Employment Background Screening, When you're ready to secure the future of a job candidate, why does a background check take so long? An employment background check is usually a good sign! If your background check is taking longer than three to five days, here are a few reasons why it might be delayed: The most common reason for a delay is inaccurate or incomplete check request forms, or failure by the employer to have the necessary authorization and release forms signed by a job applicant, which are required by federal law. If it has been longer than two weeks, there may be an issue with your background check. To reduce the likelihood of mistakes during the process, the background check company may verify and double verify to ensure the information is an exact match and factual. Incomplete forms may result in the background check request being sent back for more information… As a matter of fact you can usually count on them being finished in less than five business days. First, be as organized as possible … ZipTip: if your resume isn’t earning you the results you want, check out Zipjob’s professional resume writing services. While it seems like it could be the screening company that's holding up the background check, the time delay may begin early in the hiring process. Either way, a background check seems like necessary evil. You would then contact the screening company and ask for a re-investigation of your results. You may not even receive a notification that you passed the background check – you may just receive an offer. - Without an idea of what's included in a basic background check or which background checks are required for certain jobs, a hiring manager may simply request all screens. Lying about your education is a serious offense that could get you in trouble so ensure that the education section of your resume is accurate and up to date. However, there are a few factors that can make that process longer, or delay you from hearing about the results. We wrote a good post here on bad credit and how it can affect your job search. © 2004-2020 VeriFirst® Background Screening, LLC. You can then contact the employer with the updated report. A pre-employment background check usually takes two to five business days. To speed up the background check process, work closely with the screening company, ask lots of questions and suggestions for a faster turnaround. Fortunately, the most common reasons for a delayed turnaround can be resolved at the employer. If you feel your background check is taking too long, however, then your applicants probably feel similarly. Does A Background Check Mean You’re Getting Hired? Reduce Turnaround Time with a Free Online Applicant Portal. We’ll cover exactly how long it takes for a background check to come back. It could take up to 30 days for some higher level government positions like the FBI. A pre-employment background check usually takes two to five business days.