How fast do background checks take

This guide includes actionable steps to:. We are excited to introduce new series called "Behind the Scout. In the perfect world for an HR team, you'd have every position filled, a clear schedule sent out on time, employees What You Need To Know.

Grab this guide to walk you through picking a new one that's right for you. More Articles by Topic:. Delays will impact the talent acquisition process such as: Sorting through your pool of candidates and setting up interviews.

Scheduling on-boarding and avoid the need to push training sessions back. Time for a new background check company? These are some of the causes of delays that we encounter most frequently: Candidate Authorization A vendor must receive authorization from a candidate before they can complete a background check. Verifications Verifications regarding background checks most often refer to education and employment verifications.

If an applicant has worked for a smaller employer in the past, verification can only be obtained by: Reaching out to the employer individually Obtaining past W2 forms from the candidate This kind of manual verification takes much longer than the automated process offered by larger companies. However, there are certain steps you can take to minimize delays as the employer and speed up the screening process: Set a time limit on the authorization process: As a recruiter, you should inform your candidates to complete the authorization process as soon as possible.

Push applicants to take the required drug tests : Find a background check vendor that will remind the applicant daily to visit the drug testing clinic. Follow up with drug testing clinics : You or a vendor should always follow up with the drug testing clinic within three days of a test. This way, you can understand what is causing any delays for the screening. Communicate court record delays : Let candidates know that the acquisition of court records may be delayed even if they seek other opportunities.

Provide honest updates on their background check and offer revised TATs when they become available. Your background check vendor should be providing you with proactive updates. This will help ensure that they are doing the work to keep the verification process moving swiftly along. This way, you can rest assured and choose the right person for the job. Our team at ScoutLogic follows all of the steps listed above to speed the background check process and bring on the ideal members to your team.

Conclusion Background checks are an essential part of the recruiting process. Footer: ScoutLogic is not a law firm. Looking for a Better Background Check Company? Start by preparing with this free guide Download this free guide to go into the searching process prepared.

Related Articles. Read More. Since , LinkedIn has been the premier networking website for professionals. The site is crawling with high-profile Background Checks Why ScoutLogic? However, a background check may take longer for a variety of reasons including the following: HireRight has difficulty establishing contact with your former employers or educational institutions.

In such cases, HireRight may ask you to supply a W-2 or additional information to help substantiate the information in your application or resume. Having this documentation handy and providing it quickly will help speed up the process. Courts can be backlogged or closed for a holiday, which can increase the time it takes for a criminal records check to be completed. If your background history includes information outside of the United States, specific releases or other documentation may be needed in order to facilitate the search requested.

Top Secret background checks are more thorough and frequently take twice as long as standard background checks. Top Secret background checks typically take four to eight months but have been known to take up to a year in certain circumstances. If you have:. The federal government has historically struggled with significant background check backlogs, adding additional time to the clock.

These checks can include verifications of the following pieces of information:. In most cases, verification checks have a turnaround time of about days. However, these checks can take longer. In the case of verification checks, the process involves contacting a specific person or office. If the offices at a business or university are closed for a holiday, for example, it can also add time.

If a person has filed for bankruptcy, the information should be recorded in U. A search of these court files typically takes days. As previously mentioned, backgroundchecks. Through our searches, we can typically collect this data for employers instantly. On all our products, you will see a timeframe estimate. If you have any questions about turnaround times, you can also contact us directly.

As we have already noted, estimates on the number of days to complete a pre-employment background investigation are just that: estimates. While the team at backgroundchecks. Here are just a few of the factors that can cause delays.

Indeed, employers and employees alike both have reasons to want these checks processed quickly. However, if given the option between a quick screening and a thorough one, the latter option is always preferable. For this reason, employers need to choose the right company for pre-employment vetting processes.

The ideal investigation company will be able to offer a range of options for checks and timetables, will be forthright about processing times, and will be ready to activate its systems to deliver a service that is timely and thorough. Having the option of instant checks is vital for employers on a strict timetable and a need to speed up the process. While we offer instant searches, we also have on-the-ground court runners to send to specific courthouses to conduct in-person criminal searches.

Since county courts are where most criminal cases are filed, employers must have the option of live courtroom searches as part of their candidate information screening. We offer a wide variety of screening services, many of which go beyond just criminal history. Employers can work with us to expand their checks to include resume verifications, civil court searches, driving record searches, and more. How long it takes an employer to get a pre-employment background check report back will vary depending on the type of checks the employer wishes to run—among other variables.

However, as we have already explored, several variables can delay a check. Perhaps you requested an international search, or maybe you merely submitted the check request right before a major U. Sometimes, job seekers can feel left in the dark about the outcome of their background information checks. The FCRA dictates that an employer must notify an applicant and obtain their consent to conduct a pre-employment screening.

It also states that an employer must notify the candidate in writing if it wishes to disqualify the candidate based on criminal history or some other form of information found during the vetting process. Some services require phone interviews. Those include education and employment verification as well as reference checks. How long each of these services takes also depends on a few other factors. The average we have been able to achieve for the most common verifications is listed below.

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