Can Employers Use Private Investigators for a Background Check?

Many employers will rely on a few standardized methods for background checks on potential employees. Some employees might need to carry high-level security clearance, while others may have to prove that they don’t have any outstanding debt to work in specific industries. The trouble is that there are many laws that restrict employers from learning important information. People may have had issues at past employers, and typically potential employers don’t find out about these problems until they hire the employee and see the issues for themselves.

 

There are simply too many ways that people can conceal their past. Whether it was the past with an employer, credit history, or a criminal history. Often the only way to get to the truth is to involve someone who seeks the truth for a living.

South Carolina Background Checks

Background checks in South Carolina can only go so far for employers. Weather in South Carolina and almost every other state there are restrictions placed on what information an employer can seek out before they hire somebody.  Those restrictions can vary depending on the position. But overall, there aren’t many ways that employers can find out about a person’s professional history, much less other elements of their life.

 

However, the restrictions on South Carolina background checks for employment end when they involve the third party.  Anyone doing a background check is subject to the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act and state laws. South Carolina does have laws that cover criminal background check investigations requesting drivers record information. These apply not only to employers, but to anyone conducting background investigations.

What Happens When a Company Uses a Third-Party to Investigate?

The primary difference between an employer conducting a background check and a private investigator conducting a background check is the scope of questions they can investigate. For example, when a company contacts a prior employer to look at a person’s work history, they’re pretty limited to confirming the dates of employment. Potential employers cannot ask previous employers about the person’s work performance, attendance,  or their ability to work on a team. These are critical elements that can change whether a company hires a person.

 

When a private investigator starts looking into professional history, they can speak to a prior employer about the person’s performance and abilities. By choosing to use a third-party company to conduct the background investigation, many of the restrictions are eliminated.

Credit Checks

When employers run credit checks they don’t see the full report, and they generally don’t need to. Most private investigators also don’t seek out a full credit report when conducting a background check. Instead, most people when conducting background investigations receive a modified version of a credit report that shows volumes of late payments, excessive debt, and mishandling the finances.

 

The idea is that credit checks can expose when potential employees may not be responsible enough to handle company money, consumer information, or could put the company at risk. Notably, employees within the finance industry, collections industry, and in casinos cannot have excessive debt or bad debt.

Criminal Past

A South Carolina measure put into place in 2019 severely restricted what employers can find out through the background process.

 

Employers must prove that they have good reason to move forward and conduct a background check. They must show that they have good faith and determination and that the position is of a sensitive nature. They may only receive information restricted to conviction history, and they only see terms such as valid or sealed. Private investigators can see much more than that.

Start Getting Full Background Checks Now

You can start getting complete background checks on potential employees immediately. Our private investigator team looks at all elements of a person’s life and can confirm whether information on an application or resume is accurate. We conduct background checks that look at the person’s criminal, professional, and even personal history. Through our investigation, you can evaluate a person’s character and confirm that they’re using the correct identity.

 

When we conduct our background check, we look carefully at criminal records, civil records, employment history, education, and look into their personal references. Background checks often serve employers the best, however we offer complete background checks for a variety of purposes. Whether it’s a love interest that has you questioning how often they’re telling the truth, or even a business partner who seems to have a too-good-to-be-true setup. Background checks help people get to the bottom of things and pull out the truth. People routinely lie, and that is fine, but you don’t need to put yourself or your company at risk because of it.

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