Criminal background checks can save you time and money with all the latest advancements in criminal records development. From saving money on training your new staff travel to avoiding issues by bringing in undesirable workers, criminal backgrounds services can help to eliminate errors and save time checking references more quickly and efficiently.

Use criminal background vendors to follow every aspect of the employment process. Get your HR team involved in business criminal background check practices by making sure they know how to apply the nationwide criminal records search and use the criminal record search consultants you engage. Find quality criminal background vendors online and through peer referrals. Begin using criminal records search in a number of ways to make your company more profitable.

1. Use outside criminal background check consultants

2. Use a consumer guide to criminal records to save resources

3. Use criminal background checks when hiring

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Communicate better with criminal background vendors

Rather that rely on a lengthy and costly criminal background check for each potential candidate, rely on the services of an outside consulting company to the checks for you with the technology and know-how they've perfected.

I recommend: Guardian can do the criminal background checks for you instead of leaving the job to your HR department. Call on Employment Secure to get the pre-employment criminal screening that will help to keep your business safe.

Go online to search criminal records

With web-based systems you can make and send reports directly from a site while updating information as it comes to you live from vendors and clients. Integrate an Internet software system into your company to make quicker and more accurate decisions on the spot.

I recommend: Set up an account at Web-Investigation.com to do your own records search and save resources. Go to Web Detective to find the records that you need to perform a detailed search of people in your company.

Perform a business criminal background check when hiring

Keep up with your employees' backgrounds and the kinds of activities they may have been involved in by using a criminal background check. Give your HR department the resources they need to qualify every prospect.

I recommend: Try the software at Ware Seeker called Your Spying Eyes to give your hiring managers the capabilities to perform their own background checks and check on references and other vital personal data. Pay $19.95 for a background check from Sentry Link if you don’t need programs and consultants to perform the job on a regular basis.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Let your hiring managers try out the free demos of business criminal background check software and websites before you make a final commitment. Check with them to see if you need a regular service or just somewhere you can check occasionally.

When someone applies for a job with your company, one of the most important steps in vetting out the individual is to check their criminal backgrounds before hiring them. Today you can easily find out if potential new hires have a criminal history by scanning state and federal criminal court and databases online. When conducting a criminal background check you want to:

1. Verify the person’s name, date of birth, and if possible, social security number to ensure an accurate criminal records search.
2. Inform potential new employees of the criminal background check you are conducting on them.
3. Use reliable sources such as police records and court documents when doing a nationwide criminal records search.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Use state and federal prisoner databases for a criminal record search

Chances are that anyone who has been convicted of a felony has been sentenced to prison or some form of probation. Most records of a person's prison sentence are available online.

I recommend: Use the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator to find out if an individual has ever served time for a crime since 1982. However, it is important to enter the correct first and last name to conduct a proper search. State correctional facilities also offer a similar service, but in some cases, you can conduct a search using a person's date of birth or social security number. Family Watchdog tracks registered sex offenders after releases from prison.

Utilize criminal background vendors

There are numerous online services offering criminal records searches and criminal background checks for a nominal fee.

I recommend: SentryLink , National Criminal Records and Net Detective are some of the services that provide detailed criminal records within seconds of submitting a person's information. Rhino Reviews rates public-records search services.

Search federal and state court websites for a criminal history

In the event a potential employee has been arrested but never convicted of a crime, you will have to check for criminal cases in federal and state courts to obtain copies of their case disposition.

I recommend: Register with Pacer, a web-based service provided by the U.S. district courts that contains case information on individuals arrested on federal crimes. Pacer allows users to view and download arrest affidavits, indictments and other criminal records. Most state courts have similar capabilities.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Criminal backgrounds can be difficult to track, especially if a person moves around a lot. To help identify all the states a person may have lived in, conduct a credit check on the person. Their credit history will help you to identify past addresses and aliases, which you can then use to search criminal databases for information.

