How to do a background check for FREE! Performing a background check including a review of social media can be an important step in a variety of situations, such as hiring a new employee, renting out a property, or entering into a business partnership. By conducting a thorough background check, you can gather important information about an individual’s history and make more informed decisions. Here are some steps to follow when doing a background check, yourself for free.
Obtain consent: If it is for an official purpose such as pre-employment, before conducting a background check, it’s important to obtain the individual’s written consent. This can be done by providing them with a consent form that outlines the types of information you will be gathering and how it will be used.
Identify the information you need: Determine what information you need to gather in order to make an informed decision. This may include criminal history, employment history, education history, credit history, and more.
Identify sources: The next and most critical component is to identify your sources of information. Should your source not be reliable, your whole background assessment may also be unreliable. There are many online sources and service providers that offer automated products for free or cheap. However, in terms of background checking, you get what you pay for and the quality reflects that.
Check criminal records: One of the most important parts of a background check is checking an individual’s criminal history. This can be done by searching court records, police records, and other relevant databases. Be sure to check both state and federal records, as well as any jurisdictions where the individual has lived or worked.
Verify employment history: Checking an individual’s employment history can provide valuable insights into their work experience and qualifications. This can be done by contacting previous employers and verifying the dates of employment, job title, and duties.
Verify education history: Similarly, verifying an individual’s education history can help you determine whether they have the necessary qualifications for the job or position. This can be done by contacting schools or universities and verifying the degree or certification obtained.
Check credit history: In certain situations, such as when renting out a property or entering into a business partnership, it may be important to check an individual’s credit history. This can be done by obtaining a credit report from one of the major credit reporting agencies.
Verify references: It’s important to verify any references provided by the individual. This can be done by contacting the references and asking about the individual’s work performance, character, and other relevant information.
Review Social Media: When conducting a background check, it’s important to check an individual’s social media presence as it can reveal valuable information about their character and past behavior. To start, you should identify the individual’s social media accounts by searching for their name, email address, or username on popular platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Snapchat. Once you have found their accounts, thoroughly review their posts, comments, and photos to see if there is any content that could be potentially concerning, such as evidence of drug use, illegal activities, or derogatory language. Additionally, it’s important to verify that the accounts actually belong to the individual being checked by comparing their profile picture, location, and other details to those provided in their background check. However, it’s important to note that using social media as the sole factor in making hiring decisions can be risky and potentially discriminatory with legal consequences.
Conducting a background check can be an important but complex step in making informed decisions about individuals. By following these steps, you can gather the necessary information to make informed decisions and protect your interests for free.
However, doing a background check for free can be a daunting process. Should you feel like you’re outside your comfort zone and you can’t afford to risk missing any vital information that will assist in making crucial financial and other risk-based decisions, we recommend engaging an expert in Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) based Background Checks. Cybertrace is one such company who have been completing executive and regular background checks since 2015. Contact us today to discuss your needs.
