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Posts Tagged ‘free background check’

Background Checks – A Guided Tour

October 4th, 2009

The majority of people believe that to carry out a background check you should probably hire a private investigator or a security firm. In reality, doing a background check all by yourself is a trouble-free process that requires just a small amount of time and effort on your part. Granted you may not be able to find everything as quickly and easily as a trained professional but if you’re up to the task most anyone can find the information they’re looking for.

Background checks are commonly done in business, human relations, media, education, and even in the selection of day care personnel. In several organizations today background checks coupled with psychological tests and screenings have become an essential element of the recruitment process for higher level jobs. You may opt for a free background check to find out rudimentary information about a live-in caregiver or a nanny but will probably want to conduct a full blown background check on the person you decide to actually hire.

In many areas of employment, it’s company policy to perform a background check in order to avoid potential legal action that may arise in future. Background checks have also become more frequent post the tragic September 11, event. For instance, no organization would want to unintentionally recruit a sales manager who has been earlier proved guilty of an illegal act in some other country.

For many recruitment firms and companies, background checks can be as straight forward as procuring a credit report or additional complicated checks such as thorough confirmation of the applicant’s educational qualifications and work experience and past track record. A complete background check could also involve an investigation by a professional investigator of the addresses where a person resided in the recent past years, interviewing members of the applicant’s family, next-door neighbors, and also past spouses if any.

Many a times, a background check covers scrutinizing recommendations or validating employment and career history; some positions demand an inspection of civil or criminal records, a verification of different professional certifications possessed by that person, and occasionally an assessment of credit history which is vital for job openings in the field of finance or precious commodities.

When a hiring company informs you about a background check to be conducted, it should not be taken in the negative sense that the company doubts your credentials. In the majority of cases, a recruitment manager possibly will not even inform them that they need to do a background check. On the other hand, in a lot of cases it is obligatory on the part of the employers to acquire your consent to obtain specific types of information.

Nearly all recruitment professionals are well aware that all the information needed in a free background check is in the public domain and can be accessed without much trouble. Occasionally, though, employers need to pay a charge to obtain supplementary specific information or appoint external professional organizations to do the checks on their behalf. To confirm that everything is all right in your case, they may acquire a copy of your own credit report, a driving record, and, in case you have been involved in court matters in the past, your legal records.

Normally, free background checks have limitations in the sense that there may not be access available to bankruptcy data, which is older than 10 years, or to other civil matters older than seven years. The type of data obtained through free background checks may also differ according to who is carrying out the checks.

By and large, there is no reason to carry out a background check on yourself unless you’re just curious to know what shows up. But still, you may like to do a free background check on yourself for the purpose of confirming that no errors have been committed in recording your history. Today, even you have the capability, because of the Internet to carry out a free background check on yourself if you are really interested in it. This way, you can confirm that your records are perfectly clean so as to remove any kind of apprehension in your mind, and to make you feel extra confident when attempting to bag a valuable contract or a dream job that you always wished for.

Shawn Background Checks , , ,

Can You Really Trust Online Background Checks?

September 11th, 2009

In the modern age, we all use the world wide web for all sorts of things that would have been hard to imagine not so very long ago. Information used to be a lot harder for us to find, but these days all you really have to do is spend a few minutes on the web and you can easily find out all sorts of things about a person’s background. But while it may be easy and quick to get that info, is it info that you can really trust to be true?

Not too long after my 18th birthday, I was busted for underage drinking. Years went by, and then a few years ago I had an interview for a job I really wanted. I was nervous that when they did a check of my background they’d find that old offense, and I’d miss out on a really good job because of some stupid little thing I did a long time ago, when I was still just a kid.

Fortunately I was able to find a website that allowed me to run a background check on myself, so I could actually see everything about my history that my potential employers would be able to find out. I was quite relieved to disocver that my old underage drinking charge wasn’t on my report after all, but I did have some tickets for speeding that I hadn’t dealt with. So, I left the alcohol charge off of my application for the job, but I did mention the tickets, and in the end, I did get the job.

