What is a background investigation?

 

Background investigation is a generic term to describe a wide range of service that can be used for a variety of reasons.  Some of the most common reasons are pre-employment screening and verification and rental agreement pre-screening.  The services included in a background check can be as simple as past employment, education, and criminal records, or more extensive to include things like driving records, credit checks, licensing verification, and civil litigation records.

 

Why Conduct a Background Investigation

 

In today's tough economic environment, the success of any business hinges on the quality of their employees.  A bad hire can cost thousands in litigation, harm your employees and customers, or damage your company’s reputation.

Consider a few key facts

• A 2003 study conducted by the Society of Human Resources found that 53% of all job applications contained inaccurate information.
• A 2003 study cited by the The CPA Journal included a survey of 2.6 million job applicants showed that 44% lied about prior work experience, 41% lied about their education, and 23% of applicants falsified their credentials or made false claims concerning professional licenses held.

 

It is critical to minimize the risks and potential business abuses associated with poorly trained or unqualified employees. Hiring mistakes cost companies millions of dollars annually.  With a proper and thorough background investigation you can help eliminate the risks associated with a bad hire.

 

Most employers indicate that providing a safe workplace and avoiding hiring liability are the primary reasons for running background checks. Unfortunately, many of these same people also state that they selected their current background check vendor based on low price and quick turnaround time. While that criteria seems good, it typically comes at the cost of quality background work. If a background check does nothing to limit your liability then it is really just wasted money.

 

Background Investigations with Klitzke & Associates

 

What sets us apart from the competition is how we conduct a background investigation.  We start by working with you to customize a background investigation process that fits the needs of your business.  We focus on helping you hire the best qualified and honest candidates.  By working together to understand your needs we can develop a background investigation process that covers all the elements you need (and none of the areas you don’t) to have an outcome that you can trust and feel confident in.  Then we take the investigation a step further by only  performing background investigations with a licensed private investigator.  This insures that your investigation will be thorough and any inconsistencies or oddities will be worked on by someone who understands the complete picture of the candidate in question.  This approach insures that you get the level of services and expertise that you can trust.