What's covered in a background check?
Employers conduct background checks to confirm a candidate’s information, identify any risks, and help ensure a candidate is appropriate to hire for their workplace. These checks are typically done after a first or second interview, before making a job offer.
Most often, background checks include your past employment and education, criminal record, and—depending on the job—your credit or financial history and driving record. In some cases, you’ll find that you can “pre-check” yourself to make sure no surprises come up during an employer’s check.
Many employers also use E-Verify, from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, to determine whether candidates are legally eligible to work in the United States. You can visit myE-Verify to pre-check your work eligibility.
If you make claims in your resume or interview that contradict background check results, the employer may withdraw the offer. So it’s in your best interest to be honest up front and explain any issues.
Read more about different types of background checks below.
You have legal rights when an employer performs a background check on you. Employers are only allowed to ask about or check certain things, and they are only allowed to make hiring decisions based on certain data (for instance, they cannot base decisions on your age, race, religion, or disability status). The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has more information about what job applicants and employees should know about background checks.
Employers cannot perform most of these checks without your written permission. You may be asked to sign a document allowing the company to do a specific check. This can happen when you fill out a job application or submit a resume, or it can happen during the interview process.
Employers verify past employment in several ways. The most common is to use databases of company payroll records and Social Security numbers to find your past jobs. They may ask to speak to a human resources representative or manager at your past employer.
They usually verify the dates of your employment, job titles you held, eligibility for rehire, they may ask about number of hours you usually worked and salary, though that may be restricted information. Your job performance or reasons for leaving the job are not discussed.
Where jobs require credentials, employers verify that candidates meet their requirements and that your resume claims are true. They typically verify degrees earned or programs completed, professional credentials such as certifications and licensure, and dates of participation or completion.
An employer may require a drug test during the hiring process and after you're hired. They are used to determine if someone has recently consumed alcohol, prescription medication, or illegal drugs. Employers are allowed to make hiring and firing decisions based on these tests. However, if the substance found in the test is an authorized prescription medication, the employer can not discriminate.
Employers can use several types of drug tests:
- Pre-employment tests. An employer can decide to not make a job offer based on the results of a drug test given to a job candidate.
- Reasonable suspicion and for-cause tests. When an employee shows signs of not being fit for duty or has a documented pattern of unsafe work behavior, the employer can issue a drug test.
- Random tests. Employers might issue drug tests to all employees at unscheduled times. This discourages employees from using illegal drugs at any time.
- Post-accident tests. An employer may test employees who are involved in an accident or unsafe practice incident to find out if alcohol or other drug use was a factor.
Each employer has its own policies regarding drug testing. You will know if a drug test is part of the hiring process. After hire, the company will give you a copy of their employee drug policies.
For some jobs, especially those in the financial industry, employers may check your financial history through a credit check..
They typically look at payment history for accounts, debts and bankruptcies, unpaid bills that have gone to collections, and history of employment, where noted.
It’s always a good idea to pre-check your credit history by ordering a free copy of your credit report. That way, you can fix any mistakes before an employer sees it—or you can be prepared to answer questions if you do have an issue in your credit history. Get your free credit report at www.annualcreditreport.com or 1-877-322-8228. This is a free service and you do not have to buy any products that they offer.
If you do see a mistake on your credit report, take action immediately. Learn how to dispute errors on your credit report from the Federal Trade Commission.
For jobs that require driving or using a company vehicle, motor vehicle records may be verified. They usually verify your driver’s license status, any moving violations you may have, history of any car accidents, and DUI convictions.
