What does the background check in the United States check?

In the past two years, I have received many offers and conducted many background checks. However, I am still wary every time I do a background check. Although there is nothing shady, I don’t know what tricks they will do, which makes people very uneasy. After all, I don’t want the offer I got after working hard to interview to end up with a negative review.

Although the back adjustment was successful every time, this uncertainty made me want to take the time to study it. This time, I just had some free time between jobs, so I specially sorted out and studied the back adjustment.

Background check timing

Different companies have different background check methods. Some are done after accepting an offer, some are done after passing the interview and before making an offer. Some are done by the company itself, and some are outsourced to third-party companies. Although the methods are different, the basic things investigated are the same.

Investigation content

Company self-investigation

In most cases, a reference check is used. You mainly provide the contact information of your previous colleagues and managers in the company, and HR makes an appointment with them to chat. They mainly ask about your situation, confirm that your previous work content and information are true, and ask for their suggestions and opinions on you and the position.

Try to find colleagues and managers you are familiar with for this background check. It does not necessarily have to be a team or direct manager. It can be someone in the company with whom you can get along well. This will ensure that the other party can treat the background check fairly.

Before submitting your contact information, it is best to contact them first to ensure that they have time and are willing to conduct a reference check. If the other party is tight on time, the background check may be delayed.

outsourcing investigation

This form is the most common. Companies will outsource background checks to third-party companies, among which HireRight is the most common. A typical background check will include:

criminal record

This is a system that is networked across the country. It looks at your previous criminal records and divides them into national and local. The local records will be queried from all your addresses. For example, if you have lived in 10 cities, they will be retrieved from 10 cities respectively. (This is also why Americans generally do not take action, and fights are also recorded, which will affect every job search)

A more interesting report here is the National Sex Offender Registry, which includes various sexual assault records and will always follow you. Moreover, this report is internationally connected, so if Wu enters the United States, there will be a record immediately.

work history

Only the work records you provided will be investigated here, and work records you did not provide will not be investigated. Moreover, many companies are actually connected to the Internet. Basically, you can immediately know whether you have worked for the company without calling the company.

HireRight will be more strict. If there is a gap between jobs after graduation, you need to provide a reason (such as going out to play or something). I have not encountered other recruitment companies that will take care of your gap.

education records

It’s similar to the above. If it’s a non-American degree, it may take some time to investigate. Since the United States is connected to the Internet, you can just check the database directly.

Other (SSN)

This is mainly based on your SSN to investigate other information, including address, other criminal-related information, and court records (divided into federal and regional).

Let’s talk about address information here. Many international students like to post their addresses for various reasons. In fact, it is very bad. When you do a background check, you will be asked to fill in your address. If you remember it, it’s fine. If you don’t, it will be a headache. Especially if you clearly live in A and your address is listed in B, and then at the same time you have part of your record in A and part of it in B, it is very troublesome. Therefore, there is no need to post your address everywhere.

Q&A

Will the background check look into work/school experience that I didn’t provide?

Won't

Will there be a problem if my resume is different from the company and position I provided the background check for?

Not necessarily, but the company and position will be shown in your background check. If HR thinks there is no problem, then there is no problem. If they think you are cheating, then the problem is very serious. Not only will the offer be cancelled, but you may also be blacklisted.

Will the job description on my resume be subject to a background check?

There will be a reference check, and outsourced background checks rarely check the work content, but there are also company requirements.

How long does a background check usually take?

Normally it takes 3-5 days. If your experience is all in the United States and it is a large company/school, it may be done in 1 day, and they will retrieve it directly from the database. If it is an overseas experience, it may take longer because a letter needs to be sent for verification.

Will it be suspended if there are some bad records?

Not necessarily, the company has company standards, some are red flags, some are not. If you have some records, it is best to communicate with HR in advance.