A dense urban cluster in the very heart of the state, Indianapolis is Indiana’s largest metro area with a population of 1.9 million. It is an important component of the larger Great Lakes region, which includes many other metros in nearby states. The Indianapolis region comprises eleven counties: Boone, Brown, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Madison, Marion, Morgan, Putnam, and Shelby.

Though much of the state relies on manufacturing as its prime economic driver, the Indianapolis metro has seen its manufacturing sector decline in recent decades, replaced by a service economy and a wealth of professional services. Several Fortune 500 companies headquarter in the area, including health insurer Anthem, Inc. and shopping mall operator Simon Property Group. Other key employers include Steak ‘n Shake and FedEx.

Often called the “Crossroads of America,” Indianapolis is home to many vital transportation arteries, including interstates that connect the region to nearby metros in Cincinnati and Cleveland. With an evolving job market, businesses in and around Indianapolis are more likely to interview applicants from nearby counties. This trend can make it easier to find talent to fill open positions, but it also enhances the role background checks must play in your hiring policies.

Though you may already rely on background checks, doing business in a metro area merits a re-examination of your procedures. How much regional data do you have access to, and how wide a view can you take on an applicant’s past? For example, does your Hancock-based business ever check for an applicant’s potential criminal records in nearby Boone county? If the answer is “no,” you may miss out on information crucial to safe hiring decisions. 

A metro-wide background check policy is a simple way to avoid those issues. A bird’s-eye snapshot of the entire region is the key to a process that yields candidates best-suited for the job. Take care not to implement any new policies without first re-examining relevant state-specific or federal laws guaranteeing fair hiring. 

Indiana has adopted very few laws that restrict the way that companies screen employees. The state has no “ban the box” rules applicable to private employers. Both arrest and conviction records are acceptable materials for consideration during hiring—however, background checks do not typically contain arrest data. Indiana restricts the disclosure of arrests that did not yield a conviction. Always abide by federal laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, as you develop a new policy.

With guidelines in place, finding the right services for vetting new applicants should be your next step. backgroundchecks.com provides solutions that allow businesses to take full control over the quality of their hiring process. 

Our most popular product, the US OneSEARCH, is a multi-jurisdictional search that can provide instant access to reports from relevant metro area counties like Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Madison, Morgan, and Shelby counties. For Brown, Marion, and Putnam counties, we provide direct courthouse searches. The additional benefit of the US OneSEARCH is that it automatically also casts a wider net across the rest of the country

To cast a wider net, opt for a state-level background check and include databases from every county in Indiana. To include metro areas in nearby states such as Ohio, request a regional OneSEARCH and customize your results to include up to five states in one report.

Information for Indiana background checks flows from multiple sources, including the Indiana Department of Corrections (updated monthly), the state Sex and Violent Offender Registry (updated bi-weekly), and county-level courts (updated monthly). Reports generated from these systems may include the subject’s:

• Name, date of birth, and address

• County of offense

• Criminal charges

• Sentencing date and sentence

For Indianapolis-based businesses, a metro-wide background check provides a clear pathway to improved confidence in every hiring decision. Learn more about how backgroundchecks.com helps our business partners uncover the information they need to ensure safe and smart hiring.