Online applicant screening is a desirable method for many companies when they are hiring new employees. Websites are available that can help companies to validate the identities and backgrounds of applicants before hiring. They can be very helpful because they determine whether or not applicants are telling the truth about their identities or have engaged in any suspicious or criminal behavior. There are three main types of applicant checks that can be performed online and they include basic identity checks, background checks, and criminal checks.

Online Applicant Screening Options

Basic identity checks are standard for most online applicant screening services. They give businesses access to public records by revealing names, addresses, home phone numbers, average home prices, birth dates, and average incomes. Businesses are not offered access to e-mail addresses, cell phone numbers, information about other businesses, or non-published telephone numbers from public records. These basic identity checks are great for determining whether or not applicants are telling the truth about their identity on applications.

Background checks offer all of the information found in identity checks and more. They are desirable for businesses that are high risk or need to be careful about hiring trustworthy employees. Background checks offer information such as property information, bankruptcies, legal judgments, as well as information about relatives, roommates, or neighbors. Not all of the applicant screening websites offer extensive background checks. Screening services that allow these checks are often partnered with other agencies to help them to obtain background information about individuals.

Criminal checks are very telling of individual behaviors and tendencies. Many businesses will not hire employees if they have notable criminal records. Criminal checks reveal whether or not applicants have committed any felonies, misdemeanors, sex offenses, or county offenses. It is not as easy to find online applicant screening services that provide criminal checks in addition to background and identity checks. However, they can be found if businesses feel that criminal checks are necessary for the hiring process.