What Is the Best Background Check for Employers?

Trying to find the best background check for employers? If you’re asking this question, you’re probably where most HR managers find themselves: trying to balance speed, compliance, and candidate experience while keeping your leadership team confident you’re making safe, smart hires.

There isn’t one magic background check for employers that works for everyone, but there is a best approach for your organization. It depends on three things:

1. What roles you’re hiring for
2. What compliance requirements apply to you
3. How fast and seamless you want the process to be
   

Let’s walk through how to make that call in a way that works for you.

Before I dive in, a quick note on who we are. Mitratech has been helping legal, compliance, and HR teams for nearly 40 years. Today, more than 28,000 organizations around the world trust us to streamline hiring, reduce risk, and stay ahead of evolving regulations.

One of the ways we do that is through our background screening solution, AssureHire. It’s built to make background checks faster, more compliant, and more candidate-friendly, integrating directly into the HR systems you already use. That way, you spend less time chasing paperwork and more time supporting your people.

Why Employers Run Background Checks

At its simplest, a background check does two things. First, it protects your organization from risk, whether that’s fraud, workplace safety issues, or compliance violations. Second, it confirms a candidate is who they say they are, from their identity to their credentials to their work history.

If you’ve been in HR for a while, you know the job doesn’t stop there. In 2025, background checks are about much more than risk avoidance. You’re weighing how every step of the process impacts the people involved:

• Operational Efficiency – Every hour recruiters spend chasing down paperwork or fixing errors is an hour lost from sourcing and advising the business.
• Compliance Complexity – From FCRA and EEOC rules to ban-the-box laws and international regulations, the requirements shift depending on where you hire, and mistakes carry real consequences.
• Candidate Experience – A slow, clunky background check doesn’t just frustrate—it can cost you top talent who won’t wait around.

That’s the real challenge: building a background check process that’s fast, compliant, and human all at once.

Types of Background Checks Employers Use

When HR leaders ask, ‘what’s the best background check for employers,’ what they’re usually trying to figure out is: what checks do we actually need for our workforce?

Here’s how it usually plays out:

• Criminal background checks are the most common starting point, but they’re heavily regulated and vary state by state, so you have to know the rules where you hire.
• Employment and education verifications help confirm a candidate’s story matches their résumé, and while they’re not flashy, they’re critical for building trust.
• Reference checks still add value, but they can eat up recruiter hours if you don’t automate the process.
• Drug testing is non-negotiable in certain industries like transportation, healthcare, or government contracting.
• Credit checks are highly sensitive and only used for certain financial or fiduciary roles.
• Driving records (MVRs) are a must if you’re putting someone behind the wheel on company time.
• I-9 / employment eligibility verification isn’t optional, it’s a compliance must-have for every U.S. employer.
  

The truth is, the ‘best’ background check isn’t about running every type under the sun, rather about choosing the right mix for your business model, your industry risks, and the candidate experience you want to deliver. A retailer’s needs will look very different from a healthcare provider’s or a fintech startup’s, and that’s okay.

How to Choose the Best Background Check Vendor

Instead of looking for a “one-size-fits-all” background check, the best HR leaders lean on a framework to narrow their options. Here’s how to think it through when you’re evaluating vendors to find the best background check:

1. Compliance Readiness

This is your safety net. A vendor that doesn’t keep up with shifting laws puts all the liability on you.

Ask them:

• How do you monitor changes to FCRA, EEOC, GDPR, and ban-the-box laws?
• How quickly do you update your system when a new regulation goes into effect?
• Do you provide audit-ready documentation automatically, or is that on us to prepare?
• What kind of legal/compliance expertise do your support teams have?

2. Speed and Accuracy

In today’s market, every extra day a check drags is another chance to lose a candidate. Look for vendors that clear at least 80% of checks same-day. Then dig deeper: what happens when something flags? A good partner will have transparent processes for exceptions and delays, not leave you in the dark.

More specifically, ask them:

• What percentage of checks are returned same day?
• For the rest, what’s the average turnaround time by check type (criminal, education, employment, etc.)?
• How do you notify recruiters when there’s a delay or exception?
• Do you use automation or AI to reduce manual errors, and how do you validate results for accuracy?
  

3. Integration with Your ATS/HRIS

If you’re using systems like Workday, UKG, or Paycor, make sure the background check tool plugs right in. Candidate data should flow seamlessly, no duplicate entry, no manual uploads. This isn’t just about efficiency; it’s about cutting errors and giving recruiters back time they can use on other work.

Ask them:

• Do you have pre-built integrations with our ATS/HRIS (Workday, UKG, Paycor, Greenhouse, etc.)?
• Is the integration included in the cost, or an add-on?
  Will candidate data flow bi-directionally (so status updates sync automatically)?
• What does implementation look like? Are we configuring this ourselves or do you provide dedicated support?

4. Candidate Experience

Remember, your candidates are judging your hiring process long before Day 1. A clunky background check portal can cost you talent. 

Ask:

• Is the application portal mobile-friendly and easy to navigate?
• Can candidates track their own status or get real-time SMS/email updates?
• How do you handle sensitive data? Do candidates feel informed and secure?
• Do you offer self-service help (FAQs, chat, knowledge base), or do candidates end up pinging recruiters for answers?

