If you or someone you know has ever had their identity stolen, then you know the importance of performing background checks. It is a necessary means for businesses and the government to screen those in their employ, therefore determining whether the individual in question is not only who they say they are, but also a reliable person that can be trusted. Businesses and the government are not the only ones, however, that may be questioning the validity of someone's background. For more information, continue reading this guide on how to do a background check.

Have you recently started a small business, one that has you considering performing background checks on potential employees? Are you a parent concerned about the company your child is keeping? Maybe you have recently ventured back into the dating scene and want to know if the man or woman you recently met at the bar is, indeed, who they claim to be? If so, you might benefit from performing a background check. This guide will help provide you with information on how to do a background check.

• Anyone can perform a background check as long as they have the professional resources, or the finances, to support one. Depending on who you are, or who you work for, will often determine the types of information you are able to assess. Although the majority of information that exists can usually be obtained if you are willing to shell out the cash, there is still data out there that is protected under various privacy acts that the average person cannot access, no matter how much they are willing to pay, unless they do so illegally.

• Most background checks are performed by:

1. Employers. Due to identity theft and the prevalence of falsifying information, various companies and smaller businesses like to perform background checks on potential employees to determine whether or not they are honest and reliable, not to mention qualified for the job they are applying for.
2. Local and national government. Most government employees receive mandatory background checks, the extensiveness of the checks determined by their seniority level or their security clearance. The government also performs checks on those they are investigating or those they believe to be a risk to national security.
3. Parents may conduct background checks on the sly, concerned about the company their children are keeping
4. Concerned citizens may perform background checks on people they meet that they perceive to be a threat to themselves or others. This mainly stems from online dating.
5. Private investigators will perform background checks related to their cases
6. Law enforcement
7. Lawyers

• Your reasons for checking a person's background will most likely determine what information you check. Types of information you may want to investigate include:

1. Criminal records
2. Credit reports
3. Driving records
4. Marriage records
5. Divorce records
6. Employment or personal references
7. Birth records
8. Education records
9. Medical history
10. Psychiatric history
11. Home ownership
12. Military history, if applicable

• Now it is time to perform the background check. Again, how you go about the background check will be determined by why you are performing it. Some general ways to obtain information include:

1. Online research. There are free databases online that provide public information, as well as paid services that allow you to access information on a person's driver's license, their marriage records or divorce records, as well as their criminal history.
2. Courthouse research. You can obtain many records from county courthouses if the person you are investigating is from the area in which you are performing the check.

• In today's society, background checks are often a necessary part of running a business. Many places run such checks on their potential employees, so chances are you will be the subject of one at some point, assuming you have not been already. If you are interested in finding out what your own background check reveals, why not learn how to perform one yourself?

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