Maybe it would feel sort of wrong for you to leave something like that off of a job application. If so, I’ll admit that I can relate. But at the same time, I think we are entitled to our privacy, and we should be able to put our old mistakes behind us and get on with our lives. Besides, in this economy it’s already a real challenge to land any job at all. I really needed to get that job, and it was a very big relief for me to discover that online background check, so I could have access to the exact same material about myself that my potential employers would find. Thanks to that background check, I knew just what things I had to include on my application, and what things I could afford to leave off of it.

Shawn Background Checks , , , , , , , , , ,

Tenant Background Check – Avoiding Bad Tenants

August 26th, 2009

Many people own real estate these days as a type of investment. During these bad economic times, many people are choosing to rent out their properties instead of flipping them for a quick profit. As a landlord it’s important to conduct a tenant background check on any prospective renters to ensure that your property remains in good condition and no deadbeats or troublemakers come along to cause you problems in the future.

Signing a long-term lease agreement with the wrong individual can cause problems down the road that could have been avoided if a little due diligence had been taken. Having good tenants means less headaches and money in your pocket on a regular basis with almost no worries about how they are treating your property.

The tenant background check can reveal quite a lot about a person. For instance, most good background checks will include any past convictions, bankruptcies, employment history, where they might have lived in the past, and possibly other details that may help you make a more informed decision about who you want to rent to and who you might want to avoid.

You’ll find that most people will not cause problems. Most people will take pride in where they live and will take care of your place just like it was their own. But on occasion you will run into a potentially problematic tenant that you know will be nothing but problems from the beginning just by reading the background information you have on them.

Any person that plans to become a landlord should perform a tenant background check to avoid any future liabilities. It will cost a small fee to get a decent background check off the Internet but you can find out in just a few minutes whether you have a dud or a stud for a prospective tenant. Also, the cost of the background check can be included as part of the application fee and will actually cost you nothing out of pocket.

Shawn Background Checks , , , , , ,

Do Absolutely Free Background Checks Exist?

February 19th, 2009

You see the term “free background check” thrown around a lot when you start looking for information on doing your own investigations but do absolutely free background checks really exist? Unfortunately, as disappointing as it may be to hear, if you need more than the basic information that most anyone can get from a phone book then you probably will have to pay something at some point.

It’s possible as individuals to gather much of the same information that any detective or private eye could find. The key is knowing where and how to look for it. Police and P.I.’s have an easier time digging up the dirt on people because they have access to specialized databases and resources that the “Average Joe” just doesn’t have. There are many public record resources out there that are accessible by anyone but there’s still going to be some cost involved in attaining them. Conducting absolutely free background checks is near impossible due to this fact alone.

Public records are deemed records that are available for public viewing, meaning anyone can view or access them. Most would think there would be no cost involved to take a look at the records but 99% of the time they’re wrong! In nearly every case the records will need to be printed out or processed, thus incurring an “administrative fee” for the cost of the paper, ink, employee time, etc… While these fees are usually small, there’s still cost involved. It doesn’t matter if you’re doing the research yourself or if someone else is doing it for you, absolutely free background checks don’t exist.

If you’re willing to do the leg work yourself or only need a couple of pieces of information on your subject then a background check can be done at a reasonable cost by anyone. If you need something quick or very detailed your best bet is to use one of the many services on the Internet that offer complete background checks for a fee.

Shawn Background Checks , , , , ,

Background Checks – Nosey or Necessity?

January 22nd, 2009

Background checks on people can usually be carried out in a discreet manor from the privacy of your own home or business. Typically it’s a point of security or nervousness that drives us to sneakily attempt to find the information needed to put our mind at ease.

The use of background checks on people has become routine these days with the advent of the information age and the ease with which data can be retrieved from almost anywhere in the world. Love it or hate it, background checks on people are on the upsurge in both our business and private lives.

