How Corporate Screening Produces Accurate Background Check Results

Background checks are critical to the success of your hiring process. They help you manage hiring risk and make informed hiring decisions. To be effective, the results of background checks must be reliable and accurate; they must be a true representation of each candidate’s criminal, employment, and educational history. 

According to the 2020 Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA) background screening report, 96 percent of surveyed employers said they believe accuracy in background checks is very important—but accuracy in background checks is not a given. The truthfulness of your background check results relies on the optimal mix of products and services you get in partnership with your background screening provider. 

Here are the actions we take at Corporate Screening to deliver accurate background check results to you.

Put Turnaround Time in the Proper Context

The time it takes to complete background checks matters to your hiring process. You need timely results so you can avoid leaving candidates hanging and move forward with conditional offers. However, turnaround time is not the only thing that matters. You need the combined benefit of accuracy and quick turnaround times.

Completing background checks in record time is meaningless if the data is inaccurate or search results are incomplete. Nevertheless, some background check companies will promise speed just to get your business. Our goal is always to achieve a balance of turnaround time and accuracy, so you get thorough background check results when you need them. With results you can rely on, you can take action on contingent offers immediately, rather than having to pause while inaccuracies in the report you received are researched and corrected.

Conduct Background Checks with Transparency

In background screening, accuracy is truth. We don’t make promises on timing or price, and then take shortcuts on quality or accuracy down the road. Instead, we seek and deliver truth by conducting transparent screening activities, so you know how we deliver accuracy and what you’re paying for. 

To keep you informed, we provide you with the following services and resources:

• Audit trails and time-stamped action histories to help you track activity related to each background check
• Alerts about timing delays with local courts
• Straightforward pricing for all the services you receive
• Updates about new or changing laws impacting your background screening program and goals
• New technology, such as a continuous monitoring solution, to help you lower costs and increase accuracy in background screening 

Tailor Screening Services to Industry and Job Type

We recognize background screening is not one-size-fits-all, and each organization’s needs are different. While all organizations must meet background check requirements set by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), your organization may also need to comply with industry-specific rules for background checks. For example, in healthcare, an accurate and complete background check includes checking exclusion and debarment lists and databases, among other aspects of a candidate’s background. In financial services, background check reports must include data from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) databases. 

We work with you to develop a background screening program in compliance with industry regulations and best practices. We also help you determine the appropriate mix of background screening services for specific job types in your organization. For example, in a healthcare organization, you will want background checks to include verification of medical licenses for nurses and clinical staff, but not for custodial or food services staff.

Use a Thorough Verification Process

To get reliable and accurate background check results, you need thorough verification of the information provided by candidates. Whether a candidate has provided an incomplete name or employment history, or an incorrect social security number, you need background check results to be a true reflection of the candidate’s background.

In every background check, we include a mix of products and services to confirm identity and deliver an accurate summary of each candidate’s criminal, employment, and educational history. Our verification activities include the following:

• Identity verifications: We conduct a social security number (SSN) trace to identify the known name and address histories for each candidate.
• Court records research: We perform additional research at the court level when we need to confirm the results obtained from a database search.
• Thorough education verification: We use a multi-step process to verify education, and we take steps to identify diploma mills and other false credentials.
• Verification attempts: We go beyond the industry standard of three verification attempts for all employment and education verifications.

Apply Judgment and Effort

An accurate background check requires the necessary effort to obtain complete background details. We don’t merely pass on raw background data from a criminal record or database search. We review the results and examine them for errors or inconsistencies. Our dedicated and trained screening analysts assess search results and apply the necessary judgment and effort to interpret them. This extra layer of review supports our commitment to deliver complete and accurate results every time.

We also use judgment and experience to help you periodically review your overall screening program. By taking a holistic view of your hiring and background screening process, we can make recommendations to help you maintain accuracy and improve efficiency over time.

Enhance the Screening Process with Automation Technology

When the best of technology and human expertise come together, you realize faster delivery and more accurate background check results. Background screening technology automates many aspects of the background check process, so you can speed up the process of requesting background checks, exchanging candidate disclosure and authorization forms, and staying on top of screening results, 

Our screening technology puts more information at your fingertips, helping you to reduce your reliance on manual paper processes. Our EASE background screening technology supports more accurate background check results through the following features and capabilities:

• ATS integrations: Reduces double-entry and enables more accurate candidate data collection
• In-platform messaging: Supports direct communication with candidates and speeds the collection of clarifying information
• Efficient case views: Allows you to see background check results with greater clarity
• Data export capability: filters allow you to export case lists, including data such as turnaround time, case initiation date and time, case by product type, and adverse action information

Watch Out for Common Accuracy Pitfalls on Your Behalf

Inaccurate background check results can cause delays in your hiring process and can lead you to make the wrong hiring decision. They can also be problematic for candidates, especially if inaccurate background check results lead to a lost job opportunity.  

Your busy hiring process doesn’t have room for inaccuracies and delays. We are committed to checking the most accurate and up-to-date sources of background information, so you can quickly make decisions and get your desired candidates on board. We check primary sources and verify the information we obtain, helping you to avoid inaccuracies such as:

• Reports with the same criminal offense listed multiple times 
• Results featuring expunged records
• Results for the wrong person, for example, a person with the same or similar name
• Reports with prohibited information, such as a bankruptcy older than ten years

Expect Accurate Background Checks Every Time

Many factors impact the success of your background screening program, including the completeness of candidate data and the efficiency of your hiring process. To increase your chances of getting accurate background check results, you need a background screening partner who is as committed to quality and accuracy as you are. 

When your background screening provider offers you the ideal mix of background screening products and services, knowledge of reliable information sources, and technology to improve data collection and delivery, you can expect accurate background check results, every time. To help you select a background check provider who can deliver quality, transparency, and industry-leading turnaround times, check out our Competitor Comparison Infographic.