Why pre-screen? 

 It promotes a safe and profitable workplace and it is an effective risk management tool that has been proven to significantly reduce the risk of a bad hire. Employers typically engage in pre-employment screening for four reasons:

1. To demonstrate “Due Diligence”.  All employers have a reasonable duty of care in the hiring process.  This means an employer must take reasonable steps to determine whether an employee is fit for a particular job.  For example, if an employer hires a bus driver and does not take reasonable steps to determine if the bus driver has a criminal record, the company could be found liable if that driver assaults a passenger and a reasonable background check would have discovered the prior assaults.
2. To encourage honesty in the application and interview process.  Employers find that just having a background screening program will encourage applicants to be more forthcoming about their history. 
3. To eliminate uncertainty in the hiring process.   
4. To discourage applicants with something to hide.   

Performing background screenings is certainly not a guarantee that every bad applicant will be discovered.  For the prices charged by pre-screening firms, employers cannot expect an in-depth and exhaustive FBI-type investigation.  However, engaging in a comprehensive screening program demonstrates “due diligence” and provides an employer with a great deal of legal protection.

How long does it take?  5D Investigations reports are normally returned the same day if the applicant is from the Houston area only and may take up to 3 working days if from outside the Houston area.  Our reports are returned in an easy-to-understand written format .

What does it cost?  A pre-employment screening by 5D Investigations is typically less than the cost of a new employee on just the first day of employment.  We have tiered service packages available or an employer may order just those searches that they need, such as a 3-county criminal search. 

Why should a firm outsource this service?

Pre-employment screening is a detailed and time-consuming task that requires highly specialized knowledge and resources.  It is also subject to numerous legal regulations. 

Many firms have found that it is an inefficient use of their time and resources to attempt to perform a service that a specialist can do efficiently and cost-effectively.  Even firms with fully staffed HR or Security departments have found that outsourcing this service is more cost-effective and allows them to focus on tasks that can only be performed inside the company. 

Many employers have found that a new employee's first contact with their company should not be a background check.  Outsourcing this service does not leave a new employee feeling that confidential information about them is being obtained by other employees in the company.

Disputes

What do I do if an applicant says the report is not accurate or not them at all? 

First, let us know what they are disputing.  We will run the search again and either correct the information found or confirm the original information.  We cannot guarantee the information is accurate;  we can only guarantee it is in the public record and matches the major identifiers of your candidate.  If there is a disputed public record, the only course of action for your applicant is to submit his/her fingerprints to the reporting jurisdiction for a positive identification.

If disputed results are confirmed as originally reported, an additional fee may be charged.