It’s hard to know exactly what you’re getting when you hire someone. According to CareerBuilder.com, one in 10 people lie on their resume. If these presumably professional people are lying, what do you know about the people walking in off the street asking for a job?

The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse says 30 percent to 40 percent of personal information given to employers is false. As many as 2 million identity thieves are hired each year with stolen credentials. Here are some things to consider when checking on a job applicant.

• Social Security numbers provide little protection. Criminal checks do not include Social Security numbers.

• Criminal background checks are done based on name and date of birth. Changing one digit in a date of birth can keep someone from popping up on the radar screen.

• Bobby Jones could be a serial killer. But Robert, Bob, Rob or Robbie Jones could come across as squeaky clean in a criminal background check.

• A lot of companies only check for criminal activities in their states or the states where an applicant has listed as having resided. A crime can be committed anywhere, so criminal checks should be conducted nationwide.

• Employees should continue to be monitored even after they are hired. If you let criminals slip through your screening process, they probably won’t halt their criminal activities just because you hired them. You need to stay on top of what’s happening outside your business.

Bill Morrow is chairman and CEO of CSIdentity, a provider of comprehensive, accurate and real-time background screening checks for small to Fortune 500 businesses. More information about CSIdentity SAFE (Security Authentication For Employees) can be found at www.CSidentity.com/background-screening.php.