VIDEO: What to Do Before Running a Background Check: A Step-by-Step Guide

Hey, it’s Justin Fraction with TechnologyAdvice. Today I'll be revisiting the world of background checks. If you remember my three-part series on The Best Background Check services, then you know how extensive this topic can be. And if you haven't seen it, you can watch it right here. For this video, I'll explain the steps that you should take before starting a background check. So, if you're an HR professional, a legal expert, or simply someone looking to gain a deeper understanding of this topic, this video will provide you with the knowledge and tools necessary to approach this task with precision and responsibility.

First, let’s start by explaining why background checks are important. Besides being an essential part of most hiring processes, background checks ensure you hire the right person for the position while protecting the safety of your company, employees, and customers. They also help you stay compliant with federal, state, and local laws while minimizing liability risks. But before you can run a background check, you have to do a little prep work, like understanding the laws.

The Fair Credit Report Act or FCRA, regulates information collected and disclosed by consumer agencies, such as tenant screening services and credit bureaus. The act also requires employers to receive consent from candidates before accessing any of their information for employment purposes. Employers must also provide candidates notice before taking any adverse action. Anti-discrimination laws prevent employers from asking about or collecting information related to race, color, religion, disabilities, sex, and more.

Some of the federal anti-discrimination laws that you should be familiar with are, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Several states and cities have laws regulating background checks, including ban-the-box, salary histories, and birth date redaction laws. It’s important to Double-check your state and city laws to see which apply to you. Partnering with background check companies, like Checkr or First Advantage, or consulting with legal experts can help you understand your company's specific responsibilities.

Some job occupations and industries, such as healthcare and financial services, require you to perform employee background checks by law. But if you’re not a part of these industries, you can choose whether your open position warrants background screening. When selecting which background checks to use, it’s important to ensure they are relevant to your open position. Some of the most popular employee background checks include criminal, credit, driving records, and social security checks.

And that wraps up the steps and procedures you should follow before running a background check. But before you go, I want to leave you with three best practices. One, make a conditional offer of employment before conducting a background check. Two, avoid blanket policies disqualifying candidates based on their criminal history. And three, run the same background checks on all candidates to avoid claims of bias or discrimination. Now that you’re confident and ready, stay tuned for a second video on how to conduct a background check in five steps.

If you’d like to know more on this topic, head over to technologyadvice.com for an in-depth article on background checks by Jessica Dennis. Till next time, see you guys!