This all begins with a criminal check. Often, an online check — which comes with claims of being complete, instant and inexpensive — are less than advertised. In fact, it is not much better than taking the applicant s word for it.

The best method for checking criminal records is to send someone out to the courthouse and search the records manually. This may sound very low tech, but the simple truth is that no national criminal databases exist. (The FBI has a national database, but it s not public record). While checking the criminal court records where the applicant lives does not provide a guarantee that the person has never committed a crime, U.S. Department of Justice statistics indicate that most crimes are committed a short distance from where the criminal lives.

Most background checks also include verfication of the applicant s Social Security Number (SSN). This provides an extensive address history as well as the name or names that are associated with the use of the SSN. If you know where the applicant has lived and the names the applicant has used, you can determine where the criminal checks need to be conducted. For example, if the applicant claims to have lived and worked in Grand Rapids for the last four years, but an address in Miami is reported two years ago, it raises a red flag. The SSN verification also lets the employer know whether the number is valid and where it was issued.