It is important for all businesses thinking about hiring someone to take the critical step of performing personal background checks. It is estimated that 30 percent of all resumes submitted to employers have at least some sort of falsified content. The most common falsifications are typically located in the education portion of the resume. Most businesses have a way to deal with this sensitive information at some level. This may include researching social security numbers, credit card information, driver's license information and other types of personal information.

In order to assure clients and customers that their information is being handled properly, it is the duty of the business owner to take the necessary steps to get thorough personal background checks on all employees. Although personal and professional references are still a good method, they should not be solely relied on. It should be obvious that prospective employees will give names of only the people or organizations who will give a good reference; personal background checks pick up where references stop - they provide accurate and in-depth information regarding the job candidate. Personal background checks are available to cover a wide variety of areas.

These may include driver's license information, character references, personal acquaintances, education records, criminal records, court records, credit records and many more. Employers should understand, though, that according to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, some information cannot be used in conjunction with personal background checks. Bankruptcies after 10 years and many other types of consumer information that is older than seven years will not be reported. Criminal background, credit reporting, worker's compensation claims and character references are just a few among the long list of personal background checks that are widely available. Employers just need to know the laws in their specific state regarding what information is available for their specific needs, so they can benefit from the resources available.