There are 15 best background check websites to investigate employee information which will be entirely beneficial for Performing a background check on a potential employee can reveal important information about that person so you can make the best hiring decision for your business.
Background check companies use online technology and in-person searches to discover the details of someone’s past, including if they have any felony convictions, misdemeanors, etc. The results of these checks are then compiled into easy-to-read reports.
Many background check companies offer preset packages or bundled plans, so you can conduct multiple types of searches in one plan and at one price. Many services will let you add on additional screenings; however, some offer strictly a la carte options.
There is a lot that goes into choosing a background check agency for your business: the specific searches you need, your budget and your allotted time-frame, that is, how quickly you need the results.
This is a fair question to ask. Background checks are considered consumer reports by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). This designed to promote accurate, fair and private background checks as well as other consumer reports. It also sets the standards for employment screening. Additionally, it oversees the collection and use of consumer credit information.
Some companies only background-check certain groups. For example, they check finance, HR and legal department applicants but do not necessarily check on anyone who seeks to work in creative fields.
The reason behind this specialization can be market-driven or it could be because the software targets resources that verify specific data points for the groups about which they care.
This can be attractive to many vertical customers and is a good way for employment background check services to differentiate themselves.
Usually, there are other employment background checking services that may check everything from soup to nuts, regardless of who its candidates are. For instance, if your organization works for the government and deals with government contracts, then you are almost always required to complete a full background check on everybody coming into the company.
This check can often be more in-depth within different agencies, including, for example, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). But it is important to have a consistent and overall company policy.
The third-party employment background checking services deliver historical data going back seven years because that is how long companies are required to keep data and offer different options for customers to initiate the screening process.
(i) You can enter it yourself as an employer, which means you must have that information on hand and permission from the applicant to do so, or
(ii) You can send an auto-generated e-mail to the candidate so that they sign and enter that information for themselves.
One important consideration you will need to address offline and likely with both your IT and legal departments is what happens to this data after you have taken receipt of a report. What is in these reports is usually considered highly personal data by the subject, so losing it in a data breach or simply through negligence can have significant repercussions in many cases.
Additionally, new developments in data privacy, such as the implementation of the European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) legislation can place even more responsibility not just on the providers of this data but on those that take delivery of it as well.
So remember to sit down with your legal and IT teams to put together a simple workflow that will let you not only access this data efficiently but store and dispose of it properly, too.
To help you find the best employee background check sites/services, we researched and analyzed several companies. So, let’s take a look at these employee background checking websites or services and their respective features and pricing.
Our top recommendations for employment background check sites/services are given below.
Checkr allows users to easily order reports, track progress and communicate with their candidates. It also delivers a significant number of integrations with other HR applicant tracking systems and data houses, which makes things easier on HR managers. Great, easy-to-use, mobile-friendly user interface with cool tools like an Adjudication Matrix and Geos that sort data in clear, understandable ways so employers can make decisions with confidence.
Checkr takes a transparent, human approach to how it conducts business on top of maintaining governmental FCRA compliance. It is built to support companies doing business in a gig economy, with a UI that’s modern, multilingual and mobile.
GoodHire has everything a small business could need from a background check provider, offering comprehensive reports at affordable rates. Its online portal allows users to quickly and conveniently access their background check reports in one place. GoodHire serves several industries, including construction, healthcare, non-profits, retail, staffing, and technology.
Registering account with GoodHire is a simple process. After your business is verified, you can order as many or as few screenings as you need. Reports can be viewed in GoodHire’s online portal. GoodHire is approved by the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS).
GoodHire has an excellent feature value that includes a low learning curve and self-checks on top of maintaining FCRA compliance.
IntelliCorp is competitively priced, takes a unique approach to meet estimated turnaround times, meets compliance requirements, and has a unique setup to facilitate volunteer organization staffing. It requires its customers to take a course and pass a test on FCRA-compliance prior to accessing the service portal.
This demonstrates its commitment to education and compliance. Also, it has an easy-to-navigate user interface, strong compliance ethic and commitment to FCRA education. It meets its estimated turnaround times.
IntelliCorp is recognized through the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS).
A Good Employee.com is another good choice for small to mid-size businesses (SMBs) as well as any business that operates in the real estate management industry because the service provides several features that map directly to that vertical.
