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Featured Articles

How Background Check Companies Sneak in Hidden Fees (And How to Spot Them)

September 12, 2024

Background checks should be simple, right? You run the report, pay the fee, and get the results. But some background check companies have a different playbook. Instead of putting you first, they’re finding creative ways to pad their profits—hello, hidden fees and confusing invoices! Let’s look at the main culprit […]

Sequential Screening: A Secret Legacy Vendors Won’t Reveal

April 25, 2024

“I’m so tired of paying $100+ for every candidate whether or not I end up hiring them.” We hear this often from people before they switch to Yardstik. The screening vendors of yesterday want you to believe there is only one workflow for vetting candidates—their workflow. It’s an intentionally expensive […]

A Background Screening Dashboard Built for Strategic Decision-Making

March 19, 2024

“Why is this cost so high?” Ever heard this from your CFO before? Pretty sure we all have. And after your blood pressure levels out and your heart rate returns to normal, we often realize it’s a pretty fair question to ask. Especially for companies who are hyper-focused on cost […]

Additional Articles

How Background Screening Technology Has Evolved in the Last 10 Years… And What’s Next in 2025

Feb 12, 2025 | Industry Insights

Background screening has changed completely in the last decade. What used to take days—or even weeks—now happens in minutes. Go back 20 years, and the process was painfully manual. If you needed a criminal record, someone had to physically go to a courthouse, find the...

Lookback Periods in Background Checks: Definition, Options, and Which to Choose

Jan 22, 2025 | Industry Insights

Background checks are all about understanding the past to reduce risk in hiring. But how far back should you look? That’s where lookback periods come in. They define how much history is fair game in your screening process. You might think it’s as simple as picking a...

Am I Running Unnecessary Screens? How to Tell

Jan 8, 2025 | Industry Insights

The background screening industry has a dirty little secret: most companies are paying for screens they don’t need, by no fault of their own. And we’re not talking pennies here—these “extras” are bleeding businesses like yours out of thousands of dollars. Sorry,...

Top 10 Blog Posts You Couldn’t Stop Reading in 2024

Dec 13, 2024 | Industry Insights

You clicked, you scrolled, you shared—and these ten posts won the popularity contest. From breaking down jargon to exposing industry nonsense, these reads turned complicated into crystal clear. Here are our top 10 blog posts of 2024, decided by you. 1. Background...

County, State, National & Federal Background Checks: Where they Differ

Dec 10, 2024 | Screening Products

Background checks can feel complicated. County, state, national, federal—what do these have to do with screening? And why does it matter? If you’re not sure how these pieces fit together, don’t worry—we’re about to make it simple. By the end of this, you’ll know...

People Compliance Program: Definition, Guidance, and Examples

Nov 25, 2024 | Industry Insights

The word compliance alone might make your eyes glaze over, but hear us out. We’ll make it simple, practical, and worth your time. Let’s dive into what compliance is, why it matters, and how to easily get it right. Put simply, compliance is the process of staying in...

Yardstik is First to Integrate with Fountain WX

Nov 20, 2024 | Uncategorized

Minneapolis, MN, November 20, 2024—Yardstik, a measurably better background screening company, has become the first background check platform to integrate with Fountain WX, a brand-new workforce management tool for employees. This integration offers a new suite of...

Ready to Rescreen Employees? Here’s the Why and How

Nov 12, 2024 | Screening Products

Over half of employers already rescreen their workers, and in some sectors—healthcare, transportation, childcare—it’s practically universal. But here’s the issue: rescreening feels like a logistical nightmare. Even companies that know they should rescreen often avoid...

4 Steps to Build a Fraud Data Strategy That Works

Oct 24, 2024 | Industry Insights

Written by Amy Leff This guide is for the people running high-volume hiring who’ve seen fraud slip through the cracks and know they can’t just cross their fingers and hope it stops. Fraud is a constant (and often complicated) threat, but with the right data management...

What are Ban-the-Box Laws? Definition & What They Mean for Employers

Sep 23, 2024 | Industry Insights

Over 80% of people in the U.S. are now living under Ban-the-Box laws. If you’re in charge of hiring, this isn’t just some legal trivia—it’s your new reality. These laws are changing the rules on how, when, and if employers can consider criminal history during the...