Hiring the wrong person can damage a store’s reputation, lower morale, stunt business growth, and even result in the theft of money and merchandise. Background checks increase your odds of hiring the right person. Thanks to the Internet, conducting a background check is no longer a time-consuming and expensive process. But before you use the ’Net to gather information about a potential employee, the law requires that you ask the applicant to sign a release. Check with your attorney to make sure the format and content of your release form comply with local and federal law. Here are six online options that cost less than $20, plus one traditional method: Due Diligence (www.diligence.com) can search outstanding warrants (people who are currently wanted by the authorities for major crimes) and identify people with a criminal conviction filed in a court. The service performs statewi