Professional Background Screening: A practical approach to guide you through the process

Hi There! Glad you can join us - here’s what you can expect

Define what

products you need

Figure out compliance & legalities

Learn what to look for in a professional background

screener

Best of all -get tips from

the pros!

Finding a professional background screening company

Set your budget and understand cost variables

What are you looking for in a background check?

First, know what you needYour first step in finding the right background screening company is to know what you need. This will help you:

determine products that are relevant,

define your necessary search scope, and

set your expectations!

You may also find it useful to write down the steps you take to hire an employee – from first receipt of the application through the point of hire. Because many companies also offer onboarding products, such as online Form I-9 and Workers Compensation, include what you do the first few days an employee is hired.

Lastly, think about what you want to keep in house and what you’d prefer to send to the background screening company… talking through all this may identify some gaps that you didn’t realize you had.

pro tip In addition to getting organized, writing down your hiring process can help you establish your background screening policy. A well documented policy could help identify red flags for EEOC, FCRA and other laws.

Finding a professional background screening company

DETERMINE YOUR PRODUCTS There are a lot of products available to employers – the list can get a little overwhelming. Here’s some of the most common categories for employment background checks:

• Court searches for criminal, civil and federal cases

• Verifications for employment, education and professional licenses

• Driving records

• SSN verification and address history

• Medical Sanctions

• Credit Reporting

In addition, you can select from compliance-support products, drug and alcohol testing and online Form I-9. Think about your current process and what you take into account when evaluating an applicant to focus your attention.

What are you looking for in a background check?

Finding a professional background screening company

DEFINE YOUR SCOPE What determines scope is greatly based on the type of search. For example, criminal records have the greatest number of options but have the most reporting restriction. There are also pros and cons to consider. Wider scopes provide more information, but may result in delays. Narrow searches could cost less or come back quicker, but they may omit information you would use in your employment decision.

Based on the products you need, discuss what you take into account when hiring – your preference versus what your industry requires versus what the laws permit.

SET YOUR EXPECTATIONS Clear expectations are almost important as the search, itself. What does “fast turnaround” mean to you? Do you need to meet certain regulatory standards? Are you exempt from laws that commonly restrict other employers? What is your budget? Especially when it comes to criminal records, it’s important to talk about the limitations and benefits of the various searches. It may seem like a lot, but it will be worth it in the long run!

pro tip When it comes to criminal records, broad scoped searches could uncover records outside an applicant’s residential jurisdictions. But, the broader the search, the less comprehensive the results due to the reporting practices of the individual court houses. Combining broad and narrow searches will get you the best criminal history on your applicant!

Finding a professional background screening company

What compliance standards do you need to meet?

Meeting compliance standards are as important as the background checkProfessional background screeners are very familiar with federal regulation under the FCRA, which inherently helps keep you compliant. However, it is important to understand FCRA requirements for yourself in addition to other legislation and guidelines that could impact what products you can run, what information you can use to make a decision and how you need to proceed with making decisions.

As an end user of the background report, it is your responsibility to make sure your operations adhere to all applicable laws. To make all the variables easier to manage, break them into three categories: Comply, Monitor, and Guide.

Remember, it’s important to use information in this book as a guide, not legal advice. If you have questions, call or email us; we’ll help you where we can. But, if you need legal advice you should always talk to an attorney. Cheap advice = expensive lawsuits!

pro tip Review your background screening policy and all documents (consent form and adverse action letters) annually with your legal counsel or qualified internal personnel for adherence to any legislative changes or trends to stay on top of compliance!

Finding a professional background screening company

COMPLY All laws including FCRA, local and state laws and case law must be considered when you use a background report to make decisions. Regional laws, especially, can change frequently and typically follow trends established by what you should monitor.

What compliance standards do you need to meet?

Finding a professional background screening company

MONITOR Civil lawsuits and FTC/CFPB enforcement of the FCRA monitoring can help you avoid lawsuits and penalties. The former sets the direction that legislation tends to follow while the latter reinforces what is already established. Too often, employers are penalized for the same offense in repetition because (a) an offense is brought to the attention of plaintiff’s attorneys and (b)employers don’t identify the same offense in their own process.

GUIDANCE Although the EEOC doesn’t have any enforcement power when it comes to background screening, it does set guidance for employers to follow, such as Individualized Assessment. Failing to consider such guidance could increase vulnerability to expensive discrimination allegations – and make accusations harder to defend.

What is your budget?

Know the various factors that could impact the cost of your searchesOn the surface, it may seem easy to calculate your budget: divide how much you have to spend on your background searches by how many people do you anticipate hiring and you know what your average search can cost. But, it’s never that easy! Several factors could impact the cost of each search – many of which have pluses and minuses on both sides.

