Staffing Agency Criminal Background check procedure

Confidence in Your Workforce

Does your current staffing agency check the criminal history on

 every candidate prior to submitting their resume to you?.........

Frontline Source Group is working to give you the peace of mind with respect to every employee that joins your team.  To Frontline, it’s more than just the adding anyone to your workforce.  We want to help protect your liability by performing pre-employment screening on all applicants presented to companies and formal criminal background checks upon an offer – FOR ALL POSITIONS! Temporary, Contract, Temp to Hire and Direct Hire positions are all part of this service and there is NO FEE to our CLIENTS. Frontline Source Group will exercise the due diligence necessary to limit unnecessary risk to you in the workplace. 

The pre-employment criminal screening is a two step process.  We start with a public database search for all candidates prior to submitting their information to our client.  The second part is an official criminal background check that will make an inquiry with all of the counties in which the job seeker previously resided, as allowed by law, for any criminal case filings over the past seven years.  During our interview process and throughout the pre-employment screening, Frontline Source Group works to learn about the character of each applicant to ensure that our client companies hire individuals who can not only do the job but who also embody strong ethics and integrity.  

The official criminal record searches are run through a third-party that guarantees FCRA, fully compliant, criminal background investigations.  This service utilizes a network of researchers that provides access to the most updated data available. 

A "clear" background indicates that the third party research company did not find a criminal conviction for an individual whose identifiers match the candidate information as submitted and provided by the applicant.  This confirms that the candidate does not have a criminal record in the geographical areas actually searched.  We are limited by law in our ability to search in every possible jurisdiction. As more and more people relocate to areas with high employment we find that some candidates neglect to list all of their previous addresses.  For this purpose, we require seven years of residential information for all candidates. Please remember, that no search is 100% effective and we always encourage clients to run additional criminal searches if they require additional confirmation.

By taking these steps for every client company, Frontline expands our commitment to being a staffing resource partner for companies.  Hiring professionals through Frontline Source Group gives employers the confidence to know that their new additions to the team bring clear backgrounds, with the skills and knowledge to get the job done.

FAQ's

1. Do you run a nationwide criminal search?  The answer is NO.  There is no such thing as a Nationwide or National Criminal search that you or anyone else can obtain legally.  The FBI maintains a national database of criminal records called the National Crime Information Center (NCIC). Employers whose workers are required to have a criminal background check may be able to access this national database, either directly or through criminal record databases maintained by the state attorney general.

However, the database is not available to all employers. Access to the NCIC is typically allowed for employment screening related only to jobs that involve work with children, the elderly, or the disabled.

If the job does not require or allow access to the NCIC where criminal information is compiled in one place, any company you hire to screen employees will search as many court systems for which you are willing to pay for. Many background check companies (consumer reporting agencies) consult the databases of information brokers that report on criminal records from multiple jurisdictions. Such third-party companies comply with the FCRA.  Criminal searches are conducted state by state, county by county and every location has a different rule or law.  We do NOT search Federal Criminal Records at this time.  This is due to the fact that the federal government currently limits the ability to search this information at this time.

2. How do we know if you ran a background search?  When we submit a candidate to you, we will disclose that a preliminary criminal search has been conducted.  Upon an offer or the start of a candidate on the job, we will request a formal background search from a third party professional who will return the request within 48 hours.  We will forward results from the formal report upon receipt if requested by the employer.

3. Do you search each and every state?  No, that is not possible and is limited by law.  The preliminary search is from 44 states including Texas.  Six states have certain requirements for preliminary and formal background search.  If we are unable to obtain information about a candidate or in any situation where we are alarmed by the information that is developed, we will disclose this information to the employer immediately.

4. Do you guarantee 100% accuracy and results for your background search?  Any company that guarantees the results for a criminal background search to you should cause 'red flags' to go up!  Mistakes do happen and sometimes vital information is omitted from public record both on the positive and negative side.  We will do everything in our power to provide you with the most up to date information on each and every candidate or potential employee. We encourage our clients to use their own sources for extra coverage if they feel the need. 

5. Will a criminal record automatically disqualify a candidate from getting a job or being submitted to our open position or to other client's of Frontline?  No. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) says that a person cannot be denied employment based on a criminal record alone. Instead, the decision to hire or not must be based on a “business necessity,” which requires the employer to consider:

• The nature and gravity of the offense or offenses.

• The time that has passed since the conviction and or completion of the sentence.

• The nature of the job held or sought.

EEOC laws apply in employment situations whether the employer hires a third-party screening company or not. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires compliance with EEOC laws.

6. Can an employer check the credit report of a candidate as a condition of employment? Yes.  An employment background check can include a copy of your credit report. The three major credit reporting agencies (Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax) provide a modified version of the credit report called an "employment report." An employment report includes information about your credit-payment history and other credit habits from which current or potential employers might draw conclusions about you.

An employment report provides everything a standard credit report would provide. However it doesn't include your credit score or date of birth. Nor does it place an "inquiry" on your credit file that may be seen by a company looking to issue you credit. Having too many credit inquiries tends to lower your credit score.  Frontline does offer this service, but this is an additional fee that we pass along to the client. If you are interested in obtaining this information, please request the report from your account manager.

*As of November 1, 2009 a criminal background search is conducted on all candidates prior to submission to Frontline clients.

Austin Dallas Fort Worth Plano Houston The Woodlands Sugar Land Nashville Phoenix

Staffing Temporary Employment Agency

Information Technology Accounting Human Resource  Legal Administrative Clerical Staffing

Statewide - Nationwide