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What You Should Know When It Comes To Employment Background Checks

Written by: Tenant Screening Services, LLC

Many job applicants are concerned that pre employment checks, or background checks, are an invasion of their privacy. So, what exactly do these background checks entail? This article will provide a rough outline of what you can expect once an employee pulls your file.

Typically, there are two types of background checks. And, depending on the position that you’re applying for, you might have to consent to both of them.

Reference Check

This type of background check involves the company’s human resources department contacting the references that you listed on your application. What they’ll generally do is call your past employers through the numbers that you provided and confirm your dates of employment as well as the salary that you received during your tenure there.

Additionally, they may go ahead and inquire about your strengths and weaknesses that you displayed while on the job. Also, if you’re applying for a position that’s a pay grade higher than what you used to work at, they may ask what responsibilities and duties you were in charge of, to confirm that you’re a good match.

Criminal Background Check

Now, don’t mistake a criminal background check to be limited to only prior convictions or felonies. Depending on the company’s service that they use to perform the check, which could be a standard online employee background check, there could be a more thorough dig that includes your credit history, sex offender registry search, medical records, driving records, and others.

For instance, if your position involves dealing with large amounts of money, there may be a specific focus on your credit as well as if you were involved in any bankruptcies or embezzlement convictions. Another example is a program that works with younger children. They’ll likely check any sex offender registries to keep a safe environment. As stated previously, it’s up to the company to decide what they want to search for with these checks. However, due to the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, you have the right to dispute the report’s accuracy.

The Bottom Line

Applying to a job, you’re probably aware that you’ll need to consent to at least some sort of criminal background check, and possibly a reference check as well. A word of caution, be sure that your references are up-to-date and that your employment dates are accurately represented. The last thing that you’ll want is for a company to be interested only to find out that all of your references’ phones are disconnected.