Free FCRA & Background Check Training for HR — 3.5 SHRM PDCs
Build a defensible, FCRA-compliant program in one afternoon.
A free SHRM-certified background check certification for HR, talent, and operations leaders. Learn FCRA compliance, the SOARR screening framework, how to vet a background screening vendor, and how to run an adverse action process that holds up to audit — in one self-paced afternoon. Built by the Bchex team, who has run more than 40 million background checks since 1995.
- 5-stage SOARR framework — taught in Module 14 and used by the Bchex team
- Earn 3.5 PDCs toward SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification
- Take it self-paced — finish in a single afternoon
BCHEX
2,000+ School Districts, Non-Profits, and Businesses Trust the Bchex Brand
Why this exists
Tired of screening blind spots, compliance gray areas, and inconsistent decisions? You deserve better answers.
Most HR teams inherit a screening process they never designed. Our research on the hidden risk in American workplaces shows the gap between what programs catch and what they miss is wider than most leaders think. The Masterclass gives you a defensible framework, the legal context, and the templates to fix the three places programs quietly fail.
You don't know what you're missing.
County criminal alone misses federal cases. SSN trace alone misses identity fraud. Most teams have no clear rationale for why a package contains what it contains — until something slips through.
FCRA & EEOC rules quietly drift.
Ban-the-box, marijuana laws, adverse action timing — the rules change every year, and most disclosure forms haven't been updated since they were copied from a vendor. Auditors notice.
Every recruiter adjudicates differently.
Without a job-relevant decision matrix, two recruiters reading the same report make two different calls. That's not just risk — it's the exact pattern that turns into a discrimination claim.
The Curriculum
14 modules + a final assessment. Every part of a defensible program.
From the basics of screening data to compliance, vendor technology, and the SOARR implementation framework — the masterclass walks you through every part of a modern background-check program. Self-paced, knowledge-checked, SHRM-certified.
What You Need to Know
Complexity of Screening Data
Criminal Data & Where We Access It
Other Screening Processes You Need to Know
Dealing with Arrest & Possible Records
Identity Matters & Fraud
Building Quality Screens
Decision Making
Technology Integration Insights
Compliance
Understanding Screening Provider Technology
Service from a Background Screening Company
Monitoring & Rescreening
Implementing SOARR — Screen, Order, Assess, Review, Respond
Final Assessment — Screening, Data Integrity & Compliance
Course Outcomes
What you'll learn in the Screening Hero Masterclass
A background check certification gives HR and operations leaders a defensible, repeatable framework for hiring decisions — not just a vendor login. Across 14 modules and a final assessment, the Screening Hero Masterclass covers the four areas where most screening programs break down: program design under FCRA, the SOARR screening framework, vendor evaluation, and the adverse action process. Below is a plain-language summary of each.
How to build a defensible, FCRA-compliant background check program
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is the federal law that governs how employers request, use, and act on consumer reports — including criminal records, employment verifications, and motor vehicle reports. A defensible background check program follows three FCRA-required steps: a clear, stand-alone disclosure to the candidate; written consent before pulling any report; and a two-step adverse action process if the report is going to influence a negative hiring decision. The masterclass walks through the disclosure language regulators expect to see, the documentation you need to retain, and how to align FCRA compliance with state-level rules like ban-the-box and marijuana-conviction restrictions.
The SOARR framework — the five-stage screening method Bchex uses internally
SOARR is a five-stage background screening framework developed by Bchex: Screen, Order, Assess, Review, Respond. Screen defines the role's risk profile and selects a job-relevant package. Order covers the disclosure, consent, and intake steps that initiate a report. Assess evaluates the returned data against your decision matrix — not against a recruiter's gut. Review is the human escalation path for borderline records, second-chance considerations, and individualized assessment. Respond is the candidate communication step, including the pre-adverse and final adverse action notices when applicable. SOARR is the operating model the Bchex team uses to design programs for school districts, nonprofits, and mid-market employers, and Module 14 of the masterclass is the implementation walkthrough.
