A background check is a way to find information about someone that may not be readily available. Individuals and institutions choose to conduct background checks for a whole host of reasons. Background checks are conducted through third party institutions and are meant to provide a picture of an individual's character based on past actions and records. Background checks reveal information about an individual's professional, financial, criminal, and public history. They include everything from speeding tickets to time spent in jail, bankruptcy to employment history.

When you apply for a job, there is a good chance that your prospective employer will perform a background check in order to look into your professional and criminal record. If you had seven different jobs within the last tax year, your employer may wonder if you are a good candidate who will stick with the job. Furthermore, a background check will reveal your criminal record. Many employers are wary of hiring individuals with any kind of a criminal record. Job applications have a section to discuss your criminal record. It is important to be honest here as your employer will likely find out about your record anyway. When applying for a job that will allow you to work with children, a background check is necessary to prove that you have never committed a crime against a minor.

Some landlords also use back ground checks before allowing individuals to rent apartments and houses. If a tenant with a criminal record were to create problems with neighbors (who may also be the landlord's tenants in other units), the landlord could have a serious mess to deal with.

Individuals some times also conduct background check for personal reasons. Some dating safety sites advise women to consider conducting a background check at the beginning of a relationship, or even before the first date. While some people feel that doing a background check for this reason may stem more from paranoia than practicality, others argue that it is better to know everything up front and protect yourself.

There are many companies and services that offer background check services to the public. The price and comprehensiveness of the background check varies from service to service. A quick online background check can immediately provide basic information about a person in question. However, a comprehensive background check can take longer to compile and can cost hundreds of dollars.