An Example of Doing a Background Check

Picture this: You just invented a revolutionary technique to make snow. With the right marketing and development, you could open up ski resorts in Florida, Brazil and Southern California. Because you're an engineer and have never been great with the business side of things, you decide to take in a partner to finance the venture. But how do you know for certain that the guy will have the money for it and that he's not just leading you on?

The most efficient way to do so is by getting in touch with one of the three national credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian or TransUnion. These international corporations specialize in information services for global commerce. For a fee, they will provide a credit report on any person you request. It is perfectly legal, as long as you can prove you need this information for the benefit of a business transaction, debt collection, employment purposes, granting of a professional license or extension of credit. You will need a signed release form from the individual to keep things legal and ethical.

Here is what you can expect to find in the report: address, Social Security number, bankruptcies, tax liens, judgments, child support obligations, loans and the names of other employers who have checked this person's record. This should be enough to give you an idea about the financial stability of your future business partner.

All right, so you've discovered that your potential partner has so far been responsible with his money and that he might get your tropical ski resort project underway. You are about to break out the champagne when a thought crosses your mind; what if he wants to steal your patent? Worse still, what would you do if you discovered that this tame-looking gentleman has the annoying habit of spending time in federal custody?

The only national database for criminal records is the FBI's National Crime Information Center and it's off-limits to the public. So in order to find out if a person has a criminal record, you must resort to consulting county and state officials. In a few instances, the records are available online, but in most cases, you'll have to go to the courthouse and ask the clerk.

Technically, you can often make the inquiry in a letter but it'll be a while before you get a response and it might not be complete. The same goes for phone queries. By actually going to the courthouse, you'll get an almost immediate answer. You probably won't be allowed to search the database yourself, but you'll have to provide the name of the person since that's how records are entered. Be sure to have other information such as date of birth and Social Security number to make comparisons in case the clerk comes back with more than one file. Expect a fee for this service.

While you're at the courthouse, you might also want to look into what kind of litigation, if any, your new friend has been involved in. You wouldn't want to hire someone half the world is suing (or has sued), would you?

Finally, you can sleep soundly without fear of being swindled out of your hard-earned money. But then, being the thorough person that you are, you realize that you're not sure if your new partner has the stomach for such an ambitious endeavor. Does he have the experience to move your project along? Most of all, will he be competent enough?

A catalog of past employment does not exist. Whenever you hire someone, you have to ask for past employment references. But it's not enough to ask; you must also follow through on checking them out. Call up his previous employers and make sure to ask what they thought of the guy. Cover all the angles and don't be shy to ask for some type of proof of employment.

If the person has a diploma that's relevant to the reason you're hiring him, don't hesitate to ask to see a copy of it. Also, since documents can be forged by a grade-schooler with retail software, you might want to get in touch with the guy's alma mater to confirm the authenticity of the qualification. Moreover, if you're hiring a professional, it might be wise to contact his association to make sure he's properly licensed.

Before you can order your “Ski Miami” billboards, there's one last check you could make: character. A person can be financially sound, honest and competent, but if the two of you aren't like-minded, work can be quite difficult. A simple job interview might not be enough to get the lowdown on a man's psyche.

First, visit your favorite search engine and explore the Internet to see what the world has to say about your new partner. You might discover that he's been involved in some charity work in Zimbabwe that he hasn't told you about. You might also learn that several women have put web pages to discredit him as the worst womanizer since Howard Hughes. When you're done, do it again with another search engine so you can double-check the results.

While search engines provide a quick and harmless way to research somebody's background, it's not very accurate as there could be other people out there with the same name as the guy you're checking up on.

Searching for background information is only as good as what you do with it in the end. Double-check and triple-check every murky detail you receive for genuineness. Even then, never jump to conclusions; there might be a perfectly logical explanation for whatever you find. Once you've evaluated the results, sit down with the person and let him give his side of the story. There might be some middle ground on which the both of you will be satisfied.

While these background checks can be made on anyone from lovers and business partners to employees and neighbors, those dealing with confidential records are only legal when you have a legitimate reason. Make sure you're on the right side of the law at all times.