New employee background checks....

[Jamisjockey]

....Wife and I run a home business, and part of it is hiring p/t help to work in our office.  Typical office detail, plus phones and some other work.  We've been lucky enough to hire people we knew here in Utah, but when we move to VA we're starting from scratch.  I've got no experience with running background checks on prospective employees....Not too interested in credit history, just criminal background checks.  Anyone ever done these before?  Help and advice would be appreciated.

[Mannlicher]

hire some company that does provides that sort of service.

[Marnoot]

If you are looking for a regular criminal records check through BCI, you can do it yourself; or rather request it yourself. Here's the info you'd need: http://www.vsp.state.va.us/cjis_chrc.htm. You'd be interested in SP-167. You just have to get the request form notarized and what not.

[HankB]

You can limit hiring to people with a Virgina license to carry . . . they've already passed criminal background checks, right?

[Brad Johnson]

You can limit hiring to people with a Virgina license to carry . . . they've already passed criminal background checks, right?

That gets a resounding Second from this corner!

Brad

[Bogie]

Yeah  - make employment conditional upon a permit...
 
Or give 'em $150, and send 'em down to Wally World with instructions to bring back a boomstick...

[Perd Hapley]

Well, if that's the only way the wife will let you buy new guns.  

[ilbob]

I used to do pre-employment background checks back before there was even a personal computer.

Its amazing what you can get just calling and talking to people that know the applicant. They may not say anything negative, but you get that feeling about people sometimes. It is usually best to listen to that little voice telling you something is not right.

I talked to personal references of applicants that were dead drunk in the middle of the day. I called people applicants used as references that they had never heard of.

Always ask for their supervisor's name at their last few employers. The supervisor may not tell you much, but the way they say it might tell you a lot.

These days the unemployment rate is so low that you may be forced to accept a lower quality of employee than you would prefer.

[BozemanMT]

You can limit hiring to people with a Virgina license to carry . . . they've already passed criminal background checks, right?

not without having proof that it's required for the job.

[cordex]

I know of several companies who handle this sort of thing exactly.  SingleSourceServices is one that does significant work in employee selection and screening.  

In the interest of full-disclosure, the reason I know of them is because I was involved in producing one of the products they sell.  Just so you know.

[Jamisjockey]

I think the wife would keel-haul me if I tried that.  However, I might offer to pay for a CFP as a job benefit :-)
Singlesourceservices?  I'll look into it.  I've done a 'net search on background checks, but so many companies come up that It's like throwing a dart into the wind...

[utahminirevolver]

It seems that many employers today go to employment agencies and hire temps. If the temp seeems right, a job may be offered. If the temp seems wrong, phone the agency and say you don't want that one back again. This method costs more because of the middleman though.