CareerBuilder expands into background screening and drug-testing with Aurico acquisition

Recruitment services giant CareerBuilder is expanding into the background screening realm today with the acquisition of Illinois-based Aurico.

CareerBuilder is perhaps best known for CareerBuilder.com, one of the biggest recruitment websites in the U.S. But the company also offers a range of human resources (HR) services to employers, covering job listings, sourcing, workflow, analytics, CRM, and more.

Founded in 1991, Aurico provides background screening and drug-testing to companies around the world through its WebACE platform, which can be integrated into companies’ applicant tracking systems. With Aurico now under its wing, CareerBuilder will now be able to add another service to its roster.

“Background screening is an essential part of recruitment, and a natural extension of CareerBuilder’s product line,” said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder, in a press release. “Aurico has differentiated itself in the market with great customer service and leading-edge technology that we can easily integrate into our software solutions.”

Founded in 1995 originally as NetStart, CareerBuilder hasn’t made many acquisitions in its 20 year history, though it did snap up Dutch company Textkernel last July for its semantic job search technology. A year previous, it made a similar strategic acquisition when it bought Broadbean, a London-based HR software firm.

Ultimately, these acquisitions are all about powering CareerBuilder’s shift from a simple job board into a full-featured HR software company. As for Aurico, it can now scale much more quickly with an easier inroad into thousands of companies’ HR divisions — selling background screening becomes much easier when CareerBuilder is already selling its broader recruitment service. “None of Aurico’s competitors will be able to match our comprehensive service platform,” added Aurico CEO Ben Goldberg.