Located near the middle of the state of New Jersey, Ocean County is farther from New York City but still a part of the New York metropolitan area. It has a surging population of 638,000 people. Nearby counties include Atlantic, Burlington, and Monmouth. Notable employers in Ocean County include Six Flags, Meridian Health, and Wal-Mart.
Ocean County, a small and sleepy seaside county for many years, has undergone rapid growth since the 1950s. It continues to be one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States decade after decade, owing to its real estate market and distance from New York City. With such robust growth and many commuter options, it is more common for companies to field applicants from counties throughout the New York metro.
With many people arriving and departing frequently, there's no telling who you might encounter. Identifying talent and verifying suitability in this lively labor pool can be challenging, but success in the effort can prove rewarding. That success demands a system that lets you effectively vet candidates and identify potential problems before you make a final job offer. Checking a candidate's criminal record is an important element of due diligence, and background checks are the perfect tool for the job.
Before you can begin ordering checks on candidates, you must take steps to ensure your procedure aligns with the law.
New Jersey's statewide ban the box law applies to all private employers, including those in Ocean County. Since 2015, this law bans the use of criminal history questions on applications, such as "Have you ever been convicted of a felony?"
Employers cannot order background checks or ask such questions until after at least one interview with the candidate in question. Expunged and pardoned convictions cannot be considered, nor may you ask about them. Searching for information about a candidate online prior to an interview is also considered a violation of the law. Furthermore, New Jersey bans employers from using drug tests for or denying jobs on the basis on marijuana usage.
Alongside these regulations, you must follow additional Fair Chance laws if your business is based in and hiring out of New York City. All employers in the United States, no matter their country of origin, must also follow Fair Credit Reporting Act guidelines to inform candidates of their rights and obtain written consent for a background check.
Once you've written your background check policy and double-checked legal compliance, you can use our powerful tools to vet candidates. Most employers choose to begin with the broadest look possible to identify red flags that a candidate might have left behind somewhere else. Our US OneSEARCH delivers a multi-jurisdictional background check in seconds with records sourced from across the country. Visit our coverage map for full details.
Not every county in the nation makes it easy for the public to access records, and some restrict the ability of consumer reporting agencies to access criminal history data. Ocean County is one of these. Background checks in this county and throughout the state must go through the New Jersey State Police. There is a $20 fee for name-based background checks and a fee of $44.13 if you wish to order a fingerprint-based report.
Background reports sourced from county court records may include the subject's:
Make the most of Ocean County's explosive growth by hiring new employees safely and confidently using robust background check procedures.