Horizon Screening - Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

OTHER THAN SAFETY, WHY ELSE SHOULD I CONDUCT BACKGROUND SCREENS?

• Discourages applicants who may have something to hide
• Uncovers falsified credentials - such as education and employment information
• Demonstrates due diligence - which is key in negligent hiring lawsuits
• Saves money and time spent in recruiting, hiring and training
• Reduces turnover, insurance premiums, workplace violence and employee theft

ISN'T BACKGROUND SCREENING VERY EXPENSIVE (OR, WHAT IF WE DON'T HAVE MANY EMPLOYEES)?

The idea that conducting a background screen is expensive is just not true. You can conduct a reliable criminal record search for less than $40 and can complete a very extensive search (education and employment verification, credit check, criminal search, etc) for less than $150. When comparing that to the possible cost of a law suit or the money and time spent in a re-hire, that's money well spent.

As for the # of employees you have, employee safety and the protection of your profits should not be determined by the number of people you employ.

WE CONDUCT OUR BACKGROUND SCREENS THROUGH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT / WE RUN STATEWIDE OR ONLINE NATIONAL SERVICES - ISN'T THAT ENOUGH?

The statewide criminal search that is run through the local police department is a good asset and supplement to conducting a background screen. However, there are two very significant flaws if this is all a company does. The first is that a statewide is only going to find records that were reported in that state. If your applicant lived in Florida 2 years ago or Texas 5 years ago and committed a crime, the local police department would not find that record if it was not in your state. Secondly, many police departments and local courthouse are both under equipped and understaffed to report arrests and case information to the statewide collection service so these searches are often incomplete. We welcome an opportunity to explain this in more detail as it may be confusing and many companies are mislead by the quality of these search methods.

As for 'National Databases' or on-line searches, they are often unreliable and inaccurate but are marketed as an inexpensive method for background screening. We highly discourage anyone from using these programs as more than a supplement to a search that is conducted at the courthouse. These searches do have their uses, but should strictly be a part of the background investigation.

Given these facts, a GA Statewide can help in a background check but is far from a reliable screening process. In fact, doing a statewide and only a statewide will not be considered a reasonable investigation and will keep employers liable for negligent hiring.

WHAT'S WRONG WITH CHECKING REFERENCES INSTEAD OF BACKGROUND SCREENS?

While a reference check can give us information on an applicant, it rarely is sufficient for a background check. As a matter of fact, we haven't found anyone who has admitted they would list someone as a reference who would not give them "glowing reviews".

WE CONDUCT SCREENS ALREADY, SO WHY SHOULD WE USE HORIZON?

Horizon Background Screening is an experienced company that focuses on smaller companies, non-profit organizations, Christian based businesses, and private schools (although we do work for many different kinds of clients). We know the financial limitations you have and the needs you have for safe working environments and for hiring the best people. Our desire is for companies that we work with to optimize all of their hiring decisions and to develop strong working relationships with our clients.

We welcome an opportunity to get to know your company and to review your hiring practices to see if we can benefit you. If you are already conducting background screens, we'll gladly help you determine how complete your processes are and would like the opportunity to earn your business.