What is a background check? And what is it for? Companies or individuals may perform a background check. For instance, to uncover certain information about someone, or confirm its accuracy. Most people might be familiar with this process when accepting a new job. Traditionally, companies and individual only performed background checks to uncover criminal records.
In more recent years, however, companies have been performing these before taking part in significant business ventures. And nowadays it is common to see all sorts of entities making use of background checks. It’s not just companies requesting services such as these anymore. We’ve got both companies and private individuals requesting background checks.
Why Hire Private Investigators for Background Checks?
There are a variety of reasons someone may approach a private investigator to perform a background check. Below are a few examples:
- An individual or business may request a background check before entering into a major business deal with another. For instance, before closing a merger or long-term contract.
- Marriage is a serious commitment. Some couples may request background checks on each other, usually just an insurance policy. Yet, sometimes partners perform these to make sure there are no unexpected secrets about their spouse.
- Landlords may want to screen a tenant before signing a contract with them.
- People often request background checks when partaking in the online dating scene. They may perform a background check on a potential romantic partner before meeting them in person, usually in the interest of safety.
- In court it is best practice to perform a background check on a witness before court. Private investigators widely practise this for attorneys. It is a vital part of the process.
- The most widely practised background check, however, is by far screening candidates for employment. Both large and small organizations perform these before committing to onboarding a new employee.
As you can see there are a plethora of reasons someone might want to perform a background check. Private investigators often help with these, and are often best suited for this kind of work. In fact, many of them specialize in certain types of background checks.
What are the Different Types of Background Checks?
It is rather obvious that there are different background checks for different contexts and people. No single case is the same, knowing what type of information you need is vital to a successful screening. As mentioned earlier in the article, knowing what type of background check you need is essential so you can find the right private investigator for you. Below is a list of the most commonly used checks:
- Financial check: Financial institutions need financial background checks on individuals or larger entities. Looking into an entities financials may reveal anomalies or inconsistencies in credit or spending. This is important to keep the books clean, and make sure everyone is paying there taxes.
- Criminal records: One of the most commonly performed screenings. Usually it is employers who perform these, they involve confirming whether someone has a criminal record or not. And if they do, they might look into details of these records, intending to find out the severity of these acts. Landlords or spouses request these too.
- Driving licenses: If a certain role requires a driving license an employer may look for confirmation that their new employee has a driving license.
- License status check: These are important too. An individual or business might need to confirm if a party they are entering into business with has the required license for their specific work. This may also be necessary when employing someone.
- Personal background check: These background checks can vary depending on the context. This could be from a landlord checking on their tenant to a romantic partner wanting to know who they’re getting involved with.
Conclusion
Evidently, private investigators are capable of performing all of these types of background checks. The key is looking for the one specializing in the particular service you need. Rarely do PIs leave any relevant information uncovered, they are thorough and get to the bottom of the situation. If you find yourself in need of a licensed private investigator and their particular set of skills, please feel free to call us. Or simply click on this link to get in contact with one of our team members.
