Background Check

Background Check

A background check is a good practice to gain knowledge about a person whom you plan to employ, let into your house, or even marry. In fact, the background analysis must be performed before an action is taken or a contract is signed as well as thereafter to monitor and ensure nothing has negatively changed. In my article where I discussed dating the real person, I raised a few questions like how do we know that the person we date or plan to marry is the person he or she claims to be? Could a background research help confirm the claims or potentially reveal more information about the person? Should a background investigation be done prior or after a commitment? To answer these questions, I’d like to first bring up a piece of reported news that an audit of the troubled Martin Luther King Jr. hospital revealed that more employees had arrest and criminal records than previously thought. The question I raise is why this little and important piece of information was not detected prior to their employment? Or, is it possible that the hospital performed an initial pre-employment screening but later failed to monitor employee background to look for potential new and criminal activities perpetrated by its employees? Either way, the hospital made another fatal error which exposed itself and its customers to greater risks.

Background checks are excellent tools for verifying a person’s identity and monitor their activities before a commitment is made. There are many types of available background checks that can be used to verify certain claims. These back ground investigations include:

• Pre-Employment Screening – This research is typically performed by an employer to verify assertions made by a potential employee regarding the employee’s past employment such as employment history to discover any employment gaps, workers compensation claims, or employer sanctions.

• Education Verification – This kind of background verification reveals information regarding the person’s school grades, degrees, date of graduation and any professional qualifications and certifications.

• Character Reference Check - This kind of identity check can be made by discussions with relatives, associates and neighbors with the proper authorization of the target person. Some State and Federal databases can also be used to gain information about a person’s marriage and divorce status, check terrorist list, and verify passport status.

• DMV Check – Where permitted by law, a DMV check can reveal information about driving records such as accidents, traffic violations, drug or alcohol related convictions, license status, and confirm address or driver's physical description.

• Home Verification - Home value, property ownership, address history, and phone numbers can be validated.

• Credit History – credit reports can help reveal bankruptcies and late payments.

• Criminal History Report - Sex offender status, lawsuits, judgments, and money laundry convictions can be determined.

As you can see, there are many ways to verify a person’s claims regarding his or her integrity, experience, education or excellent credit. The smartest thing to do before you make a professional or personal commitment is to select as many as background check strategies as possible that are appropriate and authorized for your case.

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