What Does an Accurate Background Check Look For?

Understanding What Accurate Background Checks Examine

When you're hiring new team members, bringing on contractors, or vetting potential business partners, you need to know exactly what an accurate background check looks for. This isn't just about checking boxes—it's about protecting your organization while making fair, informed decisions.

Whether you're running your first background check or refining an existing screening process, understanding each component helps you know what to expect and how to interpret results. Let's break down every element that goes into a comprehensive background screening.

Criminal History Searches: The Foundation of Background Checks

Criminal record searches typically form the core of any thorough background check. This isn't a single search—it's actually multiple searches across different jurisdictions and databases.

County-Level Criminal Records

County court searches are considered the gold standard for criminal background checks because they pull directly from source records. Each county maintains its own court records, so a thorough check searches every county where the candidate has lived. This catches records that might not appear in broader database searches.

State Criminal Records

State-level searches aggregate criminal records from across an entire state. While faster than running individual county searches, they may miss some records depending on how consistently counties report to the state database.

Federal Criminal Records

Federal crimes—like tax evasion, bank fraud, or crimes committed on federal property—don't appear in state courts. A federal criminal search is essential for positions involving financial responsibility or government contracts.

Sex Offender Registry Searches

These searches check national and state sex offender registries. They're particularly critical when hiring for positions that involve working with children, vulnerable adults, or in healthcare settings.

What Criminal Searches Reveal

Depending on the search type and jurisdiction, criminal background checks can uncover:

• Felony convictions: Serious offenses like theft, fraud, assault, or drug trafficking
• Misdemeanor convictions: Lesser offenses including DUI, petty theft, or disorderly conduct
• Pending cases: Charges that haven't yet been resolved
• Arrest records: In jurisdictions where reporting arrests is permitted

Keep in mind that many states have ban the box laws and restrictions on how far back criminal records can be reported or considered for employment purposes.

Employment Verification: Confirming Work History

Employment verification catches resume fraud—which is more common than most people realize. This component confirms that candidates actually worked where they claim and held the positions they listed.

What Employment Verification Confirms

• Dates of employment (start and end dates)
• Job titles and positions held
• Reason for leaving (when the former employer will share it)
• Eligibility for rehire
• Basic job responsibilities in some cases

Red flags here include unexplained employment gaps, inflated job titles, or employment at companies that can't be verified. Some candidates stretch the truth about their role scope or duration—employment verification catches these discrepancies before they become expensive hiring mistakes.

Education Verification: Validating Credentials

Education verification confirms degrees, certifications, and credentials directly with the issuing institutions. This is especially critical in fields where specific qualifications are required—healthcare, finance, engineering, and legal positions.

What Education Checks Confirm

• Institution attended
• Dates of attendance
• Degree or certification earned
• Major or field of study
• Graduation date

Diploma mills and fake credentials remain a real problem. Education verification protects your organization from candidates who misrepresent their qualifications—and in regulated industries, it helps maintain compliance.

Identity and SSN Verification

Before running any other searches, accurate background checks verify the candidate's identity. This foundational step ensures you're actually screening the right person.

What Identity Verification Includes

• Social Security Number validation: Confirms the SSN is valid and matches the candidate's name
• Address history: Tracks residential movements and identifies all jurisdictions where criminal searches should be run
• Name variations and aliases: Identifies other names the candidate may have used

Identity verification also helps detect potential identity theft or fraud attempts. If someone provides an SSN that doesn't match their name or shows no associated address history, that's a major red flag requiring further investigation.

Credit History Checks

Credit checks are typically reserved for positions involving financial responsibility—handling money, accessing financial systems, or managing company finances. They're governed by strict regulations and aren't appropriate for every role.

What Credit Checks Reveal

• Bankruptcies
• Tax liens
• Civil judgments
• Accounts in collection
• Payment history patterns

Important note: Many states and localities restrict when employers can use credit information for hiring decisions. Always verify local regulations before including credit checks in your screening process.

Motor Vehicle Records (MVR)

For any position involving driving, MVR checks are essential. They reveal driving history that directly impacts job suitability and company liability.

What MVR Checks Show

• License status (valid, suspended, revoked)
• Traffic violations
• DUI/DWI convictions
• Accidents on record
• License restrictions or endorsements

Even for positions where driving isn't the primary function, MVR checks matter if employees will ever operate company vehicles or drive for business purposes.

Professional License Verification

In regulated industries, verifying professional licenses is non-negotiable. This confirms that required credentials are current, valid, and in good standing.

Industries Where License Verification Is Critical

• Healthcare: Medical licenses, nursing credentials, certifications
• Finance: Series licenses, CPA credentials, insurance licenses
• Legal: Bar admission status
• Construction: Contractor licenses, trade certifications
• Real estate: Agent and broker licenses

License verification also catches disciplinary actions or restrictions that might not appear elsewhere.