How to evaluate any background screening vendor
Most HR teams inherit a screening provider; few have ever evaluated one against a written rubric. The masterclass introduces the 20-Point Vendor Vetting Blueprint, a checklist for assessing any consumer reporting agency (CRA) on the criteria that actually predict program quality: PBSA accreditation, the breadth and recency of criminal data sources, average turnaround time on county-level searches, the dispute and re-investigation process, integration with your ATS, and the human review escalation path for borderline records. The same blueprint applies whether you're evaluating background check services for a 50-person nonprofit or comparing enterprise CRAs.
How to handle adverse action without legal exposure
Adverse action is the FCRA term for any negative hiring decision based wholly or partly on information in a consumer report. The federal adverse action process is two-stage: a pre-adverse action notice sent before the decision is final, including a copy of the report and the FCRA Summary of Rights, then a final adverse action notice after a reasonable waiting period — the FTC has historically pointed to about five business days as a workable benchmark, though several states require longer windows or additional disclosures. The masterclass covers the letter library, timing rules state-by-state, individualized assessment under EEOC guidance, and how to document the file so the decision is defensible if challenged. Programs that include post-hire continuous monitoring or volunteer screening use the same adverse action framework with workflow adjustments covered in Module 13.
What's Included
The full toolkit. Free with code BCHEX.
You don't just get a course. You get the complete operating system Bchex uses internally — video lessons, playbooks, frameworks, and a vendor-vetting blueprint you can hand to your team on Monday.
- 14 video modules + 55 lessons — self-paced, mobile-friendly, with knowledge checks throughout
- SOARR implementation playbook — the 5-stage framework Bchex teams use to screen, order, assess, review, and respond
- 20-Point Vendor Vetting Blueprint — the exact rubric to evaluate any background screening provider
- FCRA & Adverse Action Compliance Checklist — stay defensible at every step of the hiring funnel
- SHRM® certificate worth 3.5 PDCs toward SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification
Your Instructor
Built by the people who run thousands of checks every day.
Ken Monroe is the founder of Screening Hero and the CEO of Bchex, a national background screening company that has run more than 40 million checks since 1995.
The SHRM-certified Screening Hero Masterclass exists because Ken watched more than $100 million in preventable fraud move through organizations with weak background check programs and poor vendor vetting. The pattern was always the same: good HR teams using the wrong process. So he built SOARR — Screen, Order, Assess, Review, Respond — the five-stage framework Bchex uses internally to design programs for school districts, nonprofits, and mid-market employers.
This course is that framework, taught directly. By the end of it, you'll be able to build, audit, or rebuild a screening program that holds up to FCRA scrutiny and actually catches what it's supposed to catch.
Testimonials
You're trusted to bring in the right people.
We're here to make it easier.
In the world of education, we need to hire fast, and knowing that Bchex can generate a report in 24 hours or less makes us feel confident that we can hire the right talent quickly.
Jakob Tisdale
Talent & HR Coordinator · Carmen Schools of Science & Technology
I highly recommend Bchex services to any professional looking to do background checks. It's convenient, it's fast, it's reliable, and it's a great asset to any company.
Kristin Kidwell
Owner · First Choice Sitters
We would highly recommend Bchex for several reasons. The first, of course, is customer service. That's always the most important. The next, of course, is timeliness in terms of how quickly you need your results. The portal is very easy to navigate. You can reach a live person on the phone.
Ava Greene
VP of Legal & HR · AdvisorHR
FAQ
Got Questions? We Have Answers.
Common questions about the Screening Hero Masterclass — including how to redeem the free $249 promo code, how SHRM PDC certification works, who the course is for, and how it relates to the SOARR background screening framework taught by Bchex.
How is the Screening Hero Masterclass free if it's listed at $249?
Will I really earn SHRM® PDCs?
Do I need to be a Bchex client to take it?
How long does the course take?
What do I get when I finish?
- A SHRM-certified completion certificate (3.5 PDCs)
- A downloadable workbook with the decision matrix, package builder, and adverse-action letter library
- The Fraud Detection Playbook and 20-Point Vendor Vetting Blueprint
- Lifetime access to module updates as FCRA and state laws evolve
Become a Screening Hero. In one afternoon. $249 → free with code BCHEX.
Three hours from now you'll have a defensible screening program, the SHRM credential to prove it, and the templates to hand off to your team. Apply code BCHEX at checkout to redeem the full $249 masterclass at no cost.