APPLICANT DEMOGRAPHICS If your applicants all hail from New York, NY, you will frequently pay one of the most expensive court fees in the US. Similarly, if your applicants tend to live outside the US, you may run into frequent international searches. Take into account your applicant pool and general demographics so varying costs don’t surprise you.

SCOPE (again) Search scope could result in additional gaps, greater coverage, additional delays or faster results - it completely depends on the search. Openly discuss scope with your Account Executive in terms of what you need versus what you can expect in the report. Some searches, like an employment or education verification from 20 years ago is going to be a dead end – in other words, an unnecessary expense.

OVERLAPPING SEARCHES There is strategy in overlapping searches on occasion. Other times, an overlap may only isolate information that was already provided in another search. Multiple products to select from will likely to help control your budget and get you the information you need. Strategically overlap searches by knowing where the duplication exists. Sometimes it fills a gap and other times it’s a needless expense.

INDUSTRY REGULATION If you have industry regulation, make sure it’s discussed with your Account Exec. For example, some state education departments require criminal searches in the current state of residence as well as all counties in the past seven years. Although these searches may duplicate information, they are still required to be visible as separate searches.

Finding a professional background screening company

pro tips: Strategies to keep your budget in check

Know what you’re running, why the search satisfies your need, and what gaps might exist. If saving $10 leaves holes in your information, it could be more expensive than defending a negligent hire or non-compliance with industry regulations.

Structure your background checks into phases. In p1 start with education and most recent employer verifications after your first interview. Or, focus on other searches that could confirm your instincts during the interview versus disqualify any candidate, like medical license restrictions. Then, in p2 when you decide to continue to employment, expand your search to include criminal, addition employers, education, etc.

Finding a professional background screening company

Remember – adhere to the law, industry regulation, keep trends and guidance in check and review your background screening program annually. Make sure your advice comes from qualified personnel or attorney. Settlement or penalties aren’t always the biggest financial impact, it’s also the cost of defense and loss of reputation.

Why Choice ScreeningWith over a decade of experience, Choice Screening is an established and trusted resource in background screening. To date, there are thousands of background screening companies to choose from. The Choice Difference is found in the intangibles that can’t be duplicated by anyone else.

Finding a professional background screening company

OUR PEOPLE Whatever business you’re working with, you’re actually working with their people. Here at Choice Screening, we hire individuals with diverse backgrounds who will fit our culture and demonstrate a track record of living up to our core pillars. Upon coming aboard, everyone receives extensive training in FCRA compliance, each and every product we offer and how to provide exceptional service. This way, no matter who you talk to you know you’re working with someone you can trust.

OUR PROCESS From the start, our approach is consultative. Our goal is to meet both your budget and background report expectations so we listen to your needs and provide honest recommendations. Every day, our focus is expediency, accuracy and communication. We understand how delays can impact your ability to hire top candidates; and how easy-to-use reports can help. In the long term, our focus is building a relationship – we make ourselves available, provide informative resources and help you navigate through products, reports and adjusting your background screening to meet your changing demand.

OUR PRODUCTS As we evaluate new products, we focus on three primary categories: quality, reliability and affordability. As the industry shifts or opportunities arise, we continue to evaluate our products to make sure we only offer the industry’s best. But, our products would be nothing without skilled researchers using them. That’s why all our researchers receive focused FCRA training and learn all there is to know about every product and every source we use.

The Choice Difference

Finding a professional background screening company

“Background screening has become a business necessity. We must meet that demand with equal

dedication to our clients.”

Matthew MitchellPresident, Choice Screening

Finding a professional background screening company

Decide what you are looking for in your background checks, your expectations, scope and service needs

Confirm you are meeting all compliance, industry and legal standards; seek appropriate advice

Determine your budget and use strategies to keep it in check

Remember the Choice Difference: background screening you can trust!

Key Takeaways

Finding a professional background screening company

Talk to a Human @ Choice

About Choice ScreeningChoice Screening offers a full suite of products including pre-employment and ongoing

employment background screening, online Form I-9, compliance support and tenant screening. Our technology is built and supported in house; our researchers are FCRA

certified and our entire team is courteous and knowledgeable.

Find out how Choice Screening can help you make informed decisions

Please note, Choice Screening is not an attorney. This document is intended for informational purposes only and should not be taken as legal advice. If you have any legal questions, please contact your attorney. Thank you!

Talk to a Human @ Choice

p: 877-929-7878e: info@choicescreening.comw: choicescreening.com

13000 E Control Tower RdSte 216 Box L3Englewood, CO 80112