What Shows Up On A Background Check? - ScoutLogic

A background check is the collection and inspection of public and private records by individuals or organizations. When looking for background check services, you need to make sure they are lawful and comply with FCRA regulations.

What comes up on a background check mainly depends on the type of check that is being requested. Specific examples include verifying:

Criminal records (federal, state, and county criminal records)

Searching for criminal records in the National Criminal Records Database shows whether applicants have committed a crime outside the state or county where they live and work.

The Statewide Criminal Records check uncovers felony or misdemeanor offenses by seeking the data from local court systems and law enforcement.

Hits usually appear if charges have been pressed against an individual or if they have been convicted of a crime. If a person has only been charged, the report will list the incidents as “charges” and not convictions. However, once someone has been convicted of the crime, their record shows up on background checks.

Credit history

Credit reports contain information concerning credit requests from past years. The report can identify retailers, financial institutions, or other customers that requested the candidate’s credit report.

Credit reports may uncover many potential warning signs when interviewing your new hire.

A credit report shows the person’s complete credit history, which includes:

• Payment history
• Tax liens
• Credit inquiries
• Unpaid bills
• Bankruptcies
• Civil judgments

Education history (high school, university, etc.)

Education background checks ensure that the candidate’s education credentials are legitimate.

The process includes contacting high schools, universities, colleges, or vocational schools to verify the person’s student status, determine when they attended the school, and the type of degree(s) obtained from those institutions.

Generally, education background checks can go back as far as they need to search for official records.

Employment history

This type of background check provides information about a candidate’s employment history through references from former employers, prospective employers, and supervisors.

Note that an employment verification cannot confirm self-employment, provide the person’s entire employment history, or include their actual salary information due to state restrictions. It can only report if there is a discrepancy between the amount reported and the exact figure.

Generally speaking, this information is available for the previous seven years but varies depending upon the background check source.

Drug testing

Employers are expected to ensure that employees are not abusing drugs which might negatively impact their performance at work. Drug testing is crucial because it allows employers to reduce risk in the workplace due to illicit drug use.

More employers are instituting drug testing as part of their hiring protocols in the current environment of increased drug use.