Although it’s true that the world we live in grows smaller all the time due to more accurate record keeping and advances in communications technology like these sites, there are numerous instances of people who have successfully disguised a dark past to begin anew. Often though, that new beginning serves merely for them to go on and do more of whatever it was they did before. These days, it makes sense to take advantage of all the technology and professional know-how available to do a background check on anyone new who comes into your life. Don’t let anyone convince you that you’re being paranoid. Knowledge is power.
Who Conducts Background Checks?
The people who approach companies to conduct background checks are many and varied. It could be an employer checking out a new employee. It could be a landlord checking out a prospective tenant. It could be a woman checking out her new boyfriend, or even a man checking out a woman’s past. Increasingly, patients are checking out their doctor’s background, too. While no one would relish the thought of welcoming a murderer or sex offender onto their team or into their life, embezzlers, tax dodgers and imposters can bring their own set of problems, too.
There are some categories of people who should always be checked out, such as persons applying for teaching jobs, particularly when they’re going to be working with small children. Medical staff should routinely be checked out, as they’re automatically in a position to do a lot of harm should they not meet the requirements for the job. It’s not just a matter of checking that someone is who they say they are, but that they actually have the qualifications they claim to hold. Conducting checks that go back far enough into the individual’s past to turn up any facts that may raise question marks is a right and a duty on the part of employers, who should see themselves as protecting the public.
Business Is Business
Business is yet another area where it is vital to conduct background checks. Your proposed new partner or high-level business executive may look very good on paper, but how much do you really know? It’s very easy to create a pretty resume, but does your candidate really live up to it?
If you run any kind of business that routinely hires new staff, you need access to the right kind of company that can take a lot of the guesswork out of your hiring procedures. Enlisting the help of a background check company should be routine. Not just any company will do, though.
They should not only have access to the right sources of information–they should know how to use it, too. Anyone can buy a software program these days with instructions on where to look for background check information, but non-professionals don’t know what to do with those facts in the same way that a seasoned professional would. That’s the critical difference.
Enlisting the Help of Professionals
Certain websites would have us believe that there is no longer a need for professional investigation agencies, since we all have access to the Internet and, so the theory goes, can conduct our own investigations. Checking someone out, however, can have some pretty serious consequences. If you get it wrong, you could be bringing a criminal into your home or business, or conversely, you may overlook a person who would be perfect.
Conducting a thorough background or due diligence test will put your mind at rest, no matter the reason why someone new is in your life. You’ll be able to move ahead with your plans with a mind that’s at ease, knowing there are no nasty secrets to surface at any time in the future. On the other hand, if the background check turns up something unpleasant, you will have placed yourself in safe hands and you can proceed to change your plans as necessary with no damage done.