous Searches Average Time (Ex. For Dating)
- How AI and Blockchain Technology are Changing the Background Screening Industry
- How Can CuriousCheck Help Guide you To the Right Background Check Firm
The Most Common Purposes for Background Checks
The time it takes to complete a background check depends on the type of check that you’re performing.
The 3 most common purposes for background checks are:
- Employment
- Tenant Screening
- Curious About Someone (People Search)
Where employment and tenant background checks require a consent (Per the Fair Credit Reporting Act), a People Search may be done anonymously.
The nature and scope of the background check will dictate how much it will cost and the time that it will take.
Try our interactive Advisor tool that guides you to the appropriate background check company in seconds, so you’re legally covered for every situation.
Employment and Tenant Background Checks
A recent study from CareerBuilder shows that 72% of employers conduct criminal background checks and 29% of those require a credit check.
These are some of the easier aspects of the check and depending on the depth, these can both be done instantly or typically within a day or so.
A review of a possible criminal record is also a vital part of any screening and this can be accomplished within 48 hours.
Delays on verifying possible information are typically due to being in a remote area, if the jurisdiction requires a clerk to assist, or common names.
Sorry, John Smith and Jose Gonzalez!
Here’s a full list of common services with turnaround time from the top background screening partners during 2019.
- Instant Criminal Check- Instant
- County Court Searches – 24- 72 hours
- Drug Screen — Urine – 24- 48 hours
- School & Work Verifications – 48–72 hours
- FBI Fingerprinting – Up to 30 days
- Motor Vehicle Report (MVR) – Instant
- Credit History, Evictions & Bankruptcy Search – Less than 24 hours
- Social Media Search- Instant
What’s a People Search Site?
People Search sites are for online dates, relatives, neighbors and more…
In this day and age, most people searching for “background checks” aren’t hiring someone…
They’re simply curious about someone, like a date off Tinder, that crazy uncle, or even that creepy neighbor.
Since a background check for employment or housing purposes require a consent as well as a social security trace, that may not be possible on the first date to retrieve, so that’s why there’s People Search sites, like BeenVerified.
Even though there are a handful of similar looking sites around with a similar sketchy load screen and search bar, BeenVerified topped our list.
Why?
They have the most positive online reputation and provide a 100% money back guarantee.
These People Search sites have a massive collection of public criminal data and are the most accurate way of retrieving a confidential criminal background check.
Will these People Search sites be 100% accurate?
Absolutely not!
If you want details leave a comment below.
But if you can at least know the person’s current state and birth year, they’re your best and most affordable way of retrieving criminal records, family information, and previous addresses nationwide instantly for $20 bucks.
So… why use a People Search site again?
Well, without a social security trace, it’s extremely difficult to pinpoint all the previous addresses… and I doubt a date would ever give their SSN out on your first couple of dates….
Even though People Search sites say they’re updated within hours, some courts don’t provide the complete or updated information.
So I consider these People Search sites more of an amazing tool to start your investigation.
Once you receive previous address history then go ahead and call the court house yourself to verify any possible out-of-date information.
I’ll go into detail on conducting an anonymous search on a later post.
How Technology is Changing the Game
We’re all about innovative products at CuriousCheck. During the last couple of years, background screening firms have greatly increased their technology and processes to slash record retrieving time and increase accuracy rates to over 99.99%.
Now in 2020, we have pioneer companies experimenting with artificial intelligence for background checks like Intelligo.
Besides having possibly the coolest website I’ve ever seen, the website says they use:
“AI, machine learning, and text analytics to capture and analyze a vast sea of high-quality structured and unstructured data points from thousands of sources.”
Sounds like the ultimate financial security and hiring tool! We’ll keep an eye on them in 2020 to see how they progress.
While some companies are using AI, others like the company EagleCheck are experimenting with BlockChain technology on employment and education verifications.
I had the pleasure of speaking with Lucas Gil Cantón , the CEO of this Spain-based company and he said,
“We see a lot of potential in making background checks faster and more efficient through technology. Blockchain, in our case, works amazingly to reduce turnaround times and deliver increased revenues to CRAs”.
With my past experience working at a criminal data provider and two 2 consumer reporting agencies (CRAs), these two innovative companies excite me for the future of background screening.
Who can literally say that?
Now that the background check industry seems to be evolving faster, figuring out which company to choose for your business is where CuriousCheck comes in.
Stay updated on best practices with CuriousCheck
As an employer or landlord, your goal is to balance performance and speed.
The three things that you want to avoid are reports missing something, it taking so long that you lose an interested employee or tenant, and failing to comply with federal or state regulations, causing a hefty lawsuit.
Working with a reputable consumer reporting agency (CRA) to perform background screening adds an extra layer of protection from lawsuits, as well as saves you time by consolidating all services into one package.
With the right solution, you can do much more than you think. Let Curious Check guide your business with the right software solution so that you can effectively perform background checks for whatever purpose you need.
About the Author
As the founder of CuriousCheck, Carlos Crameri has previously worked with many business platforms in industries such as FinTech, Human Resources, Background Screening, and Payment Processing. What he’s realized is that there’s a massive gap in software insight and exposure and has created a web app dedicated to being a true software directory.
“My ultimate goal is to help guide businesses to affordable and useful software. Software shopping is so complicated and products are constantly evolving. To find software in 2020, you typically either check the first page of Google, view your vendor portal, or ask a friend. People are missing thousands of affordable, reputable business solutions that would be ideal for their company’s growth and success.”