Criminal background check companies are available that can help you save both time and resources if you can find the right guide to criminal records to fit in with your operations and your budget. Look for information about criminal records programs that can easily be integrated into your current operations so as not to create a lag in time while you and your team bring in new employees.

Information about criminal background checks is available online and through industry associations. Look for in-depth reviews of criminal background vendors, including web-based criminal record search firms. Consider what hardware upgrades you’ll need and bring in a consultant to search criminal records if you are overwhelmed by the options. However you incorporate a consumer guide to criminal records, there are a number of ways that you should begin making the most of criminal records search.

1. Find reviews of the various nationwide criminal records search options online.

2. Try demos from web-based criminal background check companies.

3. Learn how to do investigation of criminal backgrounds.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Investigate reviews of business criminal background check plans

In addition to talking to others who have taken advantage of the various background checking options, look online for reviews and advice that inform you of the kinds of programs that are available to make your business more profitable.

I recommend: Find informative articles and instructions about how to make the best use of the various background checks for employment purposes at HowToInvestigate.com. You can go through GovtRegistry.com to perform the background checks that you need to verify referrals and records.

Let employees try demos of criminal background checks

Most companies will provide a free demonstration or trial period before you sign on for a lengthy commitment. You should let your staff try the products to get their suggestions since they will be using the programs as well. To get the most out of your online resources, you need to get buy-in from your team.

I recommend: easyBackgrounds.com offers sample reports as well as information on the ins and outs of background checking your employees. Find free search capabilities and news about the background check industry that can assist you in making the most of your resources at USA-PEOPLE-SEARCH.

Become your own criminal record search expert

With all the options available today, it may be tempting to let an outsider come in and review your organization and how it works to help you select the best software or online programs for your uses. You can save this money, though, if you educate yourself on the various criminal record search options available.

I recommend: Read posts and forums that will offer you insight into the process of doing criminal background checks through Public Information. Find state by state resources for background checks through Public Records Information.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When you sign a contract for a nationwide criminal records search, make sure that the vendor will automatically provide updates when they become available.

It has become standard practice in today's marketplace for businesses to perform a criminal records search on job applicants. Criminal convictions and incarceration are not the only undesirable traits in a job applicant's past that should preclude their employment at your company. Other behaviors, such as domestic violence situations or the failure to pay child support, might also cause you to be concerned about the applicant's moral character. Learning the key terms relating to criminal records searches can help you make informed hiring decisions.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

FCRA

The FCRA refers to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, a law regulating access to an individuals credit history.

I recommend: Access the FTC website for the Notice of User Responsibilities. Find out the specific obligations companies have when they perform criminal searches for an individual's credit history and do it for business reasons.

Federal criminal court dockets

Federal criminal court dockets maintain records related to claims brought in federal courts.

I recommend: Employ Secure explains the particular situations you might encounter when performing criminal records searches through federal criminal court dockets.

Identity verification

Identity verification is particularly necessary when investigating an individual's suspected past criminal activity.

I recommend: How to Investigate lists the elements of a comprehensive identity verification. It also explains the steps you can take when searches turn up multiple names associated with an individual.

County criminal check

Perform a county criminal check by visiting an actual court and searching through its paper files.

I recommend: Easy Backgrounds presents a comparison between county and state criminal checks and why the former is considered more thorough. Find out whether you need a release from an applicant in order to search county criminal records.

Criminal background check

Criminal background check refers to the particular search through criminal records that HR departments in many companies perform on a routine basis.

I recommend: The Criminal Lawyer Group explains why a criminal background check is particularly helpful in the business world. Check out the detailed discussion of the information you'll need to perform a comprehensive criminal background check in any jurisdiction.

Criminal history records

Criminal history records come mostly from federal agencies. These searches identify all adverse history documented against an individual including arrests, incarceration and the dispositions of criminal complaints.

I recommend: Check out the discussion at the U.S. Department of Justice which identifies six ways in which criminal history records can prevent you from hiring workers with criminal backgrounds.