What Is a Personal Background Check?
A personal background check is a background check you run on yourself. It shows you the same kinds of records an employer or landlord would see, such as criminal records, address history, and sex offender registry results.
Not every "background check" you can buy online is the real thing. People-search sites compile public data into quick reports, but they aren't consumer reporting agencies, they don't follow the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), and employers can't legally use them for hiring decisions. Their results are often outdated or mixed up with someone else's records. If you want to see what an employer will see, use an FCRA-compliant background check company.
What Does a Personal Background Check Include?
A standard personal background check covers the same core searches employers use for pre-employment screening:
- Identity verification and address history trace: confirms who you are and lists where you've lived, which tells the check which counties to search.
- County criminal search: searches courthouse records in the counties tied to your address history. This is the most reliable source for felony and misdemeanor convictions.
- State criminal search: searches statewide criminal record databases.
- Federal criminal search: searches U.S. federal district courts for federal offenses, such as fraud or tax crimes.
- Sex offender registry check: searches state and national sex offender registries.
- Global watchlist search: checks government sanctions and watchlists.
Employers may add other searches depending on the job, such as employment and education verification, a driving record check, a credit check, or professional license verification. For a section-by-section breakdown, see What's in a Background Check Report?
How to Run a Background Check on Yourself
There are 2 ways to run a background check on yourself: order one from a background check company, or request each record yourself from the source. Ordering one is faster and closer to what an employer sees. Requesting records yourself costs less but takes more time and you run the risk of inaccuracy.
The most direct option is to order a personal background check from an FCRA-compliant background check company. You submit your information, verify your identity, and get a report built from the same searches employers use.
With a Bchex personal background check, you order online without an account, and your report arrives by email, typically within 24 hours. It includes county, state, and federal criminal records, sex offender registry results, identity verification, address history, and watchlist checks.
Under the FCRA, you have the right to request a copy of the information a background check company holds on you. If you've already been screened for a job, contact the company that ran the check and request your file. This shows you exactly what that employer received.
You can get free credit reports from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion at AnnualCreditReport.com. Checking your own credit doesn't affect your credit score. Employment credit checks typically don't include your score, but they do show your credit history, including late payments, collections, and bankruptcies.
If the job involves driving, request your driving record from your state's DMV. Most states let you order it online for a small fee using your driver's license number. This is the same motor vehicle record employers see in an MVR check.
Many county courts offer free online search portals where you can look up cases under your name. Search every county where you've lived or worked. Some courts only offer records in person or by mail, so this method takes the most time.
Benefits of Running a Background Check on Yourself
- Catch errors early. Mistakes happen, from a misspelled name to a record that belongs to someone else. Finding them before you apply gives you time to dispute them.
- Confirm old records are gone. If you've had a record expunged or sealed, a personal check shows whether it still appears in background check databases.
- Prepare for the conversation. If something accurate will show up, you can decide how to explain it before an employer or landlord asks.
- Apply with confidence. Knowing what's on your report takes the guesswork out of job hunting or apartment hunting.
Challenges of Running a Background Check on Yourself
- You can't predict every employer's package. Your personal check covers the standard searches, but an employer may add others, such as a drug test, a credit check, or education verification.
- Free sources are incomplete. Court portals, credit reports, and DMV records each show one piece. Putting them together yourself takes time, and it's easy to miss a county.
- Records can belong to someone with a similar name. Common names and identity theft can both put someone else's record on your report. An alias search and identity verification reduce this, but you should still review every entry.
- People-search sites raise privacy concerns. Many publish your address, relatives, and phone number for anyone to buy, and their results aren't held to FCRA accuracy standards.
Conclusion
Running a background check on yourself is the simplest way to see your record the way employers and landlords will. You can piece it together from courts, credit bureaus, the DMV, and the FBI, or order one report that covers the core searches at once. Either way, you'll have time to fix errors and prepare before someone else looks.
Bchex personal background checks use the same databases and processes employers use, from a PBSA-accredited, FCRA-compliant screening provider. Run your personal background check today.