It is an online platform which is responsible for checking employment background. it is the best check service that got its start in the early 1990s when it began as a screening service for real estate property management companies. It has expanded to corporate and staffing agency employee background checking services. Most of its searches deliver immediate reports, with a few exceptions, but all at inexpensive rates.
Though its roots are in real estate management, the solution also works for corporate HR purposes, with solid customer service and reasonable, a la carte pricing. It is easy to use and its main emphasis is on compliance, user education and report turnaround time.
Accio Data is a great choice for Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRAs). This is a highly customizable platform can be white-labeled with any company’s branding and integrates with the standard data providers.
Accio Data is a little different from the other employment background check services because it has a slightly different business model. The company focuses on a software platform for Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRAs) that personalize the Accio user interface (UI) and sell its background checking services and integrations with other data providers and human resources (HR) software makers to HR department customers.
Besides running Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)-compliant employment and hire searches, Accio Data services CRAs that run FCRA-compliant searches for collections, credit checks, insurance underwriting, licensing eligibility and tenancy purposes.
AccurateNow, a division of Accurate Background, offers affordable background check services and caters to small businesses. Its low rates, pay-as-you-go plans, and no monthly minimums make it ideal for owners of very small business owners to use for pre-employment screenings. AccurateNow offers background checks for virtually any type of industry available.
It offers three-tiered plans. Costs range from $29.95 per report for the Basic plan up to $74.95 per report for the Premium plan. The Premium plan includes a Social Security number trace and addresses history check, current county criminal search, national criminal check with county verification, national sex offender registry search, global and one employment verification.
You can add supplementary searches for additional fees. These searches include professional license verification, motor vehicle reports, education and employment verification, and federal criminal searches.
AccurateNow is accredited by the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS).
SterlingOne’s employment background check service capabilities are most often used by human resources (HR) managers. The company also offers Kennect, a screening service set up specifically for small to mid-size businesses (SMBs). This service is being conducted up to 10 applicant screenings.
Sterling Solutions is one of the larger employment background check service providers and works across multiple industries, including financial services, healthcare, retail, and technology. It integrates with applicant tracking systems, has good mobile user interface (UI) and branded portals with custom dashboards.
SterlingOne’s pre-employment background screening capabilities can be an asset for an HR department that wants employment background check services, although companies may want to go with one of the more comprehensive custom packages instead of the entry-level option.
Background Report is the best and easy to use, DIY option for people wanting to start and finish the entire background check process online. This service is designed to be inclusive, allowing for the job candidate to see results, provide feedback and dispute or explain to them if necessary. Basic background checks start at $19.95.
Intelius’ background check reports are comprehensive and include information about email accounts, phone numbers, marriages, and other legal information. In fact, the service’s reports provide many of the basic pieces of information a background check should, including relatives, addresses, criminal history, court judgments, bankruptcies, and assets. In addition, Intelius is one of the few background check services that lists educational history in its reports.
This gives you another data point to use to get a hold of someone you have lost touch with. Intelius’ reports are easy to read and have a unique spider graph that shows how your subject is connected to relatives, jobs and other parts of their life.
A background check through Intelius costs $49.95, though the company shares that distinction with several other services. A monthly subscription costs $29.95 and maybe a better option if you have a long-term need for the service.
US Search’s affordable prices, accurate background check reports, and useful search tools make it one of the best value background check services. and the reports are highly accurate, especially in the criminal history, addresses and assets sections.
It is relatively easy to find the person you are looking for, though it is best to add all the information you have, including middle names, cities, and states, to narrow the results. This is especially useful when searching for people with common names. The information on the reports is largely up to date.
A background check through US Search costs $39.95, which is less than many services that charge for comparable reports. In fact, many companies require you to sign up for a monthly subscription to view background reports.
If you only need basic information, such as addresses and e-mails, then you can purchase a people search report from US Search for $2.45. You can download PDFs of the reports you run without paying an additional fee. A separate 1-state criminal check will cost you $14.95 more.
Instant Checkmate has the most comprehensive, accurate and up-to-date reports. Each one includes e-mails, phone numbers, and addresses as well as information about criminal history, assets and marriages. It is easy to search for your target, no matter how common their name is. Also, by including a middle name, you can quickly narrow the results so you don’t have to scroll through pages of names. The more information you add, the easier it is to find who you are looking for.
