Conduct a Background Investigation

Keeping the national security interests in mind, any individual who is applying for a government agency or department needs to undergo background investigation. This is to ensure that the person who has been given charge of a particular task is trustworthy, has good character and conduct, reliable and is loyal to the country. However, it is the position he or she has applied for and the nature of the job which determines the investigation scope.
 

For the background investigation conducted by employers, a questionnaire is attached with the application form itself. The applicant is supposed to answer them truthfully and honestly. Since this is the part of the job requirement, misleading the authorities or suppressing information may lead to the termination of appointment.

This investigation also requires your fingerprints. That does not imply that you are a criminal but it is a rule to have the fingerprints of all the federal employees for their database. The minimum scope for this investigation is lesser of from 18 years of age or to last ten years. The basic criterion to be a subject of background investigations is the citizenship of United States.

Background Investigation Reports

The background investigations include criminal and credit history checks, record checks to know about the family member and associates of the subject, birth certificate verification, educational background, professional history (if any), and military history (if any). The background investigation will also include interviews of people associated with the subject and current spouse.

If the subject has undergone a divorce within last ten years, then the former spouse can be also be interviewed. The confirmation of the house is also an integral part of the investigation which requires the neighbors’ interview also. Public records are referred in order to know about the bankruptcies, criminal or civil litigations- if any or/and divorces. And if any inconsistency is found between the information supplied and the records found, more interviews will be performed.
 

The investigation is followed by adjudication. This is the evaluation of the information provided by the subject or gathered from a reliable source. On the basis of this adjudication, it is determined whether the subject is eligible for the federal post or can access the classified information or not. If the background investigation bears poor results like bad credit record or objectionable criminal history, it can render the applicant unfit for the position. He or she may get the federal employment only after getting the security clearance that is if the investigation bears absolutely clean record.

Background Investigation Agencies

Apart from the federal agencies and departments, many private companies also perform background check in order to recruit reliable and loyal employees. As a result, there are many private companies also who are known as employment screeners. They are third-party investigators who look into the history of an applicant to get the necessary details about him or her. Apart from that, with being most of the public records accessible over Internet, gathering information is now quite an easy task to accomplish.

However, there are some records that are confidential and require permission of the applicant or the subject to access. For example, education records like transcripts, discipline and financial records cannot be released by the school under Federal Law. You can refer to www.ed.gov/offices/OM/fpco/ferpa/index.htm. Similarly, certain medical and military records are also confidential and can be obtained only after the consent of the adult-age subject.