Employers, landlords, business partners and new loves, just to name a few, at some point may carry out background checks on people as a standard practice. Background checks on people have nearly become a required part of life for these individuals.

Employers customarily want to confirm information presented to them by possible hires such as licenses, job experience, or degree credentials. They are trying their best to insure that any employee that they may hire will not become a liability or pose other risks to their company in the future.

Landlords will certainly want to carry out a credit check on any eventual tenants in hopes that they may avoid any deadbeat tenants. A criminal history check will probably also be needed because most will want to try to avoid having bad elements move into their properties. Drug usage or convictions and non-payment of bills may be red flags for any potential landlord.

To avoid potential problems in their business ventures, business partners may run background checks on people to find out if they are being scammed or to make sure that those they are dealing with are not scam artists.

In the private sector it is often potential lovers or partners that may come under the scrutiny of a background check. One can never be too careful about who they hang around with these days. Background checks on people have taken a dramatic rise in the private sector the last few years as data becomes more easily attainable to anyone with a computer and the desire to find the information.

Last but not least, it is probably a good idea to examine your own personal records periodically. A good example of this would be to check your credit history to make sure that nothing is out of the ordinary. New accounts under your name for instance, may point out identity theft if it is not something you purposely signed up for. It’s also a good idea to make sure that the records that do show up are right and if not they can be taken care of accordingly.

There are a many other reasons, too numerous to bring up in one article, that might make you want to carry out background checks on people. They can be a breeze to do once you have the fundamental investigation skills down pat but they can also take up a lot of time if you’re not comfortable with the internet or using search engines.

If you would like to find out how you can do your own free background check visit our web site.

Shawn Background Checks , , ,

The Importance of Background Checks

November 14th, 2008

Twenty years ago it was safe to let your kids play out in the yard or run to a friends house just around the block. My how times have changed! Just how well do you know your neighbors or other people you come in contact with on a daily basis?

You can never be too safe or too sure when it comes to the safety of your family and loved ones. A large percentage of crimes these days are committed by someone you know or are acquainted with. Sure there are still many random crimes that take place but are you willing to take that chance?

You can’t just bury your head in the sand and wish these problems away. Be proactive in checking up on the individuals around you and your family. Your neighbors, teachers, coaches, co-workers, nannies, or any other person could be just waiting on an opportunity to strike.

Those that are around children should be the first ones you check out. Children are so trusting of the adults in there life that they might not notice what’s going on until its too late. Beat them to the punch! Run a background check on each and every person you believe may have a seedy past. At the very least, this may give you piece of mind and help protect your family in the process.

I know this article sounds a bit alarmist but this is the world we live in today. There is nothing more important than the safety of your family!

You can visit our web site to sign up for our to get the details on other free background check resources.

Shawn Background Checks , , ,

Background Check Methods

November 13th, 2008

There are a number of ways you can conduct a background check these days. Some are expensive, some free, and others in the middle. This article will describe these methods to allow you to make an informed decision.

1) The first method is to use the old fashioned way: visiting all of the government offices and gathering the records one by one. Some people may be surprised to find that a simple request to the right person will yield a lot of public records on someone. Most of the time you can get these records immediately but depending on the backlog you may have to wait a week or two for them. Usually there is a small fee involved for the time to retrieve the records, paper, etc…

2) Another old standby is to hire a private investigator. This can be quite expensive and may or may not produce the results you’re looking for. If you have the money this may be the option for you but be sure to hire a reputable detective.

3) Probably the best solution for most people is to sit down at their computer and access public records online. This can be a reasonably cheap or possibly even free way to gather information on someone. It doesn’t require driving all over the place or the expense of hiring a private detective to do the work for you. There are a number of websites on the internet dedicated to this kind of searching. Most will require a small free but will generally provide all the records in one place.

Find more information on doing a free background check or see other free background check resources.

Shawn Background Checks , , ,