Frequently Asked Employment Screening Questions

Are your employment screening capabilities nationwide?

ERS provides detailed verification and background investigation services both nationally and internationally. In addition, we offer the US Criminal Records Locator, National Sex Offender Locator and International WATCH.

What does your "typical" background check include?

ERS offers a wide variety of online and professional background searches to choose from including: social security number verification, county, state and federal criminal background checks, motor vehicle records (MVR), employment verification, education verifications, and more. Please see our Services page for more information on all of our background screening products.

What is your "typical" turnaround time for pre-employment screening?

ERS prides itself on the fastest turnaround time in the industry with some reports returning in seconds and many within hours. Most comprehensive background check reports can be completed within 24 to 72 hours, including those for healthcare and hospital workers.

What employee screening resources do you use?

ERS has single source agreements with many record providers including local, state and federal courts and criminal record repositories as well as state DMV offices, certain Employers, Credit bureaus, Regulatory agencies, and others. All information reported is always obtained from the source of origination or the Official Custodian of Record whenever possible or their duly authorized provider. No databases, historical or third party sources are used in our professional verification reports.

In what form do you accept orders and return results of the background check?

Reports may be ordered and retrieved electronically through our proprietary web-based system either via a login or an XML interface directly with your HRIS or ATS software. We offer real-time in-progress report monitoring and immediate e-mail notification of completed results. All reports are available for review and printing immediately upon completion.

What steps do you take to ensure confidentiality?

Employment background screening reports are processed through our protected and secure servers in a fully compliant SAS 70 environment. We utilize the latest Firewall and IDS technology and full data encryption. All applicant information is processed within our secure facility and any personally identifying information is masked. No outsourcing is permitted. System access is User ID and Password protected and each client administrator may restrict the level of access for each user as needed.

What type(s) of quality controls does your employment screening service company have in place to ensure the accuracy of the information you provide to your customers?

Standard industry practices are employed to ensure accuracy of result. For example, record searches are periodically "salted" with known result information to ensure research integrity. Although every effort is made to ensure each report is accurate and thorough, information is ultimately obtained through fallible human sources and it is possible a court clerk, school registrar or former employer will report incorrect information to ERS or that adverse information may fall outside the scope of our background investigation. Therefore, information is reported to each client in an auditable format including the identity of sources including names and telephone numbers of individuals interviewed. ERS will correct and issue a new report immediately upon the identification of any error.

Do you provide regulatory guidance?

Our staff is thoroughly knowledgeable with respect to FCRA as well as federal and state regulatory requirements. All of our employment screening reports are FCRA compliant and meet or exceed industry standards. We also provide to each client all required documents including "A Summary of Your Rights Under The Fair Credit Reporting Act" and "Using Consumer Reports-What Employers Need to Know" a document prescribed by the Federal Trade Commission. In addition, our clients are immediately advised of any changes in the FCRA or FTC published advisory opinions. We also strongly suggest you review FCRA, EEOC, ADA and other regulatory requirements with your counsel.

How do you stay abreast of all the different state laws?

Since our business is defined as that of a consumer reporting agency, we are required by law to maintain strict adherence to federal and state regulatory compliance. We maintain an in-house staff that ensures we meet or exceed all regulatory requirements through regular contact with federal and state regulatory agencies and industry associations. Our clients are advised of any changes that may affect their use of our pre-employment screening reports. We also maintain on our web site, a number of research tools and links to federal and state sites including the FTC, FCRA, and the EEOC.

Do you provide a "standardized" letter, which can be given to an unsuccessful candidate?

Yes, we have included a sample "Adverse Action Letter" and "Authority to Release" for your use. Additional employment screening resources are also available through our web site including these documents and other downloadable forms.