Top Choice
Instant Checkmate
Criminal-record and social-profile search option.
View RecordsBackground Checks
3Rd Party Background Check
Evaluate a third-party background-check product by its sources and permitted purpose; the provider’s report and an official source document serve different roles.
Direct answer
What to use for 3rd party background check
The FTC says an employer using a background-reporting company generally must obtain written permission and follow notice procedures before adverse action.
Important
A background check is not one universal record
Define the purpose. Begin with the questions the check must answer. A clear purpose keeps unrelated record layers from accumulating simply because they are searchable.
Compare
Choose the background-check layer you actually need
Third-party employment report
A background-reporting company supplies a report for the employer’s stated hiring, promotion or retention decision. Confirm that purpose and reporting company; the employment-specific disclosure, permission and notice steps below apply when the employer uses this kind of report. A government directory only locates possible custodians.
Rights or scope check.
FBI Identity History Summary Checks.. FBI Identity History Summary requests are fingerprint based. The FBI personal-review product is for reviewing, correcting or updating your own record; it is not for employment or licensing. Follow the employer’s or licensing agency’s authorized screening process instead.
Navigation layer.
USAGov - State and local governments.. USA.gov provides a directory for locating state and local government websites; the directory itself does not establish record-specific access rules.
Employment report
Follow the notice, review and dispute sequence
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01
Before the company checks
The employer must give a standalone written disclosure that the report may be used for employment decisions and get your written permission. State or local rules can further limit when criminal or credit history is requested.
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02
Before an adverse decision
If the employer plans an adverse decision based on the report, it must first give you the report and a Summary of Rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Review identities and entries promptly and identify inaccuracies or missing information.
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03
After a report-based rejection
The notice must identify the reporting company by name, address and phone, explain that it did not make the employment decision, and tell you about dispute rights and an additional free report if requested within 60 days.
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04
Dispute the report with its producer
Contact the reporting company, follow its dispute instructions and provide supporting documents. Check the revised report and ask the company to send the correction to the employer; tell the employer about the mistake.
Check
What to verify before treating the result as complete
- Verify the person. Treat the matching name as a lead until other details agree: compare date of birth, county or state, event date, and case reference so a namesake does not become a false match.
Related Record Guides
Sources
Authoritative next stops
Official federal consumer guidance; United States
FTC - Employer Background Checks and Your Rights
FCRA-related rights when an employer uses a background-reporting company, including permission and adverse-action procedures.
United States
Official federal source; United States
FBI Identity History Summary Checks
FBI Identity History Summary personal review process and fingerprint-based identity history.
United States
Official federal directory; United States
USAGov - State and local governments
Directory only: identifies and links state and local government websites; does not establish record-specific rules.
United States