Reference Checks: The Qualitative Component

While most background check components pull from databases and records, reference checks add qualitative insight. They help verify soft skills, work ethic, and cultural fit that numbers can't capture.

What Reference Checks Explore

• The candidate's strengths and development areas
• Working style and reliability
• Specific accomplishments or contributions
• How they handled challenges or conflicts
• Whether the reference would work with them again

Professional references complement the quantitative data from other checks, providing context and nuance.

Drug Screening

Drug testing requirements vary by industry, position, and location. Safety-sensitive positions often require pre-employment and ongoing drug testing.

Common Drug Testing Scenarios

• Pre-employment screening before finalizing offers
• Random testing for safety-sensitive roles
• Post-incident testing following workplace accidents
• Reasonable suspicion testing when impairment is suspected

Drug testing regulations vary significantly by state, so consult legal counsel about what's permissible and required in your jurisdiction.

Social Media Screening

Social media screening is increasingly common but requires careful implementation. When conducted properly, it can reveal public conduct inconsistent with company values or concerning behavior patterns.

Legal Considerations for Social Media Checks

• Focus only on publicly available information
• Avoid accessing protected information (religion, political affiliation, etc.)
• Apply consistent standards across all candidates
• Consider using third-party services to maintain objectivity

The key is ensuring social media screening focuses on job-relevant information while avoiding discriminatory considerations.

Trust Scores: A Modern Approach to Background Screening

Modern background check platforms are moving toward comprehensive trust scores that aggregate multiple data points into actionable insights. Rather than sifting through disparate reports, trust scores combine identity verification, criminal records, credentials, and other factors into a unified risk assessment.

This approach helps hiring managers quickly understand overall candidate risk while maintaining access to detailed supporting data when needed. It's particularly valuable for high-volume hiring where efficiency matters.

If you need to run a quick background check with trust scoring, Galadon's free Background Checker provides comprehensive reports that help you assess candidate reliability efficiently.

FCRA Compliance: Your Legal Obligations

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) governs how background checks can be conducted and used. Non-compliance can result in significant legal liability.

Key FCRA Requirements

• Written consent: You must obtain written authorization before running a background check
• Clear disclosure: The consent form must be a standalone document clearly explaining that a background check will be conducted
• Pre-adverse action notice: If you're considering not hiring someone based on the report, you must first provide a copy of the report and a summary of their rights
• Adverse action notice: If you decide not to hire based on the report, you must notify the candidate in writing

Candidates have the right to dispute inaccurate information, and screening companies must have processes for handling disputes.

Customizing Background Checks by Role

Not every position requires every type of check. Tailoring your screening approach based on role requirements keeps costs reasonable while ensuring appropriate vetting.

Entry-Level Positions

Criminal background check, identity verification, and employment verification for recent positions typically suffice.

Financial Positions

Add credit history, thorough employment verification, and education verification. Federal criminal searches are often appropriate.

Executive Roles

Comprehensive screening including all of the above, plus professional reference checks, media searches, and verification of board positions or affiliations.

Driving Positions

MVR checks are essential, along with criminal background checks focusing on relevant offenses.

Red Flags to Watch For

Understanding what constitutes a red flag helps you interpret results appropriately. Not every finding is disqualifying—context matters.

Serious Concerns

• Falsified credentials or employment history
• Undisclosed criminal history related to the position
• Identity verification failures
• Patterns of concerning behavior

Findings Requiring Context

• Old offenses that may be irrelevant to the position
• Minor discrepancies in dates or titles
• Gaps in employment with reasonable explanations
• Credit issues unrelated to financial responsibility roles

The goal isn't to find perfect candidates—it's to make informed decisions based on complete information.

Building Your Complete Verification Stack

Background checks work best as part of a comprehensive verification process. Pairing background screening with other verification tools creates a complete picture of candidates and contacts.

For example, before reaching out to candidates or business contacts, you might use an email verifier to ensure your communications reach the right person. When building prospect lists, a mobile number finder helps you connect directly with decision-makers.

The combination of verified contact information and thorough background screening creates a foundation of trust for all your business relationships.

Making Background Checks Work for Your Organization

An accurate background check looks for multiple dimensions of a candidate's history—criminal records, employment and education verification, identity confirmation, and role-specific checks like credit or driving history. The key is matching your screening depth to the position's requirements while maintaining consistent, compliant processes.

Whether you're screening your first hire or your thousandth, having the right tools matters. Galadon's Background Checker provides comprehensive background reports with trust scores, making it easy to assess candidate reliability quickly and confidently. It's free to use and designed by practitioners who understand what you actually need to make smart hiring decisions.