A beginning step for any great background screening program is to imagine the kind of people that you want to be in your organization, in your volunteer position, in your apartment complex or multi-family housing community.    Determine the scope of the position you are hiring for which you are hiring, where you need to go to attract the type of individual you want, and the eligibility requirements that will exist for the position(skills, experience, education, academic levels).

For example, if “High school diploma, 3 years of work strong work experience in retail industry, committed to working hard, self-disciplined, self-driven and passionate about helping people” are your desired character traits, write those down in advance.  Then determine that you will need to look at individuals who recently graduated but are finishing up their first working position and are looking to make their next move.    Recruiting from young professional groups and leadership groups might be a good place to look for quality candidates to fill your opening.

What is important to remember is that no matter where you are looking for candidates, background screening is an important component of getting a clear picture of who they are.   A customized and comprehensive screening package makes all the difference in whether you have a clear picture when you are going from candidate to hire.