Job seekers aren’t always completely honest on their resumes. In fact, over half of candidates lie or exaggerate about their qualifications according to research. With so many little white lies floating around out there, how’s an employer supposed to spot the fibbers and build a team they can trust? This is where running background checks comes in.

Background checks allow you to verify that someone is who they claim to be. You can fact check what’s on their resume and peek into their past to get a better feel for their character and judgment. This helps stack the hiring odds in your favor so you end up with reliable, upstanding employees.

But with background checks, one size does not fit all. You essentially have two options – standard checks or enhanced checks. Standard checks cover the basics on someone’s identity, criminal record and sex offender status for a low cost. Enhanced checks dig much deeper into employment history, credit reports, education, driving records and more – but at a higher price.

So which is better for your needs? In this post, we’ll compare standard vs enhanced background check packages to help you decide. We’ll cover:

– What exactly is included in standard vs enhanced checks 

– The pros and cons of each type

– Key differences around cost, depth of information, and turnaround time

– Other factors to keep in mind when running checks

– Should you use a background check company or not?

– When standard is sufficient versus when it pays to upgrade to enhanced

Let’s start with the basics of what pre-employment background checks even are and why they’re so essential.

Why Do Employers Need to Run Background Checks?

Background checks allow you to confirm that a candidate is truthful about their identity, qualifications, and history before you hire them. No one wants to realize after bringing someone on board that they lied or withheld damaging information. Conducting background checks helps prevent various problems like:

Safety and Security Issues

For jobs involving vulnerable populations like children, seniors, those with disabilities, healthcare patients and more – background checks help avoid endangering them. If a new daycare hire actually has a child abuse conviction you missed, the consequences could be tragic. Checks help screen for risks.

Financial Loss or Theft

Staff who will handle money, expense accounts, inventory, financial data and other assets can expose you to significant losses if they have a fraudulent history. Background checks flag any financial misdeeds or dishonest behavior in someone’s past.

Workplace Violence and Negligence

Many employers have been sued for workplace violence, harassment or negligence committed by an employee when warning signs existed but were missed during hiring. Comprehensive background checks uncover any red flags so high risk individuals can be avoided.

Falsified Credentials

Up to 30% of job seekers admit to lying on their resume about education, employment dates, skills, licenses and more according to research. Background checks verify someone has the qualifications and experience they claim. No more embelleshing!  

Compliance Requirements 

In industries like financial services and healthcare, background checks are required by law for certain roles. Employers must conduct them to meet compliance regulations.

The bottom line is background checks reduce the risk of making a damaging hire. The insights they provide into someone’s true history and character help stack the odds in your favor of building a stellar team.

What Show’s Up in a Standard Background Check? 

There are two main types of pre-employment background checks – standard and enhanced (we’ll cover enhanced next). Let’s look at what’s included in a standard check:

Identity Verification

This checks that the candidate’s personal information including their name, date of birth and social security number is legitimate and lines up with SSA records. It verifies who they claim to be.

Nationwide Criminal Records 

Searches of national criminal databases are performed to uncover any felony or misdemeanor arrests, convictions, incarcerations, probation, etc. Standard checks normally cover records across all states.

Sex Offender Registry 

The national sex offender public website is searched to see if the candidate is listed. This helps identify any inappropriate risk.

Terrorist Watch Lists

Databases like the OFAC are checked for any ties to terrorist or other prohibited activities per federal sanctions.

Social Media Screening

Manual reviews of the candidate’s social media profiles may be done looking for concerning behavior like racist comments, drug references, troubling group affiliations, etc. But social media checks are not universally included in standard packages.

So in summary, a standard background check focuses mainly on searching criminal and sex offender records nationwide plus validating someone’s identity. It’s designed to uncover any potentially dangerous or disqualifying history at a basic level. Next, let’s look at enhanced checks.

What’s Checked with an Enhanced Background Check?

Enhanced background checks include everything mentioned above for standard checks but dig much deeper in all areas. Here are some additional checks performed with enhanced screening:

– Credit history – Credit reports are reviewed for bankruptcies, late payments, total debt load, judgments, etc. This provides insights into financial responsibility.

– Employment verification – Previous employers are contacted to verify titles, employment dates, salary, reason for leaving, eligibility for rehire and overall performance. 

– Education verification – Schools attended are contacted to confirm degree earned, dates enrolled, major/GPA and graduation status.

– Professional licensing – Checks that any stated licenses are valid and current without any disciplinary actions against them. 

– Driving records – Searches national databases for accidents, traffic violations, DUIs, license suspensions and more.

– Civil court records – Checks for lawsuits, bankruptcies, foreclosures, judgments, liens and business ownership.

– Global checks – For candidates who lived abroad, performs checks for criminal convictions in other countries.

