快速浏览背景调查情况会发现有许多不同类型的背景调查。每种类型的背景调查都会发现有些不同的个人背景信息。对于雇主和求职者来说，了解每种背景调查中包含哪些类型的信息以及如何使用这些信息非常重要。
就业背景调查中发现的信息高度敏感，并受到严格的隐私保护法规的约束。与雇用决定相关的背景调查的使用也受联邦 公平信用报告法 (FCRA)和平等就业机会委员会 (EEOC) 规定的要求的 约束。此信息的共享和保留也可能受其他州和地方准则的约束。
许多雇主和求职者想知道背景调查中包含哪些信息，因此我们汇总了以下常见问题的答案：
犯罪历史背景调查会显示什么？
几乎所有背景调查都包括犯罪历史调查，基于候选人提供的信息，包括他们的社会安全号码。犯罪背景调查将揭示重罪和轻罪刑事定罪、任何未决刑事案件以及任何成年监禁的历史。逮捕未决起诉也可能会被报告。未导致定罪的逮捕可能会出现在一些背景调查中；GoodHire 在其筛选中排除他们以符合 EEOC 指南。
由法院封存的少年定罪和拘留记录通常不会出现在这些搜查中，但所有其他刑事定罪可能会出现，除非它们发生在禁止在一段时间后披露定罪的州。加利福尼亚州、堪萨斯州、马萨诸塞州、马里兰州、蒙大拿州、新罕布什尔州、纽约州和华盛顿州禁止披露超过 7 年的定罪。夏威夷禁止在重罪七年后和轻罪五年后披露定罪 [2020 年 9 月 21 日更新]。（详细了解背景调查的追溯时间，或查看您所在州的特定背景调查法律。）
就业前背景调查显示什么？
就业前背景调查通常包括犯罪背景调查，以及过去就业、教育和专业执照信息的验证。
根据所考虑工作的性质，雇主可以指定招聘前筛选会搜索候选人的驾驶记录。作为就业前筛选过程的一部分，雇主还可能要求申请人提交药物测试。许多涉及机动车辆、危险或精密设备操作的工作和/或任何需要对公众、客户或同事的安全负责的工作都需要进行就业前药物筛查。在背景调查完整指南中了解更多信息。
州和联邦法律限制了一些可以在就业背景调查中报告的内容：
如果候选人正在考虑从事年薪低于 75,000 美元的工作，则有关民事判决、政府制裁和与任何专业执照相关的纪律措施的信息 将不会 出现在背景调查结果中。
但是，如果一个空缺职位的薪水为 75,000 美元或更多，则该信息可能会出现在您的结果中，即使它超过七年。
指纹背景检查包括什么？
“指纹背景检查”是一个包罗万象的术语。顾名思义，它涉及使用候选人的指纹以及其他个人信息来定位历史信息。指纹搜索的优点是可以确定与给定指纹集相关的所有记录都属于所讨论的个人。
指纹搜索的精确性质可能会有所不同，具体取决于雇主要求的信息类型和筛查公司使用的数据库。通常，指纹检查涉及使用 FBI 犯罪记录数据库，但可以搜索其他较小的自动指纹识别系统 (AFIS) 数据库系统来代替或补充 FBI 系统。
FBI背景调查包括什么？
FBI 级别的背景调查通常用于筛选与联邦政府机构和与他们合作并为他们工作的公司的候选人，它会发现候选人可能与向 FBI 数据库提供犯罪数据的执法机构进行的任何互动。除了定罪之外，这可能包括逮捕（即使是那些没有导致起诉或定罪的人）、交通违规，甚至是停车罚单。
申请人必须提交由公认的执法机构进行指纹识别，并且他们的指纹会根据 FBI 的集成自动指纹识别系统 (IAFIS) 进行检查，该系统是由执法机构、移民官员甚至过去的就业筛查编制的庞大的计算机化指纹存储库。IACIS 数据库将个人数据与在刑事和非刑事案件中收集的指纹联系起来。
指纹还与国家犯罪信息中心 (NCIC)数据库进行核对，该数据库是犯罪历史信息和通缉犯数据的庞大汇编；并针对性犯罪者和恐怖分子的数据库。
近年来，联邦调查局的背景调查受到了一些审查，理由是局数据库并不总是完整的，而且它们包含的记录可能会在涉及少数族裔求职者的情况下产生不同的影响。
通过 FBI 背景调查与获得安全许可不同。背景调查可能是该过程的第一步，但安全审查通常涉及更广泛的研究，包括采访对象和其他熟悉他或她的人。
2 级背景调查包括哪些内容？
2 级背景检查是一种特殊类型的指纹背景检查，通常针对涉及与弱势群体（例如儿童、残疾人和老年人）一起工作的工作的候选人进行。学校、日托中心和老年中心的志愿者职位以及有偿人员通常也需要进行 2 级检查。寻求收养或成为养父母的成年人也经常需要它们。
2 级背景筛选检查申请人与针对儿童和其他弱势群体的暴力行为和犯罪相关的逮捕、定罪和监禁信息数据库。二级检查甚至会发现已被法院封存的相关记录，包括少年定罪和拘留。
What do a background check show? Because background checks can reveal highly sensitive information, both employers and job candidates should understand what is included in each type of background check and how that information can legally be used.
We answer the most frequently asked questions about what appears on different kinds of background checks, including employment background checks, criminal background checks, fingerprint background checks, and Level 2 background checks.
A quick scan of the background check landscape reveals that there are many different types of background checks. Each type of background check uncovers somewhat different personal background information. It’s important for both employers and job candidates to understand what kind of information is included in each type of background check, and how that information can be used.
Information uncovered in employment background checks is highly sensitive and subject to strict privacy-protection regulations. The use of background checks in connection with hiring decisions is also subject to the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and requirements specified by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The sharing and retention of this information also may be subject to additional state and local guidelines.
