No matter who you are, you’re likely familiar with what a background check is and why it would need to be performed in various situations. For example, employers may want to conduct a background check before hiring a candidate to verify their identity and check their criminal history. This helps them to make informed decisions about who they select and to justify hiring decisions.
However, even though you may be familiar with background checks, there’s a lot that you may or may not know about them as well. Here are three facts about background checks:
- Federal law requires them for those who work with children. If an individual is applying for a position where they will work with children, they must undergo a criminal background check, as required by the National Child Protection Act. This act, which was passed in 1993, established a national criminal history background check system. A designated agency in each state must report child abuse crime information to the system.
- Not all background checks are for checking criminal history. In addition to uncovering an individual’s criminal history, background checks exist to examine people’s driving records, credit, and professional licenses or education, as well as for drug screening.
- North Carolina doesn’t have a limit on the “lookback period”- Some states have a “lookback period” that prevents employers from considering any criminal convictions prior to a certain date. A seven-year lookback period is common. In North Carolina, there are no limits on the lookback period, so an employer can consider a candidate’s convictions, including felonies, no matter how long ago they occurred.