Screening for a roommate for the first time

[Sebastian Nadal]

I'm in Rogers Park, Chicago. I have several people interested in being my roommate. So far, I have two people who seem they could good tenants. I did find them on Craigslist though.

My mom has one property in Romeoville that she rents out. She always used Zillow and made them apply through there. That way she could see income, credit score, background check, etc. Then she would have them provide a landlord to verify renter history.

Since these possible tenants didn't apply through Zillow, I was wondering how I should go about getting this information? I do have a listing in Zillow, should I make them apply through there? 

So far, I was thinking of having them send me their whole credit karma, send me their last paystubs, and send a landlord to verify renter's history. Only part I got stuck on was how to get a background check. I'd ideally like to do this process and not cost much money, but having a good roommate does matter to me. For anyone who I think might be a good tenant, I'd meet them for coffee/food so we can see how we vibe in person. 

Anyone have any suggestions?