What is a background check? A background check is looking up certain data and information of a person or a firm. Most of the time, a private investigator is hired by employers to do a background check on applicants that they are considering to hire. This consist mostly of consulting with the reference provided in the applicants' resumes and checking their criminal records. This proves beneficial especially when these employees will be exposed to public and/or financial transactions.

What is the importance of private background checks?

Pre-employment background investigations is an added expense for business owners which often leads them to wonder if it is worth the time, effort and cost. The answer is, absolutely! Hiring a private investigator to do background checking is valuable and important and here are some reasons why:

1. To hire the best and most qualified applicant

Screening the candidates takes out the ones with troubled histories when applying for an open position. Unfortunately, there are a number of resumes out there containing misleading information and false background and conducting a background check will help business owners verify each of the candidates' qualifications before making a decision.

2. Costly Employee Turnover will be Reduced

Hiring the wrong employee proves to be a risk to the security of your business, increase employee turnover and not only that, it will eventually catch up on your business. This will lead on to situation such as firing employees much too often that you spend more time hiring people rather than running your business

3. Negligent Hiring will be Avoided

Doing background checks as a condition before actual employment prevents your business from negligent hiring as well as the costs that come with it. By doing background checks, you'll be able to point out employee unfitness, existing employee-employer relationship and discern his knowledge. If not, it can lead to legal procedures that will cost you money and time

What are the Different Types of Background Investigations?

As an employer, different types of background checks are available. Here's a list that you can run before hiring an employee:

1. Employment

This will help you reveal all the places that the candidate lied to in the application.

2. DMV Records

This is especially true when the job requires driving. 10 or more outstanding tickets will already tell you something is wrong.

3. Calling Former Employers

Calling former bosses will help you ascertain the position he played in previous employment as well as work ethics and the reason he was fired or why he quit.

4. Criminal Record

This will help you find out if the potential employee has been previously convicted of a crime. This is crucial if he is to be working with customers, children, patients or the public.

5. Credit Report

This is restricted but for some employment situations, the state and federal law permits and recommends checking of credit report

Why do Private Investigators Use Background Checks and How?

Most of the time we tell ourselves we can handle matters on our own but there are situations which are best left for Private Investigators especially when the PI is trying to:

Discern whereabouts, identity, credibility, and conduct of an individual or firm;

Get more information on potential business partners, employees or lovers;

Check if an investment opportunity is legal and/or legitimate;

Research a crime or a wrongdoing or a threat;

Verify cause of accidents, fires or property damage;

Protect the integrity of your info, assets, properties and business premises and people that are close to you;

Recover lost or stolen property;

Verify an employee claim regarding a workman's compensation;

Question witnesses during investigation of a scene;

Access public records;

Debug your office or your home

Private Investigators use various strategies in carrying out background investigations and this includes interviews and surveillance.