As you can see, enhanced background checks probe into many additional aspects of a candidate’s history – not just criminal records. Next we’ll compare the key differences between standard vs enhanced checks.

Standard vs Enhanced Background Checks: Key Comparisons

Now that you understand what’s included in standard and enhanced pre-employment screens, let’s directly compare them across a few important categories:

Cost

Standard checks: Typically cost between $30-$50 per candidate.

Enhanced checks: Tend to run $100-$150 per person, though can be higher.

Enhanced checks cost 2-5 times more because of the additional time and records searches involved. But keep reading to see if the deeper info they provide may justify the higher investment for your needs.

Turnaround Time

Standard checks: Can be completed in as little as 24 hours since they only cover the basics criminal searches.

Enhanced checks: Require 5-7 business days on average given the more extensive research conducted.

So if you have a rushed hiring timeline, standard checks will get you information much quicker. But enhanced will still turn around in under a week in most cases.

Depth/Breadth of Information 

Standard checks: Uncover nationwide criminal records plus sex offender status – the bare minimum on someone’s background. 

Enhanced checks: Provide a _much more comprehensive profile_ including criminal, employment, education, finances, driving, reputability and global records.

The enhanced level gives you a robust, 360-degree view of a candidate’s history and character. It leaves almost no stone unturned. Whether that deeper insight warrants the extra cost depends on your specific hiring risks and needs.

Other Factors To Keep in Mind

Beyond just type of check, there are other critical considerations around conducting background screens legally and ethically:

Compliance with State and Federal Laws

Laws like the FCRA, ban the box, and state-specific regulations govern the use of background checks during hiring. Be sure to follow requirements around candidate notification and consent, handling criminal findings, procedure in case of inaccuracy and more.

Adverse Action Policy

You must follow certain protocol if a background check uncovers information that may influence an adverse hiring decision. This includes sharing the report with the applicant, allowing them to dispute errors, and final adverse action notification. 

Consistent Application 

To avoid any discrimination, background checks should be applied unilaterally across all candidates for a given role. You need to check everyone in a particular group. Don’t pick and choose who does or doesn’t get checked.

Should You Use a Background Check Company?

Many employers wrestle with whether to conduct background checks in-house or use a professional screening firm. Below are some pros and cons of each approach:

Using a Background Check Company

Pros

– More extensive databases and records access 

– Faster turnaround with automated processes

– Handle compliance paperwork and adverse action procedures

– Expertise from dedicated background check professionals

– More robust services beyond just checks

Cons  

– Added costs per candidate (but often worth it!)

– Handing over sensitive data to a third party

Conducting Checks In-House

Pros 

– Avoid vendor fees 

– Keep all data in-house

Cons

– Very time consuming and labor intensive 

– Gaining legal access to many databases is difficult

– Harder to ensure full compliance with FCRA and state laws

– Missing critical information more likely without expertise

Partnering with a professional background check company is the best way to go for most employers. The access, efficiency, legal/compliance resources and quality assurances are well worth the vendor fees in our view.

Deciding Between Standard vs Enhanced Checks

So when should you go with a standard background check versus an enhanced one? Here are some guidelines:

Standard checks normally make sense when:

– It’s for a low risk role with minimal financial or security responsibilities

– You have a limited budget

– You need to complete checks extremely quickly to meet a deadline 

Enhanced checks are best for roles where:

– Substantial amounts of money, data, inventory or assets are handled

– Vulnerable individuals are cared for 

– Driving is a primary job duty

– High educational or licensing qualifications are required

Additionally, some industries like financial services, healthcare and transportation may legally require enhanced-level checks. 

At the end of the day, standard checks provide a solid starting point by covering the essential criminal and sex offender searches. Enhanced checks take it further with employment, credential, and civil record verification for a more complete view.

The Risk vs. Value of Background Checks  

Are background checks foolproof? Unfortunately no – but they come pretty close. Even the most rigorous checks miss things on rare occasions or might inaccurately classify someone. However, they do eliminate the vast majority of risk in the hiring process.

Some key advantages background checks provide are:

– Better risk insights – Flags majority of serious criminal, financial, driving and civil court issues

– Verifies honesty – Catches exaggerated or falsified claims on resumes 

– Measures integrity – Past behavior is the best predictor of future actions

– Fairness to honest candidates – Rewards those who are transparent about blemishes 

– Due diligence protection – Shows you conduct reasonable screening practices

So in summary, background checks stack the odds way in your favor for making great hires and building an outstanding team. The small time and cost investment upfront is well worth it long term in our opinion. Just partner with a reputable background check provider to ensure you get the quality and reliability you deserve.

Thanks for reading and hopefully this gave you some clarity around picking standard vs enhanced background checks. Just remember, they’re an important pillar for putting together an all-star staff. Take care and good luck with your hiring!