Top Choice
Instant Checkmate
Criminal-record and social-profile search option.
View RecordsBackground Checks
Full Service Background Check Companies
Evaluate a full-service screening proposal by its actual searches, verification work, candidate support and reporting limits rather than an all-inclusive label.
Ask for a written service schedule
“Full service” does not identify the records, jurisdictions or verification work included in a quote. CFPB guidance describes several possible employment-report components; it does not establish that every package contains all of them. Compare providers against the same tasks and intended use. RecordsLookupVG does not supply FCRA employment screening.
Make proposals comparable before discussing price
| Component | Evidence to request | Decision changed |
|---|---|---|
| Criminal-record work | Named court/repository scope; match verification; treatment of unresolved dispositions | A database lead alone may leave the actual court outcome unanswered. |
| Employment/education verification | Sources contacted, retry policy and how nonresponses are labeled | Distinguish “unable to verify” from a verified contradiction. |
| Candidate support | Status channel, missing-information workflow and responsibility for secure uploads | Identify who resolves a stalled order. |
| Pricing and completion | Pass-through court fees, additional searches, cancellation terms, definition of complete | Compare the cost of the same work, not two differently scoped bundles. |
| Accuracy workflow | Sample correction/dispute process and how revised reports reach recipients | Know whether a correction will reach the hiring team. |
Assign work without obscuring the employer decision
Before the order
FTC employer guidance addresses standalone disclosure and written authorization for third-party employment reports. Have the proposal identify the workflow and retained evidence, with legal review for the actual jurisdiction.
Before an unfavorable decision
The federal process includes giving the person the report and Summary of Rights before report-based adverse action. Ask which party prepares and delivers each item and who monitors responses.
After a decision
The employer’s notice identifies the report provider and relevant rights. The screening company supplies information; the employer makes the employment decision. A “full-service” contract does not erase this distinction.
Require a usable sample and responsibility map
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✓
Redacted sample report
Check whether each result identifies the source and separates verified findings, incomplete searches and unresolved identity matches.
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✓
Written service limits
Require geographic scope and exclusions for each component; reject an unexplained claim of “everything nationwide.”
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✓
Named operational owner
For consent, missing information, dispute intake and corrected-report delivery, record the responsible party and escalation route.
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✓
Purpose-specific review
Apply the federal guidance and relevant state/local requirements to the intended use. A sales description is not a legal determination that the package is suitable.
Federal source guidance checked September 29, 2026. The comparison questions are procurement criteria, not endorsements or rankings of particular companies.
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