Parents: Performing a Criminal Background Check is both Necessary and Simple
In today's economy, no one works harder, runs faster or keeps up a steadier pace than two-income families with children. Everyone has schedules to keep, including the kids, and the requirements of the day often include day care or child tending services for at least part of every work week. Do you really know who is taking care of your kids?
These days, even written references are not enough to go by unless you follow them all the way through and even then some doubts may linger. Fortunately, thanks to the Internet, some projects have become easier lately, such as conducting an online criminal background check of your child's future nanny. Doing so is nothing to be sheepish about, either. Anyone who doesn't understand a parent's concerns shouldn't be working with children in the first place.
Let's get started. The law requires that all prospective employers, including you, reveal to job applicants that a criminal background check will be required before any final decision is made. Do so without hesitation, not only because it is the law, but because it will help you. It is your right as an employer, and genuine, caring professionals will understand and applaud your efforts while understanding that you mean business. Anyone who balks at this stage of the process can be safely and politely crossed off the list.
Speaking of this stage of the process, try not to conduct initial interviews at your own home, and wait until a later date to introduce the applicant to the child. There is no need to mention his or her name, either. Now you need two solid forms of ID in order to verify the applicant's name, and be sure to write down the driver's license number as well. There are many people out there named Mary Smith. Then thank the applicant(s), head home, turn on the computer and begin your criminal background check.
Some steps and suggestions for your search are listed here, but they can be taken in any order, and this is not a complete list. While warming up, google the applicant's name and see what happens. For general deep searches of the web, try Pipl.com or 123people.com. These are examples of "people-finder" sites, and will turn up personal blogsites and other insightful information. Before making any final decisions, visit the National Sex Offender Public Website located at http://www.nsopw.com/.
Al Beckett writes about a number of online investigation services, and has written an unbiased report of Intelius which can be found at Intelius review