From finding a long-lost family member, to making sure that a promising new employee is telling the truth, there are many reasons to run a background check. Depending on the information you have – such as a full name, phone number, or email address – you can find a lot of information by searching online or by signing up to an online background check service. Read More…
Background Checks Articles
Paying for a Background Check as an Employee
Great news! Your application for a job has gotten as far as having a background check, so the company must be interested. But wait a minute – they expect you to pay for it? If you’ve applied for a job and had a response from an employer asking you to foot the bill for a background check, then you may be more than a little suspicious. It’s understandable because although some legitimate businesses do this (often those operating on a smaller budget), it’s not common practice. It’s also something that scammers have picked up on. We took a closer look to make sure you know whether you’re paying to land that dream job or if you’re actually getting taken for a ride. Read More…
4 Best Ways To Look up Phone Numbers
It’s a common scenario: you get a phone call from an unknown number and don’t answer. Maybe they called several times but never left a message. But who was the mystery caller? It could have been an important business call, a friend with a new number, a spam call, or something more sinister. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to find out who just called. Some methods go so far as to give a complete overview of the caller’s identity, including their social media accounts, dating profiles, and in some cases even their picture. Here, we take a look at four of the best ways to look up unknown phone numbers. Read More…
Background Check Requirements for Prospective Foster and Adoptive Parents
Whether you’re adopting or fostering a child, it’s a difficult process that can take months – even years – to finalize. But in the end, it’s incredibly rewarding to know that you’re making a big difference in a child’s life as well as enriching your own by welcoming someone into your family. But before you get to that stage, you’ll need to jump through a few hoops along the way. One of the key parts of the process is that you have to successfully pass a background check. Read More…
How To Clean up Your Social Media Presence Before a Background Check
Years ago, you never had to worry that things you may have said in your youth would come back to haunt you when you apply for a job. But we live in a social media age, and many of us now grew up with it. But, as we get older, we need to know how to use it professionally. Indeed, 90% of employers say social media is important when considering an applicant. So, now more than ever, you need to be aware of your online presence – especially because many employer background checks look closely at your social media activity to see if you’re a suitable candidate. Here we’ll take a look at some useful tips and tricks to make sure your social media doesn’t put off a potential employer. Read More…
What To Do When a Background Check Goes Wrong
Imagine this scenario: you’re about to get the job you’ve always dreamed of, but it falls apart at the last second through no fault of your own. A background check has given incorrect information that makes hiring you impossible. This could happen, especially since 96% of employers run background checks. And while background check services are often very accurate, sometimes mistakes are made leading to inaccurate or incorrect results, which can have real consequences. Fortunately, there are ways to fix this and prevent it from happening in the future. Read More…
How To Use Background Check Services To Find Family Members
Finding family members can be a long and emotional journey. Whether you’re looking for an estranged family member, family you’ve never met, or even your biological parents it’s a difficult process. To get started, you should compile any information you have on your family member in one place. Do you know their name, age, places they’ve lived, or any other relatives you could trace them through? Any details at all could help your search in the future. Don’t worry if you only know the bare minimum as there are various tools that make the process easier. Read More…
7 Common Misconceptions About Background Checks
There are a lot of myths and misconceptions floating around about background checks, like what kind of results you may get, how much they cost, and even if they’re legal to do at all. It’s important to dispel those myths so you can not only know what background checks really are but also to find out if running a background check is right for you. Read More…
Instant Checkmate vs Intelius Comparison
More often than not, comparing two background check services is like comparing chalk and cheese. Other times their features overlap so much it can be almost impossible to choose just one. That’s certainly the case when it comes to two high-quality services like Instant Checkmate and Intelius. Both provide users with thorough background checks and offer plenty of extra features as well. However, they each have their strengths and weaknesses and only one will be able to suit your needs the best. Read More…
How To Run a Background Check on Yourself
It may sound a little counterintuitive to run a background check on yourself – no one knows you better, after all. However, it can be very important to run a background check on yourself as you may end up with some unexpected results. You can try to run a check on yourself for free – a laborious process but with added savings – or you can employ a dedicated service to do the hard work for you and make sure you don’t miss any surprising details. Read More…