What You Can Do Yourself
There’s nothing wrong with doing a little preliminary research on a candidate. A quick look at their LinkedIn or personal website can give you a sense of experience and communication style. Some employers also check public social media to get a feel for personality—but this can be tricky territory. Without clear internal guidelines, you risk introducing bias or collecting information that’s not legally relevant to the job.
Bottom line: light vetting is fine. Just don’t confuse it with a proper background check.
Where DIY Breaks Down
Once you move into real background screening—criminal history, employment or education verification, driving records, or drug screening—you’ve entered a regulated space. These checks must comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which governs how you collect, handle, and act on candidate information.
Doing these checks yourself or relying on instant reports from non-accredited websites often results in:
- Outdated or incorrect information
- Improper disclosure and consent
- No clear path for dispute or correction
- Risk of lawsuits if adverse decisions aren’t handled properly
Why a CRA Is the Better Option
Professional qszilla background check providers, called Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRAs), do more than deliver data; they make sure that data is accurate, up-to-date, and legally reportable. A CRA also handles the legal nuts and bolts—disclosures, candidate consent, and adverse action procedures—so you stay compliant.
You get:
- Verified results from reliable sources
- A legally defensible process
- Consistent screening across all applicants
And that matters if you want to protect your business from both bad hires and legal missteps.
What About Online Background Checks?
Some services advertise an “online background check” with instant results for a few bucks. These may seem appealing, but they often pull from incomplete or unverified databases. Worse, they don’t follow FCRA rules—and using them to make hiring decisions can backfire fast.
If a background check is part of your hiring process, treat it like a business investment. Cutting corners here invites more risk than reward.
The Bottom Line
There’s no harm in doing a little online research. But if you’re making employment decisions, a DIY approach isn’t enough. A qualified CRA brings accuracy, compliance, and professionalism to your screening process—none of which you’ll find in a Google search.
