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What Shows Up on a Background Check?

PSI Team | Uncategorized

Almost every job in the United States requires a background check before they hire anyone. This helps protect the business from bad hires and keeps current employees safe from anyone who shouldn’t work there. But it can be confusing to know what shows up on a background check unless you’ve seen one before. To give you an idea, here is a list of the most common information that’s included on background checks.

Current and Past Employment

Your employment records are very easy to access if someone requests them. This is because most companies share previous and current employment status as a gesture of good faith—even though there is no legal reason for doing so. However, these records only include whether you worked at a specific company and usually do not include any other information.

Education Level

It’s common for your education level to show up on a background check. This will confirm what your highest education degree is, from GED to a doctor. It’s important that this matches anything you put on your resume.

Criminal Records

Another common result of a background check is your criminal record. This may include misdemeanor and felony convictions and arrest records in the past 7 years. In some states, reporting of criminal history may be restricted by classification or to a certain period, so the amount and type of information can vary. Additionally, your prospective employer may only request that certain record information be provided. In either case, this information won’t necessarily disqualify you for many jobs, and if you explain the record before the results come back, the employer may be understanding.

Credit

Sometimes, a background check will include a credit report with it in order to tell your potential employers about your financial situation. This is typically only requested for positions related to handling finances or secure data.

License Records

The last thing that can frequently come up on a background check is your driving record. Accidents or the lack of a license may become apparent on a background check, though they aren’t major issues for most jobs.

This is what shows up on a background check most frequently. However, there are plenty of times when some other information will also show up, or some information might be missing. The only way to really know what is on your background check is to run one on yourself using a professional background search service.