随着企业习惯于使用 Internet 处理各种支持功能，出现了数量惊人且种类繁多的“自己动手”服务，包括“自己动手”(DIY) 在线背景调查。

虽然看似简单且负担得起，但此类服务存在潜在风险，可能对企业品牌构成威胁。

这里有一个简短的注意事项列表，可以作为试金石，判断 DIY 背景调查服务或更传统的消费者报告机构 (CRA) 是否是您的最佳选择。

搜索会广泛而深入吗？

与您的业务可能依赖的任何类型的研究一样，背景调查需要对数据源进行彻底审查。

这样的研究花费了大量的时间和人力资源。以用于犯罪背景调查的法律记录为例。

在美国，可用数据在联邦、州和市级之间有所不同；例如，有数以千计的司法管辖区可以获取公共记录，获取这些记录的方式因法院而异。

因此，根据候选人上学、生活和工作的地点的不同，研究人员可能面临梳理多个地点保存的记录的问题。

由于许多司法管辖区要求亲自代表访问他们的记录，因此信用评级机构通常会寻求法庭执行人的帮助。

您正在考虑的 DIY 服务将如何处理这个复杂且经常不一致的过程？

此外，DIY 服务可能仅根据现成的在线数据汇总有关候选人的信息，以包括新闻报道和社交媒体帐户中包含的公开信息。

询问是否是这种情况，因为仅使用和依赖此类信息会给雇主带来潜在的法律风险；信息可能发错人、不正确或过时。

在未确保数据准确和完整的情况下，根据候选人的公共在线角色做出招聘决定可能会被视为有偏见。

结果会准确吗？

无论多么细致，每次背景调查都可能产生令人困惑和错误的结果。

并且，如上所述，该信息可能不涉及正确的候选人。

即使在使用内部资源处理此类任务时，公司也可能会花费大量时间来协调此类数据。

另一方面，第三方提供商有责任为其客户以准确的方式编制信息。

与其牺牲公司资源来确保准确性，不如将其交给根据 FCRA 负有准确性责任的消费者报告机构。

此外，全面的背景调查需要对多个信息来源进行彻底调查。

筛选不仅要通过许多数据库，还要搜索最佳信息来源，包括最相关的存储库以获取最相关的信息。

如果没有专业知识和时间，根据一组全面的来源搜索准确的结果可能会超过 DIY 背景调查的好处。

我的钱能得到什么？

作为所有数字产品的好处，在线背景调查的营销成本比第三方筛选公司的便宜。

但是，此类服务的深度和准确性可能无法满足需要由经验丰富的 CRA 进行彻底搜索的公司的需求，该 CRA 可以就问题进行联系并保持对 FCRA 的遵守。

为了获得某些官方文件，例如某些州的犯罪记录，请求者可能会被该州犯罪记录的官方存储库收取 50 美元以上的费用。

如果 DIY 背景调查公司收取的费用更低，则有正当理由相信该报告不会产生与 CRA 直接向州政府提供的结果相同的结果。

底线

归根结底，外包在线背景筛查的决定完全由贵公司自行决定。

DIY 在线背景调查因其快速、具有成本效益的性质而听起来可能很有吸引力，但它们带来的风险是您作为雇主必须应对的。

FCRA 制定了严格的法规，要求消费者报告机构遵守。例如，公司应该注意服务是否会直接称自己为消费者报告机构。

如果公司不愿意将自己作为消费者报告机构进行营销，他们可能不符合 FCRA。

一些 DIY 背景调查网站甚至非常明确地声明它们不符合 FCRA，并且它们提供的信息不应用于做出招聘决定。

另一方面，第三方公司，特别是消费者报告机构，符合 FCRA，并提供专业知识和资源，有助于确保其调查结果的合法性和准确性。

Do-It-Yourself” (DIY) online background checks.

While seemingly simple and affordable, such services present potential risks that could pose a threat to a businesses’ brand.

Here’s a brief list of considerations that could serve as a litmus test as to whether a DIY background check service or a more-conventional Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA) is the best choice for you.

Will the search be wide and deep?

As with any type of research upon which your business may depend, background checks require thorough scrutiny of data sources.

Such research expends large amounts of both time and personnel resources. Take, for example, legal records used for criminal background checks.

In the United States, available data differs between federal, state, and municipal levels; for example, there are thousands of jurisdictions where pubic records can be obtained, and the manner for obtaining these records can vary from court to court.

So, depending on how many locations the candidate attended school, lived and worked, researchers may be faced with combing through records maintained in numerous locations.

CRAs typically enlist the aid of court runners since many jurisdictions require in-person representation to access their records.

How will the DIY service you’re considering deal with this complex and often inconsistent process?

Also, DIY services may merely aggregate information on a candidate based on readily-available online data, to include publicly available information contained in news stories and social media accounts.

Ask if that is the case because solely using and relying upon such information presents potential legal risks to an employer; the information may be on the wrong person, incorrect or out of date.

And making a hiring decision based on a candidate’s public online persona without ensuring the data is accurate and complete may be deemed prejudicial.

Will the results be accurate?

Regardless of how meticulous it is, each background check may yield confusing and erroneous findings.

And, as noted above, the information may not refer to the right candidate.

Even when handling such tasks using internal resources, companies can spend massive amounts of time trying to reconcile such data.

On the other hand, third-party providers bear the responsibility to compile information in an accurate manner for their clients.

Rather than sacrificing company resources to ensure accuracy, it may be best to leave it to a consumer reporting agency who has a duty of accuracy under the FCRA.

Additionally, a comprehensive background check requires a thorough investigation of multiple sources of information.

Not only are screenings expected to go through many databases, they are expected to search best sources of information including the most relevant repositories for the most pertinent information.

Without the expertise and time, the search for accurate results against a comprehensive set of sources can outweigh the benefits of a DIY background check.

What will I get for my money?

As a perk of all things digital, online background checks are marketed to be cheaper than those from a third-party screening company.

However, the depth and accuracy of such services may not meet the needs of companies requiring a thorough search conducted by an experienced CRA that can be contacted with questions and maintains compliance with the FCRA.

In order to gain access to some official documents, such as criminal records in some states, requestors may be charged upwards of $50 by the official repository of that State’s criminal records.

If a DIY background check company charges anything less, there is valid reason to believe that the report will not yield results on par with those sourced directly with the State by a CRA.

The Bottom Line

At the end of the day, the decision to outsource online background screenings is completely at the discretion of your company.

DIY online background checks may sound appealing due to their quick, cost-effective nature but they pose risks that you, as an employer, will have to contend with.

The FCRA has dictated stringent regulations that demand compliance for Consumer Reporting Agencies. For example, companies should notice whether a service will outright call itself a consumer reporting agency.

If the company is not willing to market itself as a Consumer Reporting Agency, they probably are not in compliance with FCRA.

Some DIY background check sites even state quite clearly that they are not FCRA compliant and that the information they provide should not be used to make hiring decisions.

Third-party firms, specifically Consumer Reporting Agencies, on the other hand, are FCRA-compliant, and offer expertise and resources that can help ensure legitimacy and accuracy in their findings.