Initiate a Background Check for a Candidate

ClearCompany integrates with several of the most trusted background check providers and supports full workflow automation. Background checks can be launched during the offer letter stage and can change hiring workflows based on the order completion status. Users with the Background Check permission can initiate and view the status and results of background checks directly from a candidate's profile. To learn more about setting up a background check integration, reach out to ClearCompany.

In this article:
Initiate a Background Check
Summary of the Background Check Process
Order Statuses
Receiving and Viewing Results
FAQs

Initiate a Background Check

  Before a user can initiate a background check, they must first be assigned the Background Check user permission. Check out how to update user permissions. 

1. To initiate a background check on a candidate, navigate to their candidate profile.

2. Then, open the Actions drop-down and select Background Checks by ClearCompany or 3rd Party Background Checks. 

   

3. On the Start a Background Check page, select which packages you wish to run for this particular candidate.
4. Optional: Select if you want to notify a ClearCompany user and/or have the candidate's workflow stage updated once the background check is completed.

   • The availability of these settings is dependent on your service provider. If you do not see these settings when placing your order, then they are not supported by your provider.

     

5. Once a background check has been initiated, the candidate will receive an email from your integrated provider with instructions on how to complete their check. The exact candidate requirements will depend on the type of check ordered and the background check provider you have chosen. 

Order Statuses

As candidates move through the background check process, the status of their check(s) can be viewed by navigating to the Background Checks section of the candidate profile. For some background check providers, the status of the checks can be refreshed by clicking the refresh icon next to the order status. 

To increase efficiency and organization, automation can be applied to your hiring workflows, allowing the candidate's workflow status to update according to the current state of the background check. For this workflow automation purpose, ClearCompany has categorized background check result statuses into the following macro-categories: Pending, Complete-Clear, Complete-Needs Review, and Completed. 

Status Definitions:

Pending	The background check is pending completion.
Completed-Clear	The background check has been completed and nothing in the results indicates that the background check should be reviewed by the requester.
Completed-Needs Review	The background check has been completed and results should be reviewed by the requester.
Completed	The background check has been completed.

Review this article to learn which categories are supported for your specific provider. Then, use this article to customize your own workflow automation rules.

Receiving and Viewing Results

Background check results are sent to either the recruiter who initiated the check, the main point of contact at your organization that your provider set up, or both.

Completed background check results are also available on the candidate profile under the Background Check section. In order to view a completed background check, the user must be assigned the Background Check permission on their account.

FAQs

What if I don't see a package option that I want or need?

If you want to add additional background check packages, please reach out to your background check provider.

What permissions are needed to view background check results? Can this access be customized?

The background check permission provides users with the ability to initiate and view completed background checks for candidates. This permission can be assigned to Recruiters or Hiring Manager users to provide the ability to start/send a check.

Limiting the visibility of completed background check results is only available for hiring manager users, as Recruiters will always have access to results. This hiring manager's visibility is controlled by a backend account setting that enables or disables all hiring managers from seeing order results for all candidates. Please reach out to ClearCompany to confirm or change your organization's current settings.

Where can I find my background check results? Are they only in ClearCompany?

The results of completed background checks are provided through a link found in the Background Check section of a candidate profile. Check results are also retained in your background check provider's system.