Which Online Background Check Is Best?

According to a recent CareerBuilder survey, 75 percent of employers have hired the wrong person for a job, and of those who had a bad hire affect their business in the last year, one bad hire costs them nearly $17,000 on average.

To prevent making bad hires and the high price tag associated with that hire, the majority of employers (72 percent) are now running a background check on every candidate before they’re officially brought on board. Employers that are running background checks are analyzing these pieces of a candidate’s history to bolster their defenses.  

• Criminal background: 82 percent

• Confirm employment: 62 percent

• Confirm identity: 60 percent

• Confirm education: 50 percent

• Check for illegal drug use: 44 percent

• Check licensing: 38 percent

• Credit check: 29 percent

The most comprehensive pre-employment screening includes all of the above. Stacking background screenings in this way helps companies mitigate as much risk as possible. 

Methods for an Online Background Check  

In order to conduct that level of comprehensive pre-employment screening, employers turn to online background screening. 

Some employers, particularly smaller ones that aren’t hiring as consistently as larger ones, choose to DIY their online background checks by sending requests to various online agencies, manually searching public databases, and checking for information about their candidates via search engines and social media.  

While this method is generally less expensive than using an all-inclusive service, it’s time-consuming, often inaccurate, and leaves your business vulnerable to risk. 

The better method for conducting online background checks? Partnering with a reliable third-party background check service that can expertly aggregate all the data you need to provide a comprehensive picture of a candidate’s skills, abilities, and work history. 

Beyond a broad variety of background searches and data, background check services offer faster turnaround times (in as little as a few hours), provide more accurate and current information, and guarantee compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (and other federal, state, and local laws).  

Choosing the Best Online Background Check 

When choosing an employee background screening service, consider the following factors: 

• Types of screenings available (level of detail)

• Cost

• Ease of Use

• Accuracy

• Turnaround Times  

S2Verify background screening service is best-in-class in all of the above categories, making it the perfect example to show you what a top-notch online background check looks like. 

Types of Screenings/Level of Detail 

The S2Verify background checks include the following services, tools, and data: 

• Social security number trace to confirm past address history. 

• National criminal file search to parse through criminal data from local, state, and federal repositories–including the Sex Offender Registry and government watch lists.  

• Sex offender criminal search to get more detailed information from public and tribal registries not included in the national criminal file search. 

• County criminal/other public records search to get county-level access to information regarding felony and misdemeanor convictions, arrests, and/or pending cases. 

• Statewide criminal/public records search to get state-level access to conviction records. 

• Federal criminal/public records search to get access to federal-level crimes, including kidnapping, drug trafficking, bank robbery, embezzlement, counterfeiting, and other “white collar” crimes. Crimes involving the crossing of state borders should also be included. 

• Driving records and motor vehicle records search for applicants that will operate a motor vehicle, including a company car or forklift. 

• Employment verification to confirm a candidate’s references and work history. 

• Education verification to validate a candidate’s degree or GED earned from an accredited institution. 

• Credit report to get insight into a potential hire’s financial distress that might indicate risk of theft or fraud. 

• Professional license verification checks a candidate’s credentials for roles that require a license to practice the profession. 

• Drug screening services make it easy for candidates to schedule and complete a drug test at an official collection site. 

• International screening services and consultations to help you hire top talent from across the world and navigate variable international hiring/employment laws.

Cost 

Every business is unique, meaning that each employer has a different set of needs when it comes to screening candidates. For example, healthcare or education employers might need to run professional license verifications, while other organizations do not. The best employment background check service will allow you to customize your screening package to only pay for what you need, just like the pricing program at S2Verify. 

Ease-of-Use 

The best screening solutions reinforce their product with high-quality customer service so that employers can conduct screening without issue and make hires effectively and efficiently. When searching for an online background check service, look for a partner that promises integrity, industry experience, innovation, and an unparalleled commitment to their clients at every step of the way—like S2Verify. 

Accuracy and Turnaround Time

Most employee background check services get results in 48 hours to five business days, but not all. S2Verify can provide faster-than-average 12-24 hour delivery times.

Additionally, S2Verify is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA) for its commitment to excellence in information security, compliance, client education, researcher & data standards, verification services, and business practices. In other words, we’re recognized by the PBSA for the accuracy and thoroughness of our background checks.