What Happens After A Background Check For A Job

If you lot've e'er filled out an application for an flat, y'all've probably been subject to a background and credit cheque. A potential landlord, understandably so, wants to brand sure he's not going to finish upwards chasing down his rent coin, and so he does his due diligence by calling references and checking your credit score. By learning about your by payment history and hearing what previous building owners have to say about you lot, he tin can determine whether you're going to be a responsible tenant.

An employment background cheque is quite similar when you think about it. Once you've practical for the task, gone through the interview process, and submitted a listing of professional references, you may be told that a groundwork check is the next (and typically final) step. If you laissez passer that, and we'll get into what "passing" means soon, and then that'south usually when you lot can look to receive an offering.

Considering a visitor that does background checks most often employs a third party, it'southward unlikely that an organisation is going to initiate this step unless it's pretty certain y'all're the all-time person for the task. Congrats—y'all're and then close to landing this chore.

So, What Happens Between Now and That Outset Day at Work?

Along with fact checking your educational activity and work history, the background check pulls up criminal records. (Oh, and when there's a urine exam involved, you can bet y'all're beingness drug tested—simply you probably figured that 1 out on your ain.) However, another thing that near people don't realize is that your credit history and score might also get assessed.

Now, assuming you've been truthful about your previous employment and where you lot obtained your degrees or other certifications and when, yous've petty reason to be concerned.

What Happens if You Take a Bad Record or Bad Credit?

Obviously, if you accept any kind of criminal tape—be information technology a misdemeanor when you were a senior in loftier school or a revenue enhancement fraud charge five years agone—y'all may be understandably anxious. However, depending on the task description and the criminal charge, an employer could be in trouble if it automatically rejects y'all every bit a potential rent based on a certain confidence or record of arrest. This is co-ordinate to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and you'd practise well to review your rights if y'all're concerned about a blemish on your criminal record. With that said, because recreational drugs, such as marijuana, are nonetheless illegal in most of the United States, if you fail a drug examination and detect yourself waiting effectually for an offer that never surfaces, well, at that place's probably not much you tin do about that.

If you feel confident about breezing through the criminal cheque portion as well every bit the drug test, only are concerned about the repercussions of bad credit history, there're a couple of things to go along in mind. For example, the purpose of this part: A prospective employer'southward looking to hire a responsible person, so if it finds that you have messed upwards credit and insane debt, information technology might make up one's mind that y'all're not fit for the job, even if the position in question isn't direct related to money management. Fair? Not always. Merely something that you're judged on? Unfortunately yes.

Is There a Way to Relieve Bad Results?

For starters, know your credit ranking and do your all-time to make up one's mind if it's authentic. If you're over-the-moon about a job and are at the employment background check stage of the process, perhaps you can endeavour speaking upwards if something slightly unsavory is likely to pop up on your review. If you got your first credit menu the solar day you turned eighteen and had a two or three year learning menstruum where you totally mismanaged your money, y'all might talk most that every bit an educational experience and what you've washed to get on strong financial footing. Honesty can mean big things for your professional advancement. That mortgage payment you defaulted on with the partner that yous lived with soon after college? Surely, you learned a lot of lessons there; can you find a way to spin the story so that it demonstrates your problem-solving skills?

Read and observe the job situation and the hiring manager's explanation of the background check. Educate yourself as much every bit you tin about this adjacent step in the process. Some large corporations may simply be ruling out anyone with a felony, or they may just really want to make certain y'all graduated cum laude from Dartmouth in 2013. Try to go a sense of how upfront and direct you should be about any little misstep that's likely to prove upward.

Knowing your rights as well as your potential employer's main concerns is a role of the chore search process, even if information technology feels less intuitive than interviewing. If you're fortunate enough to get all the way to this indicate, information technology'd be a shame to get knocked out of the running for something that can easily be discussed in a frank conversation. And actually, if the arrangement is investing in the groundwork bank check, chances are extremely loftier that it wants to rent y'all and so endeavor not to freak out most the standard procedure. You made information technology through the tough part; be confident that you lot can survive a little fact-checking.

Stacey Lastoe started writing brusque stories in the second grade and is immensely grateful to have the opportunity to write and edit professionally. Her piece of work has appeared in YouBeauty, Refinery29, A Practical Wedding, Runner'southward World online, and The Billfold among other publications. She enjoys running and eating in equal measure and lives with her married man and domestic dog in Brooklyn. All iii of them are avid New York Mets fans. Say hello on @stacespeaks.