A background check’s contents will differ depending on the industry, the sort of job that applicant is looking for, and the employer’s preferences. Criminal history, education, past employment verifications, and reference checks are the most typical background checks.
Pre-employment drug testing results may also be included in these reports. The idea is for a company to be confident that a new recruit will not cause any immediate problems.
What does a soft background check reveal?
Because there are multiple various sets of records and data to pull from, what appears on a background check varies on which sort of search you order. A background check for employment may reveal information such as identification verification, employment verification, credit history, driver’s history, criminal records, education verification, and more.
Employers collect a variety of data in order to assess a candidate’s character and avoid making the incorrect hire. Continue reading to discover about the many forms of employment background checks, what they may reveal, and why they are important.
What does a thorough background check entail?
Our statewide searches look for felony and misdemeanor convictions on state repositories, where they are available. Our criminal background check services adhere to all federal, state, and municipal laws and regulations.
Do credit checks reveal debts?
Every financial decision we make has a cumulative effect. But, when it comes to screening, does our financial history matter? And how much of that information is actually revealed by a background check?
Credit checks have been a standard element of most assessments for years. Checks include reports from the three major credit agencies: Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax, and are only performed with the approval of the job candidate.
Here’s what you’ll normally find. A credit check contains information such as ongoing debtsmortgages, medical bills, or school loans, for examplein addition to the essentials (name, address, previous residences, and social security number). Bankruptcies, credit limits, tax liens, and other information are included in the report. Credit bureaus compile all of this data to create a personal credit score, which is used in almost all background checks.
Because of the information they provide about an applicant, credit checks are regarded a must-have for companies. Many businesses believe that a credit score might indicate whether or not a person is trustworthy enough to handle the company credit card or manage cash. The philosophy is that if credit agencies think this person is a safe investment, so should a business.
Despite the fact that the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) reports that 47% of companies do credit checks, other experts claim that credit checks have little influence on an employer’s ultimate decision. In certain places, credit checks aren’t even allowed to be considered. (At the moment, 11 states and a few localities have legislation prohibiting the use of credit checks in job background checks.) However, in some professions, it may be significant. An exceptionally low credit report, for example, could sway an employer’s ultimate decision in the financial services industry.
What kind of background check does the majority of employers conduct?
Criminal record searches are the most prevalent background checks for employers. You have numerous alternatives for conducting a criminal record search:
County Criminal History Search
The most typical type of criminal background check is a county criminal history search. Employers can use these searches to obtain reports from specific county court records. The degree of the charge (felony, misdemeanor, infraction, etc.), the date of the offense, the disposition code, sentencing details, and other information about the case can all be found from county criminal background checks.
National Criminal Database Search
You can broaden the scope of your criminal background check by using the national criminal database search. The nationwide criminal database search allows you to search databases from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Guam, and Puerto Rico, rather than only the counties or states where a candidate has resided and worked.
Federal Criminal Database Search
The federal criminal database search retrieves records from all 94 federal courts in the United States and returns any federal law offenses. White-collar crimes, fraud, embezzlement, tax evasion, illicit gun sales, child pornographic exploitation, and other federal offenses are examples. Federal criminal background checks are frequently conducted on C-level executives, CPAs, financial and banking professionals, and other employees with access to financial information due to the nature of these offenses.
What does a background check reveal to an employer?
Employer background checks, according to Glassdoor, can include your job history, credit history, driving records, and criminal history.
Employment history
You must be absolutely honest on your job application, avoiding even the tiniest lie on a CV, otherwise the findings of a background check may disturb you.
Stretching employment dates to cover a gap is one of the most typical white lies. If you can’t recall the specific dates, you should do some research rather than speculate. When writing dates on your resume, make sure to utilize the mm/yyyy format, as this is what an application tracking system (ATS) scan will search for. A company that conducts a background check on you can learn about your employment dates, the titles of the roles you’ve held, and why you left previous jobs.
Credit history
During background checks, a corporation may look into your credit for a variety of reasons. The most typical argument is that your credit history demonstrates your financial responsibility. These credit checks will not reveal your credit ratings, but they will reveal whether you’ve paid your bills on time and will reveal previous addresses and employers. If you’re seeking for a job that requires you to handle money, your credit report will tell the employer whether or not hiring you would be a financial risk after the initial interview.
Driving records
If you’re on the road for business, your employer is responsible for you. As a result, if driving is one of the responsibilities, they will check your driving record. They want to make sure you have a clean driving record so they know you’ll be safe behind the wheel of one of their automobiles. Furthermore, an employee with a bad driving record might have a detrimental impact on the company’s insurance prices.
Criminal history
Companies must ensure that their employees work in a safe atmosphere. Many people believe that doing criminal background checks as part of an employment screening is critical to maintaining a safe workplace. Just because you have a blemish on your criminal record doesn’t mean you won’t be considered for the job. Again, the best policy is to be honest.
Businesses must follow a number of rules set forth by the Equal Opportunity Commission (EEOC) while conducting criminal background checks for employment. For example, if two people with the same criminal record from different racial origins have the same criminal record, a corporation cannot refuse to hire one while hiring the other. This form of discrimination is prohibited by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
Are bank accounts revealed in background checks?
Reports on Checks and Bank Accounts ChexSystems maintains a database of consumer checking and savings account activity. When considering your application for a new account, many banks will obtain your report and analyze the facts. Your ChexSystems report, unlike consumer credit reports, will not contain any good information.
Do background checks show employment history?
Technically, no background check will ever reveal a candidate’s previous employment history. A criminal history search is the most typical background check performed by employers. This search will turn up conviction records, but it will not reveal where the candidate has worked in the past.
An employment verification check is the type of background check that employers utilize to check professional history. This check examines a job candidate’s work history, which they reveal on their resume or application, for falsehoods or inaccuracies.
How do background check companies verify employment history?
An employment verification check entails contacting a candidate’s prior employers and requesting them to verify the authenticity of important pieces of information provided on the resume. The background check company will specifically inquire about the candidate’s positions and titles, dates of employment, work responsibilities, salary, reason(s) for leaving the job, and rehire eligibility. The background check provider will next send the hiring manager a report outlining any differences between the candidate’s resume and the information gathered throughout the verification procedure.
Can you lie about employment history?
While lying about career history on a resume or job application is conceivable, it is not a good idea. Employers want to know that they’re employing someone qualified, but they also want to know that they’re getting someone they can trust. Even a tiny untruth on a CV, such as an overstated job title, jeopardizes the formation of trust. Because an employment history verification method can readily invalidate inaccuracies on a rsum, lying about former work is especially perilous.
Can an employer know your employment history?
Employers might ask job seekers to submit to a range of pre-employment background investigations, including verification of employment history. A hiring manager must first advise you of their intention to perform a background check and obtain your written authorization to do so.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) specifies these requirements, and failure to comply can expose employers to legal action. If you decline to approve a work history check when a prospective employer requests it, you may be dismissed from consideration for the job.