The smoother the experience, the stronger your employer brand.

5. Scalability and Support

Finally, think beyond today’s hires. You don’t want to outgrow your provider, or find yourself stranded when something goes wrong.

Ask them:

• How do you handle multi-state or international checks?
• Do you charge per user, or is pricing flexible as we grow?
• What does customer support look like? Are we calling into a generic call center, or speaking with compliance-trained specialists?
  
• Can you provide examples of how you’ve supported large organizations with complex, distributed hiring needs?

The “best” background check provider is the one that can keep you compliant, move quickly, integrate seamlessly, deliver a strong candidate experience, and scale as you grow. If they can’t answer these questions clearly, or if their answers raise red flags, you’ve already learned something valuable.

A Practical Framework: Background Checks as Part of Your Talent Strategy

Background screening isn’t just a box to tick at the end of the hiring process—it’s part of your talent strategy. The HR managers who get it right treat it as more than compliance paperwork. They see it as a lever for building trust, efficiency, and speed across the whole organization.

Here’s the mindset shift that makes the difference:

• Risk Management – Think of every hire as a compliance event. If your background check process is sloppy, you’re not just risking a bad hire, you’re exposing the business to legal and reputational fallout.
• Candidate Experience – A smooth, respectful check reinforces your employer brand and gives candidates confidence in how you operate. A clunky one—weeks of silence, unclear instructions—can push top talent to walk away.
• Operational Efficiency – Every manual task your recruiters have to chase, whether it’s faxed forms, phone calls for verifications, is time they’re not spending on sourcing and advising hiring managers. Automation doesn’t just save hours, it reduces errors.
• Business Agility – When background checks clear quickly, your time-to-fill drops. In a talent-scarce market, that speed isn’t just nice to have, it’s the edge that keeps your projects staffed and your business moving.
  

AssureHire: The Best Background Check for Employers

So, what’s the best background check for employers? It’s the one that balances compliance, speed, candidate experience, and scalability for your organization. If you’re evaluating vendors, use the checklist above as a guide.

Background checks don’t have to slow down your hiring process, or frustrate your candidates. With AssureHire, you get more than software, you get a partner. Our accredited, SOC 2–certified platform blends speed, compliance, and candidate experience into one seamless workflow, backed by regional support teams who know HR and compliance inside out.

More than 92% of applicants now prefer to complete screening on their mobile devices, and AssureHire is built for that reality. From text-based notifications to remote-friendly consent forms, candidates move through the process quickly, while you stay protected with audit-ready compliance checkpoints and continuous monitoring.

For HR teams, it means faster consent (87% faster than the industry average), stronger data security, edge-network speed across 200 cities, and the confidence that your background screening is both end-to-end and 100% compliant. 

For candidates, it means a smooth, mobile-first experience that builds trust before Day 1.

And for your organization, it means a long-term partner who grows with you. Unlike transactional vendors, Mitratech provides hands-on implementation, ongoing compliance expertise, and dedicated support that feels like an extension of your team.

If you’re ready to reduce hiring delays, protect your organization, and give your candidates the screening experience they expect, download the AssureHire brochure today. You’ll see how easily AssureHire integrates with your ATS or HRIS to help you hire smarter, safer, and faster.

Best Background Check FAQs

The fastest results come from vendors that integrate directly with your ATS/HRIS and pull from automated, real-time data sources. Many criminal record checks and employment verifications can be returned in under 24 hours. The slower steps are usually education verifications or reference checks, which can still take several business days if handled manually.

Are background checks required by law?

It depends on your state, industry, and role. At a minimum, all U.S. employers must complete Form I-9 employment eligibility verification. Beyond that:

• Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) governs how you obtain and use background reports.
• EEOC guidance covers how checks intersect with discrimination law.
• Ban-the-box laws restrict when you can ask about criminal history.
• Industry-specific rules (like DOT regulations for drivers or healthcare compliance requirements) may add mandatory checks.

Always confirm with your legal team before changing your process.

How much does a background check cost?

Basic criminal background checks typically cost $30–$50 per candidate. Comprehensive packages that include employment, education, drug testing, or credit checks can range from $100–$300. While those costs add up, the ROI is clear: SHRM estimates a bad hire can cost 30–200% of that employee’s salary in turnover, retraining, and lost productivity.

What is the best background check site?

For employers, the best “site” isn’t a consumer-focused service like you see marketed to individuals, it’s an enterprise-grade provider that specializes in compliance, automation, and integrations. 

Look for vendors accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA), with SOC 2 certification and built-in compliance workflows. Consumer “people search” sites won’t meet your HR or legal needs.

What is the best criminal background check?

The most effective criminal checks pull from a combination of sources—county, state, and federal databases—rather than relying on one system. The “best” criminal check also includes compliance safeguards (such as proper candidate consent and FCRA dispute procedures) so your team avoids liability.

What’s the best background check for small businesses vs. enterprise?

Small businesses should look for providers that are easy to set up, mobile-friendly, and flexible in pricing. You may only need criminal checks and Form I-9 compliance. Enterprise organizations should prioritize scalability, multi-jurisdiction compliance, ATS/HRIS integrations, and dedicated support. Larger teams also benefit from bulk ordering, post-hire monitoring, and global coverage.