Watching romantic comedies might lead one to believe that dating is as easy as breathing. All one has to do is stroll down the streets and suddenly they’ll bump into the one. That person will be perfect for them and they never have to worry about their background. Birds will tweet and the wind will play a symphony.
The truth though is that bad things can happen. For every hard-boiled romantic story, there’s a horror one. Maybe not the kind that happens in slasher horror movies, but maybe close enough.
With online dating on the rise, not that it’s a problem, people are going out with other people that they know nothing about. There isn’t even a friend that can vouch for that person.
That got me thinking about background check or some google research. Should I run a background check on my date? If you ask yourself that question, the answer is yes. It is a little bit invasion of privacy and it may come off as stalk-ish, but you want to be safe than sorry. The best thing you can do is to background check them.
Besides, everyone is already googling everybody. You’re checking their Facebook page, and if anything weird comes up when you search their names. Also, you want to check their Twitter to see if there’s anything that you should worry about.
Anyway, below you can check the different methods and layers that you can go through to perform a thorough background check. However, if you are just looking to have a ready-made solution, you might just want to check out Been Verified. They are highly respected in the industry. To get your background check Click Here
Start With An Obvious Google Search
It may sound a too simplistic idea, but you really want to cover the basics. Nowadays, everyone has enough of a web presence for you to find something about them on Google.
Now, it’s important to keep in mind that your goal is to see if there’s anything wrong with your date like racist comments, criminal record, and anything that you find shady.
You should not waste time learning about their family, friends, or pet. That would not only be super weird but it would also take out all the thrill of getting to know a person for the first time.
So, just google their names and see what results come up. An important note is to make sure that you look beyond the first page of google.
Nowadays it’s possible to hire an agency that will write hundreds of blog posts about a person to make sure that the bad stuff doesn’t come up on the first-page result when you google their names.
Look For Digital Footprints On Social Media
Social media is the best place for you to find important things about your date. Unless they’re some kind of technophobic person, you’ll be able to see their profile without having to request to follow them or befriend them.
You should look for 3 main things here. Their Facebook page, twitter profile, and if they have a blog. As much as you think their Instagram is important, and it’s worth checking out, people tend to portrait a too perfect, unreal life on Instagram.
Now, with Twitter, you can figure out their opinions on political subjects and if they’re just a jerk. If they do have a different party affiliation than yours, it might be interesting to date someone like that.
On their Facebook page, you can learn more about personal stuff that you may not find on Twitter. Also, it’s more likely that they have a Facebook page than a twitter profile. So, it’s a safe bet.
With all this information from Google and social media, you’ll be at least able to figure out their values and if they’re nice people. Just make sure that you don’t judge someone by a tweet from 6 years ago or a drunk photo with their friends.
Be Careful To Not Become A Stalker
There is a fine line between doing a background check and cyberstalking. When you perform a background check on your date, you’re looking for information that will ensure you that they’re good people.
With that said, you should not spend any minute looking for personal information or learning about what they were doing last week. Imagine you being on a date and someone who never met you, knowing about what you did last night or that you have been to that new sushi place.
You want to make sure that your date is a good person, but you don’t want to ruin your date. So, make sure that you perform your background check without snooping too much.
A good way of knowing if you’re crossing a line, it’s if you’re spending too much time doing this. You should access their social media profile and Google results and quickly find out the things that you need. Now, get out of there when you realize that you know their pet’s name and friends’ as well.
Get Expert Help From Apps
There’s some information that you can’t easily find online. For instance, criminal records are a bit trickier to get. That’s why some apps make the whole thing easier for you. For example, you can get the app Stud or Dud that gives you a thorough background check.
In it, you’ll be able to find out if your date has a criminal record, their home record, work record, and court records. All this info can help you determine if you still want to go on this date.
As much as it’d be lovely to go on a date and not have to worry about this at all, you should use the technology available to protect yourself. There’s a lot of catfishing, not just online, and other sorts of scams and danger around for you not to take some precaution about it all.
Use the apps and find out the stuff that you need rather beforehand than when it’s a little too late down the line. But for those short on time, you might just consider getting your intel straight from a background checking company that has proven results: Been Verified. It is easy. Click this link to get started.
Ask Your Friends (If You Share Acquaintances)
There’s nothing wrong with using technology to your advantage, but there’s also nothing wrong with doing things the old-fashioned way. This means asking people about this person.
Obviously, you’ll need to share friends or acquaintances to make this work. The point is that you should ask around. If you have good friends who care about you, they’ll tell you everything you need to know.
Again, be aware of the fine line, ask your friends if there’s anything that you should worry about and how your date is as a person. Don’t try to learn too much about what they like or facts about their lives. This sort of thing is best to let the person share with you.
Still, this is a great way to find out important things like if your date has a criminal record or any other problem. Just be mindful if the person you’re asking is closer to your date than to you.
Make A Decision Based On What You Found
So, what to do after you have done everything to background check your date? Simple, you make a decision based on what you found. For instance, if you find out that your date is a racist person, hopefully, this will be enough for you to cancel the date.
Now, if your date is from the other side of the pollical aisle, it might be worth considering dating someone with a different political view. It might be healthy to get out of your usual circle and social bubble and experiment.
So, if your date hasn’t a criminal record, no problematic opinions, and anything that you consider a red flag it’s okay to go ahead and have your date. It just might be a good idea to not tell them that you did a background check on them.
Final Thoughts
So those are the best methods that you can use to background check your date. It’s always a good idea to make sure that you’re going out with someone that you know has good values.
Also, make sure that you always get only the information necessary for a background check and nothing else. That’s how you make sure that you’re not cyberstalking anyone.