Most background checks cost between $40 and $50, however, Instant Checkmate charges around $35 for a monthly subscription with unlimited reports and searches (3 months of unlimited reports will set you back $28 per month). This is a great value because, for the cost of one report elsewhere, you can view as many as you want at Instant Checkmate. However, you have to pay $2.99 for any report you wish to download.
If you are looking for information about your employee’s work history, then BeenVerified is one of the best options. Work history is another good data point to use in order to find someone you have lost track of. It can also be helpful if you need to reconstruct your own work history as you write your resume. BeenVerified reports have accurate information, though in some cases you may have to purchase add-ons, for example, if you want information about a property or other legal matters.
You need to pay for a subscription to get background checks. This costs around $27 a month for a 1-month plan and $53 for a 3-month plan.
Verified Credentials is best known for providing both personal and commercial background check services. The personal background check is useful for people who want to know what information is displayed when a potential employer looks into their background.
Verified Credentials’ basic background check services start at $32.
Based in Minnesota, Trusted Employees is a Fair Credit Reporting Act-compliant service that has been in the background check business for the past 20 years. Their team of experts works with small business owners to customize background checks to their industry, business type, and the position they are hiring for.
Trust Employees’ background check services start at $29.95.
Justifacts has been around since 1982 and provides pre-employment screening services to small businesses and enterprise organizations. Each Justifacts client is assigned an account manager to help personalize the screening process and interpret report results as needed.
Justifacts’ verification conducts online research before calling employers to make sure they are reaching out to legitimate organizations. for basic employment verification, a general interview with a supervisor is included. The applicant’s performance is rated on a five-point scale from “poor” to “excellent” and a brief description of job duties.
The company initiates a thorough employment verification which includes the basic and comprehensive searches and an in-depth interview with a supervisor. These questions customized will meet specific clients’ needs. The various information in their report includes job title, dates of employment, salary (when permitted), re-hire eligibility and performance interview with a former supervisor.
All the information included in the employee background check reports bought and sold by these services is public information. You could, if you had the time and patience, find the information on your own.
This is the value background check services provide, they do the legwork for you by using web-scraping software to mine public data or by purchasing information in bulk from companies, like Facebook and Twitter, who require users to agree to terms allowing the company to sell their information.
Once the services have the public information, they collate it into a report for easy reading. But what kind of information can you expect to find in a background check report?
Well, it depends on the individual and how much of a digital footprint they have left on the web. But here is a list of public information these services usually collect:
Full name and aliases (if any)
Date of Birth (DOB)
Address history
Phone numbers
Marriage and divorce records
Known and assumed relatives
Business and social connections
Neighbors
Social media profiles
Blogs
Photos
Education records
Employment history
Property records, licenses, deeds, permits, etc.
Criminal record
Driving record
Lawsuits and civil judgments
Social Security number
Consumer information (credit score, consumer habits)
Financial records (salary, wealth, debt, collections, tax history)
Medical records (protected by HIPAA)
Phone records (who they have called)
Behaviour (location tracking, a context for gaps in work history)
Test scores
If you are paying for a background check, you want to ensure the information in the report is accurate and up to date. The worst services include information which is nearly 20 years out of date and has incorrect criminal histories. This is especially a problem when you search for someone with a common name. Here are some ways to spot a reliable background check company:
One of the best ways to gauge the reliability of a background check is to run one on yourself first. This gives you an idea of how accurate that service is in general. Pay particular attention to addresses and marriages. You can expect some lag in the information if you have moved recently, but if the background check is behind by one or more addresses, you can expect to find other inaccuracies and errors.
Generally, you only need to pay to access some information. Most searches show basic information for free, and you can use it to gauge how accurate the service might be. The most obvious way to check is to look at the list of associates and relatives. If you see several errors there, it is a clue that the particular service won’t be very useful.
The search itself is also a way to gauge service. If you cannot find yourself, it is highly unlikely that you will find the person you are using the service for. Most background check services include filters you can use to limit results by city, middle name and other information. If you are still having trouble finding your target, look for another service.
Whichever service you prefer to do a check for a potential employee’s background, make sure you are familiar with your responsibility as an employer. Hiring is an important decision, so make sure you have all of the information you need while also minimizing your exposure to risk. Working with one of the best, FCRA-compliant background check sites/services should help and this list is a great place, to begin with.
