To make timely and informed hiring decisions, employers rely on reasonable and efficient turnaround times for their background screening requests.
Despite these expectations, when a background check is conducted manually without professional support or with an underqualified screening provider, it’s possible to encounter significant delays during the background screening process. Whether this is due to missing or inaccurate information, issues accessing court records, or delayed responses from past employers, it’s important to understand why these delays occur and how to avoid them.
In this article, we’ll explore the top reasons why a background check is delayed and what your organization can do to minimize delays and ensure consistent, accurate results in your background screening processes.
Missing or Inaccurate Information About a Candidate
One simple but common reason for a delayed background screening result is missing or inaccurate information about a candidate. Whether it’s a misspelled name, an inaccurate date of birth, or one incorrect digit in a manually-entered social security number, these issues can create a range of larger problems and delays. Missing or inaccurate information can lead to delays as the consumer reporting agency (CRA) attempts to confirm information with the employer, sometimes requiring full resubmission of the background screening request to ensure accuracy.
Issues with informational accuracy can lead to other issues like criminal records appearing for candidates without a criminal history, or not appearing at all for those with a criminal history – all due to initially inaccurate data entry. Of course, these same issues can impact education or employment verification processes or other screening types, as well, which is why it’s essential to double- or triple-check candidate details before submitting an official screening request.
Protection of Personal Data Regulations and Verifying Common Names
More states are increasing protections for consumer personal data, which minimizes the amount of private consumer information that is accessible to the public. These regulations can sometimes delay identity confirmation of a candidate in a hiring scenario. Especially when verifying for “common names” that may yield multiple record sets, researchers need access to a broader range of candidate information (from the employer, or sometimes court clerks) to acquire all of the information needed to confirm a candidate’s identity.
A qualified screening provider can work with your organization to ensure sufficient information is gathered from the candidate to mitigate the likelihood of delays due to common names or personal data restrictions.
Incomplete Consent or Authorization Forms: Local & State Requirements
As an employer, you or your background screening provider must also provide accurate and complete consent and authorization forms. Occasionally, criminal and driving record repositories at the state level require employers to submit additional or specialized forms before they will release information about a candidate. Without accurate submission of required local or state forms in specific jurisdictions, record requests and the screening process as a whole can be significantly delayed.
In general, background screening laws vary by jurisdiction, including at the county and state levels, which is why it’s important to work with a background screening provider that is accustomed to conducting screenings that must navigate multiple jurisdictions or adhere to a range of county, state, and federal regulations.
Delayed Access to Court Records – Automated or Manual
Some jurisdictions have streamlined and automated access to criminal records, allowing for relatively quick online access to this information using public access terminals (PATs). However, in some areas, this process is still completed manually, and often in a more time-consuming way that can lead to delayed results.
Some courts or state repositories are understaffed or have their own distinct processes for accessing and releasing records. For instance, some courts require snail mail submission of forms and others work only on select days to complete records requests.
A capable background screening provider should have extensive knowledge of the local and state jurisdictions where “mercy of the court” issues could cause delays. By understanding the specific forms required and the protocols of each jurisdiction (including processing availability), your provider should be able to help you minimize delays and access results as quickly as possible.
Delayed Responses from Former Employers or Educational Institutions
Beyond a criminal background screening, many employers also seek to verify a candidate’s past employment and educational credentials. Although this information is essential from the perspective of a prospective employer, former employers and educational institutions tend to deprioritize these requests, an issue that is even more pronounced when multiple credentials need to be verified, or during certain times of year (a summer break, an HR-intensive work period, or around a holiday, as just some examples).
A qualified screening provider should help your organization prepare for these potential issues and implement strategies to ensure requests are processed as efficiently as possible. They can also prevent simple but common mistakes like communicating with the wrong point of contact or reference. Sometimes, a direct phone call or multiple calls are necessary to ensure that the candidate has accurately listed information, that a reference is aware of what they are entitled to legally disclose, or to confirm a contact’s willingness to provide a reference.
Planning for Holidays, Closures, and Shifting Availability
A host of other factors can lead to delayed background screening results. Although circumstances like inclement weather or labor issues (county workers on strike, for instance) can impact screening turnaround times, it’s also best to implement best practices for submitting and planning records requests.
For instance, it’s advisable to submit any requests at the start of the business day or in alignment with a county court’s designated working hours. Similarly, screening requests should consider state and national holidays that could impact searches or records processing on particular days and in particular jurisdictions.
Expedite Background Screening with the Orsus Group
When a background check is delayed, it can majorly impact your hiring decisions, leading to issues with vetting, hiring, and onboarding top talent for your organization. The Orsus Group offers a team of experienced professionals who can help you navigate the complexities of the screening process to ensure accurate and timely results.
Ready to expedite background checks, minimize screening delays, and make informed hiring decisions for your organization? Contact us today to start the process.