As an employer you meet potential employees whose names range from unique to commonplace. The question is how to enter your applicant’s name in a search request to ensure that you receive the most accurate and comprehensive results.

Let's start with middle names. If you doubt whether or not to enter one in a search request, do it! Middle names often assist our researchers in eliminating possible subjects and identifying your applicant. Is John Doe Smith an alias for John Smith? Not usually. Supplying an applicant’s middle name does not automatically make the name an alias.

Hyphenated last names should be entered in their entirety and in the last name field only. It is always good practice to include at least one of the last names as an alias search. Does your applicant use a name suffix such as Jr., Sr. or III? Let us know! When it comes to a subject's name we can never have too much information.