What goes into a pre-employment background screening? Whether a background check is done online or over the phone, every background check consists of ten parts – some of which may be more relevant to a particular position than others. While almost all parts are used to verify the information given by the candidate during the interview and on his or her resume, other parts are to investigate if a candidate has a criminal background or a history of bad credit. While poor credit doesn’t necessarily determine whether all candidates are hired, it can be a determining factor for those applying for financial, executive, and government positions. The parts of a standard pre-employment background check include:
- AIM, or Address Information Manager. This part of a background check is to verify the residence of the candidate, as well as other past addresses he or she has had, although the report only produces the cities of his or her residence, not the actual addresses.
- Court Search Record. To see whether a candidate has a criminal background, including misdemeanors, this part of the background check produces a list of all the court cases, charges, and outcomes for this candidate.
- COPS, or Criminal Offender Profile Summary. While different from a court search record, this aspect of a background check narrows down any locations and courts for other criminal offenses that the candidate has had in his or her past.
- Sex Offender Search. A background check can determine if this candidate is on the list of registered sex offenders.
- Employment History. A list is produced in a background check of all the places a candidate has worked, as well as the position held, dates of employment, and salary.
- Education. Similar to employment history, an educational check verifies the school attended, major, if a candidate graduated, and type of degree earned, as well as years of study.
- Driving Record. This section of a background check has all license information and if the candidate has had any violations, such as a DUI or other driving offense.
- Social Security Number Verification. If any changes were done to your security number, that information would show up in this section of a background check.
- Credit Report. Aside from your credit report, this section of a background check would list your credit history, including bankruptcy, loan payments, amount of outstanding loan or credit card debt, and any other negative influences on your credit report.
- Professional Reference Check. As submitting a list of three references is standard for a job application, all information from checking a reference and asking questions would be listed in this last section.
While employment can be denied due certain aspects in a background check, such as a criminal background or inaccurate education history, other aspects, such as credit history, can be disputed if denial of employment is solely based on this section of a background check.