Pre-Employment

Are your applicants who they claim to be?

• 15 % of all applicants have criminal records


• On-the-job violence costs employers $36 billion each year


• The average award in a workplace violence lawsuit exceeds $1,000,000 per case (source: Workplace Violence Research Institute).


• Identity fraud cost consumers and business $53 billion last year

Courts hold companies financially and legally responsible for actions taken by employees who were not subject to pre-employment background investigations. It is not alarmist--'due diligence' is a necessity and not a luxury. A pre-employment background investigation establishes that your company was prudent and acted responsibly during the hiring process.

Pre-employment research protects your company from lawsuits, employee theft, and workplace violence. At Pinnacle, we are investigators, not Internet screeners. We start with verification of the applicant's social security number (SSN). From the information we uncover during our SSN search, we are able to document any aliases or discrepancies that may be associated with identity fraud. We research each prospective employee and within twenty-four hours prepare a report detailing identity fraud issues, aliases, criminal records and credit history. Many background "screening" companies only report felony convictions because they only have access to third party databases. When we research the court dockets, we are able to provide you with information that is usually missed by these companies. A unique asset of our firm is that we research court dockets to give you plea bargains, amended charges and warrant information.

These steps protect your company from negligence hiring lawsuits because it establishes that your company did everything possible (and available) to check the applicant's criminal history.

There are other levels of due diligence and the background investigation must be appropriately paired with the job position.

• Federal and state civil court records will provide information on domestic violence issues, restraining orders and violations of federal statutes.


• Employment reference verifications going back 7-10 years will also provide a double-check on address history and fitness-for-duty issues.


• Reference checks (assuming that the right questions are asked) will establish a baseline for character and fitness-for-duty.


• Credit reports will provide yet another check for address history and will let you know if your applicant is financially responsible which is another direct measure for establishing character and fitness for duty.


• Developed references provide a unique insight into your applicant. A developed reference is a third party character verification of your applicant developed through work contacts or neighborhood searches. We use developed references for all our government background investigations. A person lists references on their application that will provide the best possible references. A developed reference is a check and balance on the entire application letting you know if all the other information is indeed accurate.