Criminal record checks for employment can provide small business owners with crucial information to make an informed hiring decision. When running a criminal record check, you can review a job applicant’s misdemeanor convictions, felony convictions, and whether they’re listed on the National Sex Offender Registry, among other data. Criminal record checks can also be run online through credible screening solutions like ShareAble for Hires that delivers results within minutes. To learn more about criminal record checks, why employers use them, and more, read our post below.
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Today, criminal record checks are becoming the norm during the job hiring process. As a small business owner, using background checks can help ensure you make safe and informed hiring decisions. By screening applicants, you can uncover useful information, just as misdemeanor and felony convictions, or identity and Social Security verification. With this information, you can have peace of mind knowing you’re hiring a trustworthy employee.
Whether you’re a new startup or an established small business, knowing how to check a criminal record is important. While you can go through a courthouse or a traditional firm, these methods can be slow, which can result in a potential hire joining another company. Instead, online screening services can provide useful background information nearly instantly, so you can make a hire on the spot. ShareAble for Hires is designed for small businesses and is backed by TransUnion analytics to provide reliable results that are delivered within minutes.
Throughout this post, we’ll cover the basics of criminal record checks, such as what they are, why employers use them, the information they uncover, and more. Read end-to-end to learn how to check a criminal record, or use the links below to navigate the post and jump to a section of your choice.
- What Is a Criminal Record Check
- Why Do Employers Use Criminal Record Checks
- What Information Do Employers Consider in a Criminal Record Check
- What Are the Laws Regarding Criminal Record Checks
- Start Your Background Check Today With ShareAble for Hires
What Is a Criminal Record Check
A criminal record check is a process used by businesses or hiring managers to verify a job applicant’s criminal history, identity, employment history, credit history, and other background information related to their past. Criminal record checks can be a great way to gain trust in hiring decisions, as they can verify a job applicant is who they claim to be and don’t have any marks on their criminal history that could jeopardize their business.
In order to conduct a criminal record check, employers must always have written consent from a job applicant, which is enforced by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). All job candidates have rights when it comes to providing personal information to employers and have the right to have answers to questions, such as:
- How will their information be used
- Why is the employer requesting a background check
- Who will have access to their information
- Will they be able to correct misinformation
At ShareAble for Hires, you can run an online background check in a matter of minutes to gain trust in the moment to make a confident hiring decision. All ShareAble for Hires criminal background checks are FCRA-compliant to ensure both you and your jobs applicants are protected.
Why Do Employers Use Criminal Record Checks
Conducting a criminal record check is a great preventative measure to ensure your business is safe from any potential threats. There are many reasons why employers use criminal background checks, such as:
- Reducing the risk of fraud
- Preventing theft
- Lowering the risk of criminal activity
- Confirming identity
- Improving the quality of new hires
- Preventing lawsuits from poor hires
These are just some of the reasons why employers conduct criminal background checks. By doing your due diligence, you can potentially reduce the risk of malfeasances, such as theft and embezzlement, along with any potential lawsuits or legal actions that might result from a bad hire. By bringing on top-tier talent, you can increase your chances of business success, create a workplace culture built on trust, and grow your profits.
What Information Do Employers Consider in a Criminal Record Check
Criminal record background checks can uncover a lot of information that can prove useful to an employer. However, not every employer is the same, which means some may consider certain factors provided by a criminal background check to make a hiring decision, while others will not.
Regardless of what information employers take into consideration when making a hiring decision, it’s important to know what can show up on a criminal background check. Knowing what shows up can help you prepare, make any corrections, or provide any explanations. What does a background check show A background check can provide useful information, such as misdemeanor and felony convictions, prison records, and search the National Sex Offender Registry, Domestic Terrorist Watchlist, and more. Take a look at a full list of information criminal record checks can provide below:
As you can tell, criminal record checks provide employers with a significant amount of important information that can help them make a sound hiring decision. For example, a company hiring a fleet of drivers to operate sales vehicles or trucks may focus heavily on your driving record or motor vehicle record, as driving infractions like speeding tickets or driving under the influence are directly related to the job. As another example, retail stores or banks that have a lot of cash on hand may focus more on criminal convictions such as theft or fraud, as a job applicant with a history of these crimes can put their business in jeopardy.
As an employer, analyzing the areas of a criminal background check that can directly impact your business is a great preventative measure to stay protected. As a job applicant, understanding what might show up on a criminal background check can help you prepare for the application and interview process. If you find any mistakes or inaccuracies on your criminal background check, you can file a dispute with the background check service provider or explain the report’s errors to the employer.
What Are the Laws Regarding Criminal Record Checks
There are several background check laws in place to ensure applicants’ rights are protected during the job hiring process. Two significant pieces of legislation protect applicants from unfair or unjust hiring practices, including the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
The FCRA established regulations that determine what type of information can be collected and used by third parties and employers when conducting a criminal background check. In addition to requirements set forth by the FCRA, certain states and locales may have their own laws in place that employers and third parties must abide by. Failure to abide by FCRA regulations and state and local regulations can result in hefty fines, penalties, and even civil suits.
Once you have gathered information from a criminal background check, the EEOC enforces anti-discrimination laws to ensure job applicants’ rights are protected. These anti-discrimination laws make it illegal to make hiring decisions based on personal factors such as race, sex, religion, ethnicity, sexuality, nationality, age, or disability.
Lastly, some states may have their own set of laws that prevent employers from asking about criminal history during the initial stages of the job hiring process. These are called ban-the-box laws and may prevent you from running a criminal background check until the job applicant has accepted a job offer.
At ShareAble for Hires, you can rest assured knowing you’re in compliance with all federal, state, and local laws.
Start Your Background Check Today With ShareAble for Hires
At ShareAble for Hires, we offer criminal background checks that are fast, convenient, and FCRA-compliant. When conducting a criminal record check online with ShareAble, you can have trust in your hiring decision knowing you received information from TransUnion’s databases, one of the nation’s largest credit bureaus. Our background checks provide search results from:
- 300+ million criminal records
- Misdemeanor and felony criminal records from state and local jurisdictions in 43 states
- National Sex Offender Public Registry
- Most Wanted databases
- Records from federal agencies, such as:
- Drug Enforcement Administration
- FBI
- Homeland Security
- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives,
- Marshals, the U.S. Secret Service, and the U.S. Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control
When conducting a background check with ShareAble for Hires, you can get results within minutes, allowing you to make a confident hiring decision almost instantly. Here’s how to conduct a criminal record check online:
- Invite a job applicant via email
- Gain consent from the applicant to run a background check
- Once authorized, receive results on the spot
Our fast and convenient criminal background checks make it easy for you to make a hiring decision almost immediately. Not only can you have trust in the hiring choice you made, but you can also fill positions fast, reduce employee turnover, and build a strong company culture.
In addition to receiving the criminal history of a job applicant, you’ll also receive built-in identity verification with each background check run. Identity theft is at an all-time high, with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) receiving 4.8 million identity theft and fraud reports in 2020, which is up 45% since 2019. Once an applicant enters their information, they’ll be required to answer personal questions to verify their identity to ensure they are who they say they are.
Lastly, our affordable and cheap background checks come with a credit check to provide you with a picture of an applicant’s financial situation. At ShareAble for Hires, our detailed credit checks can help you gauge a candidate’s financial responsibility, so you can have peace of mind knowing your company’s finances will be in good hands.
Finding responsible and honest employees can be a challenge, especially if you’re not using the right tools. If you’re in need of employment screening services, look no further than ShareAble for Hires, where you can make faster, more well-informed hiring decisions.
