The Essential Guide to Hiring a Private Detective for Effective Private Investigations

Did you know that there is not just one type of background check out there? There are many different types of background checks - from firearm background checks to background checks for rental properties. In fact, over 1.2 million firearm background checks were conducted in 2022. That does not include any other types of background checks.

If you are running a background check for a job, an apartment, or something else, you want to ensure you are running an accurate background check. If you don't, you could be missing something. Worse yet, you could have the wrong person entirely!

Not only could that be problematic, but it also could be dangerous if you are not careful.

Ready to learn how to run an accurate background check so that you ensure the safety and well-being of everyone? Keep reading to learn how to do it as well as who can help you run one!

What Is a Background Check?

A background check is to determine if someone is who they say they are. The check identifies three different components:

• Criminal searches
• Verifications
• Ad hoc services

Depending on what you are running a background check for, working with a service can help you figure out the right components that you will need. This is especially true because not every background check is going to be the same. It depends on what it is for.

If you do not have the right components in your background check, you may not have the right quality and compliance in the check that you should have. This can not only put everyone at risk, but if you are working for a company, it could also put them at risk as well.

Although you may go for a background check cost that is on the cheaper end of things, this may mean it is not comprehensive enough for what you need. Many that are cheaper have large gaps in their search as well as don't cover all U.S. jurisdictions. 

Components of a Background Check

While there are three basic components of a background check, some search for more than just the main three of criminal searches, verifications, and ad hoc services.

Here are a few other common components that a background check may entail (or that you should ensure that it does depending on the type you are running).

Criminal History

The criminal history component of a background check will consist of finding criminal records of the person you are conducting the report on through repositories, databases, federal courts, and any misdemeanor convictions they have. 

This part is a necessity for many different reasons that you may choose to run a background check, whether it be for an employer or a potential tenant that may move into your apartment building.

Sex Offender Registry 

Another part of a background check that you can add is to look into the sex offender registry. This search will identify if the individual you are searching for is registered as a sex offender anywhere.

A background check typically checks two different databases - the national sex offender registry is one, while checking specific state registries is another database. This state is usually the individual's state of residence that it checks.

Employment Verification

Checking employment for the individual confirms any information that an applicant or potential employer may have provided. It can provide information such as dates of employment, positions held, and eligibility for rehire.

Additionally, if you want to pay a little bit more for the background check, you can get more detailed information about a prior employer, interviews, and other coworkers that the individual had previously.

Other Components

In addition to the components mentioned above, there are other components that a background check may check for.

They can check for motor vehicle records like previous driving violations or any felony or misdemeanor convictions that they may have. The individual's educational status and credentials can be found as well. This can be as simple as learning the institution's name or more in depth in terms of degrees earned and their major.

You may also want to include a credit check on the background check to learn more about their credit history. This would include any bankruptcies they may have had in the past as well as judgments, accounts in collection, and more.

Determining What to Include in a Background Check

You know the basic components of a background check...so how do you know what to include? There is no one size fits all approach for what to include in a background check order.

A lot of it will have to do with why you are ordering a background check, what it is for, and who the individual that you are checking is.

Just keep in mind that the background check cost is going to differ based on the number of search types you include. The further back you want to check, the more it will cost as well. If you want to search in multiple cities, states, and countries, it will go up in cost as well.

Ensuring Accuracy 

To determine the accuracy of a background check, you can create a policy to guide all background checks and the process surrounding them. This can help you avoid common mistakes made in a background screening and create more consistency across your company.

First and foremost, this means that the components in your background checks should remain the same across positions in the organization. 

Work With Your Screening Partner

When you work with a company to conduct background checks, you want to build a relationship with them. This way, you know you are getting the most accurate results to help you in the process.

You should expect the agency that you are working with to provide:

• Action histories and audit trails
• Straightforward pricing so that you are not surprised by any hidden or changing fees
• Updates about changing laws in your area regarding background checks

In addition to what you should expect from them, you should also make regular reviews of your program to ensure that it is up-to-date and working accurately. For instance, you may want to ensure that there is SSID, or self-sovereign identity verification as part of your program to ensure the most accurate checks.

Always Ask Questions

If you ever have any questions, you should always ask your screening provider to clarify for you. One question that you want to make sure that you ask is how they identify individual identity. If you want your background checks to be accurate, you have to start with the right person. 

With so many names that are the same out there, this could easily go wrong. Understanding what your screening company does to validate this is an important part of the process.

In reality, they should be using a Social Security number to trace every background check. This is the most accurate way to make sure the right person is being searched. However, they need to take it a step further and also validate the addresses and names associated with the SSN.

Importance of Conducting an Accurate Background Check 

There are so many factors for why it is important to conduct an accurate background check. Let's take a look into how this can impact you or a company.

Improved Quality of Hire

When you look into the people that you are hiring, you are going to weed out people who do not qualify for the position. Even if they look good on paper for the job, if they have a criminal history or bad credit, you may realize that they are not someone that you want to hire or have be around other employees. 

Hiring qualified candidates can make a huge difference in your company, the productivity of the employees, and more. 

Improved Safety 

Background checks can also improve the safety of wherever the individual you are checking will go - apartments, the workplace, a school, etc.

If you run a background check and realize that the individual could pose a threat to the environment that they will be in, you have the ability to pass and find someone else. If you didn't run this background check, you many not always know what is lurking under the surface.

Not only will the check show larger incidents, but it will also point to minor assaults, accusations of domestic violence, harassment in the workplace threats, abuse, and more. Having this information before making a decision can make a huge difference in your decision.

In addition to general safety of everyone in the office, conducting a background check is a great way to reduce the risk of drug and alcohol abuse. If previous abuse comes up on an individual's background check, this may be a sign to move on.

Drug and alcohol abuse often leads to crime, violence, aggressiveness, tardiness, embezzlement, and more. Avoiding it altogether is the better option.

Decrease in Negligent Hiring and Decision-Making

As an employer, you don't want to hire someone that is not going to pull their weight, participate in undesired behaviors, or not show up to the job. The same goes for an apartment complex - you do not want to let a tenant move in if they are dangerous or are not going to end up paying rent.

By having their criminal history, their credit score, and past employment history, there is a better chance you will make a good decision, decreasing the risk of negligent hiring and decision-making when it comes to the individual.

When Should I Hire a Private Investigator?

Now that you know everything about conducting a background check, you may be wondering if you should take it a step further. Should you hire a private investigator? What is the point of doing this versus a background check?

Typically, you will hire a private investigator if you do not believe what a person is telling you. This is a more accurate search into someone's past history to see what they have been doing. This can provide a better representation of who someone is.

Otherwise, a private investigator is for finding or tracking someone, tracing people, and other reasons like that.

When you hire a private investigator, you have to ensure that you are hiring someone with the right credentials and experience, though. This is how you will get the best results.

It is not a cheap thing to do. So ensuring that you will get high-quality results is of the utmost importance when working with and hiring a PI.



Time to Do an Accurate Background Check 

If you want to make sure you are conducting an accurate background check, you need to determine the reason for doing it in the first place. From there, you can add components onto the background check itself based on what you think is necessary for the individual. And if you need to hire a PI, you can go that route as well.

Whatever you choose to do, it is important to ensure that you are conducting an accurate check. If you are not, you could put yourself or others in danger as well as jeopardize an entire company. Again, the most important part is to work with your provider to ensure you understand how it works to be sure it is accurate.

If you are looking to conduct a background check that is thorough and accurate, we are here to help! At Barefoot Professional Investigations, we offer thorough background checks and investigations to help you with your needs - whatever they may be!

Ready to get started right away? Reach out to us today!