Background Checks Have Become More Indispensable — and Customizable — in 2025

Background checks continue to evolve from a “one-size-fits-all” approach to more tailored strategies helping businesses further optimize hiring — yet another takeaway from the First Advantage 2025 Global Trends Report.

This blog examines the growing use of specialized searches, such as social media background checks and verifications, and how they’re fueling a more customized, streamlined hiring process that enables employers to hire smarter and onboard faster in today’s tight job market.

Background Check Customization

Employers navigating today’s uncertain hiring landscape need background checks that adapt to their unique needs, supporting a streamlined hiring process. They want thorough screening tailored to understand candidates better, identify potential risks, help manage compliance, and accelerate onboarding.

Here are a few current trends you can adopt to customize your screening program:

• Industry and business-specific needs are key. Take healthcare and financial and business service organizations, where compliance largely shapes their screening programs. Failing to follow industry-required background check standards can result in costly fines and penalties. Meanwhile, staffing firms and retailers may prioritize hiring speed with a need to quickly hire and onboard workers during peak seasons.
• Role-specific considerations are an important factor. For example, companies often conduct more in-depth, bespoke background checks for executive-level positions, given their outsized influence on the business. In fact, a 2025 Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) report revealed steep increases in cost-per-hire for executive candidates — up 21% since 2022 and 113% since 2017 — at a time when hiring costs for non-executive employees are declining.
• The current hiring environment matters. Given today’s ultra-competitive job market for key roles, it makes sense that background check speed (i.e., turnaround time) is most important to employers, contrasted with risk and cost of a background check, according to our 2025 Global Trends Report. It’s a notable shift, as risk has topped the list for the past two years, suggesting employers are mindfully moving toward faster, more efficient hiring.

Specialized Searches Are on the Rise

Here are some of the customizable searches and background check technology employers are embracing to sharpen their candidate-first approach, strengthen compliance, and accelerate hiring and onboarding, according to our 2025 Global Trends Report:

• Social media background checks are up across key industries, including financial and business services, which surged 47% between 2022 and 2024. Likewise, healthcare skyrocketed 456% from a relatively low baseline in 2022. The staffing, gig, and industrial sectors also saw strong increases in the use of social media searches.Considering the profound impact an employee’s online content can have on an organization’s brand reputation, employers are using social media checks to quickly scan social media sources and identify additional candidate qualifications. In fact, 33% of First Advantage customers surveyed in 2024 decided not to offer a position or terminate an employee based on information obtained from social media, up from 14% the prior year.
• Employment verifications completed in 15 minutes or less are up 41% in the US since 2022. This is significant since employment and education verifications have long been a bottleneck in the hiring process, mainly due to the manual nature of these searches. However, faster turnaround times are enabling employers to enhance the candidate experience and onboard new hires more quickly.Verified! — our advanced verification solution —  is largely responsible for the boost, powering up to 70% faster verifications compared to traditional methods. It automates the process, first searching our proprietary database of previously verified employment and education checks before moving on to other steps. Anytime a record is found in Verified!, it saves the time of performing a manual verification or expensive third-party fees associated with other verification databases. This solution has become vital for organizations who need verification information but who don’t want to add time to the process.
• OFAC searches were up 46% in 2024, with reported records up 53%. Remote and hybrid work, along with digital connectivity, are driving global talent pools, possibly contributing to making the quick and comprehensive coverage of OFAC and other sanctions searches attractive additions to standard background checks.This shift also aligns with our 2025 customer survey, which reflects a reordering of why employers conduct background checks. Risk mitigation has led in recent years, but compliance now tops the list, with 38% of surveyed employers citing compliance as their main reason for performing background checks, followed by 23% who say they screen to evaluate future risk.
• Oral fluid-based drug screening increased 58% year-over-year, with 52% using or planning to use oral fluid screening in their drug screening program. Not only is oral drug testing effective at detecting recent drug use, but employers also appreciate its reliability, resistance to tampering, near-instant negative results, and easy applicant self-administration options. These advantages remove some of the complaints associated with traditional urine testing.

Moving Forward: Hire Smarter and Onboard Faster With a Customized Approach

Our 2025 Global Trends Report makes it clear: background checks are a key part of the hiring process, and they’re evolving in step with today’s fast-moving job market. While it has long been an essential hiring step, screening can also be a strategic hiring tool — one that helps employers enhance their hiring confidence, speed, and efficiency.

By adopting specialized background checks, organizations can tailor their programs to meet specific needs, whether based on industry, role, level of risk-aversion, business priorities, or otherwise. Customization can help employers gain a decisive edge in hiring smarter and onboarding employees faster than competitors.

Want more tactical insights like the ones in this blog post? Download the full 2025 Global Trends Report.

Get in touch with us to find out how your organization can hire smarter and onboard faster.