When utilizing employer background check services, hiring managers must determine the scope of their search. The experts here at CredentialCheck help clients make educated decisions about how much information to include and what can be excluded without affecting search quality.
Running a background check on a job applicant involves overcoming many hurdles, including finding data on the right individual and ensuring all relevant records were uncovered. If people only used one name their entire life and never left the county they were born in, pre-employment screening would be much easier. However, the reality is that many people alter their names over their lifetime, legally changing them due to marriage or personal reasons, utilizing nicknames, dropping or adding middle names, and so on. Likewise, most people will have lived or received mail at multiple addresses, possibly in different counties or even different states or countries.
Thus, it is best to include all names and counties in a background check. Though this broad scope will add time to the search, as well as fees, an employer may end up paying much more in risk if they conduct a less-than-thorough job candidate background check. We advise that it is almost always better to practice extra caution than run the risk of missing red flags.
Some of the issues that may arise from searching one name and/or one county include:
Missing Criminal Activities: Being unaware of past criminal acts by a candidate could put a company’s workforce, clients, or finances at risk.
Obstacles in Completing Employment and Education Verifications: If a candidate used a maiden name at college or with a former employer, it would be difficult to verify their credential with only their current name.
Wasted Time and Money: By not searching all possibilities, the employer has paid for a full background check but only received partial results.