When you’re looking for an employment screening company to help you evaluate potential employees before hiring them, it’s best to opt for one with Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA) accreditation. Don’t just look for a vendor that offers background screening “certification” or “certified” background check.
What’s the difference between accreditation and certification? The industry-recognized PBSA provides accreditation to background check companies that have passed the organization’s stringent audit process. On the other hand, certifications are granted to individual professionals who have successfully finished a Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) certification course. In short, certified background check professionals can work at a non-accredited company.
Why does a PBSA accreditation matter when looking for tenant, volunteer and/or pre-employment background check companies?
1. PBSA accreditation represents the gold standard of the background screening industry
Choosing the right background check company can be a daunting task especially with more than 2,500 screening companies in the US as of November 2020. Fortunately, you can greatly narrow your options down by using PBSA accreditation as a baseline for picking the perfect company to partner with. In this way, you can be sure that you’re only choosing from among the companies that uphold standards of excellence in the services they offer.
2. PBSA-accredited companies have passed the organization’s thorough and strict set of professional standards
The PBSA offers its Background Screening Agency Accreditation Program (BSAAP) to US-based background check companies, which the organization also refers to as consumer reporting agencies (CRAs). This accreditation program is governed by a comprehensive and stringent set of professional standards of specified measurements and requirements that companies must meet to obtain the prestigious mark of excellence. More specifically, companies undergo an on-site and desk audit and must demonstrate conformity in six critical areas when conducting background screening in order to achieve accreditation.
These six critical areas are:
- Business Practices
- Client Education
- Information Security
- Legal and Compliance
- Researcher and Data Standards
- Verification Services Standards
3. PBSA is a well-recognized and trusted organization in the background screening industry
Established in 2003, the PBSA accreditation has become a widely acknowledged mark of excellence that moves professionalism forward in the background check industry by boosting awareness of legal compliance, promoting best practices and establishing consumer protection standards. The organization currently has more than 900 member-companies from all over the world.
4. PBSA accreditation lasts for only five years
Background check companies are required to undergo the entire BSAAP audit every five years in order to maintain their accreditation. This means that the accredited companies can’t simply be lax in their implementation of best practices, legal compliance and consumer protection. In short, you can be sure that the PBSA-accredited tenant, volunteer and/or pre-employment background check companies are always upholding high standards of excellence as governed by the core values of PBSA.
Choose SimpliVerified for your background screening needs
SimpliVerified is a Utah-based employment screening company that you can count on in delivering fast, accurate and comprehensive background check reports for tenants, employees and volunteers. We’re proud to achieve PBSA accreditation which represents our commitment to transparency, constant improvement and compliance. Get in touch with us today.
