Why Should You Run a Background Check About Yourself?

Whether you are applying for a new job or trying to get a loan from the bank, a background check is a routine process that the employer or loan provider performs in order to find out everything about you. Have you ever wondered why they do this, and why a background check is important? These processes are quite common in most places, and if you are worried if you might not look too good on them, for any reason, you can actually do it yourself.

Running a background check about yourself isn’t expensive or difficult at all, and you can easily manage it on your own without any outside help. This article covers everything you need to know about running a background check about yourself and getting ahead of any applications.

What Does a Background Check Include?

A background check can vary according to the organization or institution performing it since all of them have their own criteria. Basically, it involves investigating a certain individual’s background based on certain criteria, and it may include their current or prior employment information, qualifications, certifications, criminal record, credit score, driving license and motor vehicle information, and much more.

The background check might be divided into different categories, and each will bring about new information pertaining to the candidate. As a candidate, you can request the organization to tell you the particular searches involved in their background checks.

Why Should You Run a Background Check About Yourself?

If you have read this far, you might wonder why you would need to run a background check about yourself. Organizations do it because they want to ensure that there are no “skeletons in your closet” or any factors that might hurt your credibility as a suitable employee. Moreover, it convinces the organization that its employees are safe and secure.

If you don’t feel comfortable doing it on your own, you may get it checked by someone as it isn’t too expensive. If you are interested in doing it yourself, you can order the form online. You also need to buy the black ink that is used for fingerprints or biometrics.

You will have to fill the form with all the relevant information about yourself and all the details about your residence, etc. Background checks are used in various industries for hiring the right candidate for the position. Their purpose is to ensure that applicants are who they say they are.

Best Ways to Do a Background Check

The first thing required for a background check is a nationwide check. All you need to do is the first and last name and it will provide you with a clear view of the databases. You will have various records in front of you, such as criminal records, driving license and motor vehicle records, business lookup, and other relevant databases.

There are two options you need to look at when it comes to background checks. The first is the background check fingerprint clearance type and then online you may be offered an individual review type of background check.

Significance of Running a Background Check on Yourself Before a Job Interview

Running a background check on yourself holds great importance before going for a job interview. Several reasons support this statement.

1.    Reliability

It is important to do a background check yourself only because it provides you with proper knowledge about yourself. All background checks may not be accurate and reliable. Chances are that a police officer may have missed some important details about you, or may file someone else’s criminal record under yours. Things like these are common and may happen with anyone. Therefore, when you run a background check on yourself, you may come to know many unrevealed things that were still unknown to you.

2.    Clear Concepts

Usually, running a background check is considered a big task. However, this is true as it is a time-consuming process and also requires much effort. The entire information is scattered all around the country due to which gathering information into a final record is a complex process. Therefore, if you will run a background check yourself, you will know many things related to it and also you can find out why some background checks aren’t reliable.

3.    It Will Allow You to Apply for Jobs Accordingly

When you are running a background check, you will know about your records, which means that you can apply accordingly. For instance, if you have a higher criminal record and if that is an accurate piece of information, then you may go to other job options, and not apply for departments such as finance.

4.    Correct Any Inaccurate Data

By running a background check, you will have complete information about your records. If any inaccurate information is present in your records, you will be able to rectify the incorrect information that is being filed under your record in the database.

How Long Does a Background Check Take?

Getting someone’s background check is a long process and takes several days to complete. For instance, if you want to check a candidate’s criminal history, you may want to consider searching the courts and jurisdictions in which the candidate has lived, worked, or gone to school. There are more than 3200 jurisdictions in the United States for public records can be obtained.

And how these records can be accessed may vary from court to court. Some courts have made their records available for online searches. Approximately, 30% of US courthouses require in-person direct access, and background check companies perform real-time criminal record searches to maintain a network of court runners to facilitate in-person courthouses. So, the entire procedure takes a lot of time to be completed and verified.

This brings us to the end of our guide on why you should run a background check about yourself. Even if you think you have nothing to hide, or you haven’t done anything wrong, it is always better to stay ahead of this process, so that you can justify anything that might seem awkward to a potential employer.