How much Time is Required for completing Pre-employment Background Checks?

Recruitment process of a company includes finding and selecting the appropriate candidate for right job positions. It is necessary for companies to ensure safety and discipline at workplaces. Therefore the behavior and character of the candidate are to be checked before he joins the organization. Pre-employment background check is hence implemented by employers these days. Most of the employers hire private investigators to conduct pre-employment background checks.

Criminal records, educational records, past employment records, medical records, and others are checked in pre-employment background checks. The time taken for completing these checks vary from company to company. It is based on the breadth and depth of the background check. It generally takes one to three days for completing the process. The most common reason for the delay is a mistake on the electronic or written form, requesting the background check. In addition, there are several other reasons for slowing the process of pre-employment background checks.

For example, it takes a lot of time for employment history and education verification. This is because employer and school verification policies are varied for various institutions, the response time also varies. A mailed request along with the applicant's signed release are preferred for verification by some employers and schools.

Criminal records are also verified as a part of pre-employment background checks. This may also take long time if any criminal record name match is found. Court clerical workload, different court policies, and required record availability may be some of the reasons for delay in getting the required information. Thus, pre-employment background checks can take from one week to one month.