Stay informed on hiring and screening best practices for employers and due diligence.
Fingerprint vs. Name-Based Background Checks: In the US there are two levels to background checks: name based and fingerprint based. A fingerprint check is only as good as the database behind it, and that database has real gaps. For most private employers, a well-built name-based background check finds more useful information, comes back faster […]
Can You Ask Employees or Contractors to Pay for Their Own Background Check? Many employers, recruiters, and agencies understand that the cost of background screening can add up. But can the applicant just pay for it themselves? The answer is sometimes. No federal law determines who has to pay for an employment background check. But […]
San Francisco Just Changed the Rules on Background Checks If anyone on your payroll works eight hours a week in San Francisco, including from a home office there, the background check laws changed on August 10. On July 10, 2026 the city updated the Fair Chance Ordinance (FCO), and the changes took effect August 10. […]
Updated July 2026 · ~4 min read You order a background check on a promising caregiver. The criminal searches come back clean. But the SSN trace returns two words that stop the whole process cold: No Matches Found. If your first instinct is to worry, take a deep breath and read on. A no-match result […]
Texas Caregiver Background Checks Made Simple: County, DPS, and NAR/MAR/EMR Screening If you run a home care agency in Texas, you already know the rule: you can’t let a caregiver walk into a client’s home until they pass a background check. Texas law spells out exactly what licensed agencies (HCSSAs) must do before hire — […]
Can an Employer Deny a Job for a Crime Over 7 Years Old? If you’ve heard of the “7-year rule,” you might think old criminal records simply disappear from background checks after seven years. Many job seekers believe this, and many employers assume the opposite: that they can consider any record, no matter how old. […]