Many employers and job candidates want to know what information is included in a background check, so we’ve compiled answers to the following common questions:
What shows up on a criminal history background check?
Nearly all background checks include a criminal-history check, based on information supplied by the candidate, including their Social Security number. Criminal background checks will reveal felony and misdemeanor criminal convictions, any pending criminal cases, and any history of incarceration as an adult. Arrests pending prosecution may also be reported. Arrests that did not lead to convictions may appear in some background checks; GoodHire excludes them in its screenings to conform to EEOC guidelines.
Records of juvenile convictions and detention that have been sealed by a court typically do not appear in these searches, but all other criminal convictions may appear, unless they occurred in a state that forbids disclosure of convictions after a certain period of time. Disclosure of convictions more than seven years old is forbidden in California, Kansas, Massachusetts, Maryland, Montana, New Hampshire, New York and Washington. Hawaii forbids disclosure of convictions after seven years for felonies and five years for misdemeanors [updated 9/21/2020]. (Learn more about how far back a background check goes, or see your state’s specific background check laws.)
What shows up on a pre-employment background check?
Pre-employment background checks typically include criminal-background checks, plus verification of information on past employment, education, and professional licenses.
Depending on the nature of the job under consideration, employers may specify that pre-hiring screenings search candidates’ driving records. Employers may also require applicants to submit to drug testing as part of the pre-employment screening process. Pre-employment drug screening is required for many jobs that involve operation of motor vehicles, hazardous or delicate equipment, and/or in any role entailing responsibility for the safety of the public, customers, or fellow employees. Learn more in the Complete Guide to Background Checks.
State and federal laws limit some of what can be reported on employment background checks:
If a candidate is under consideration for a job that pays less than $75,000 annually, information on civil judgments, government sanctions, and disciplinary measures related to any professional licenses will not appear in background check results.
However, if the salary for an open position is $75,000 or more, that information may appear in your results, even if it’s older than seven years.
What does a fingerprint background check include?
“Fingerprint background check” is something of a catch-all term. As its name indicates, it involves the use of a candidate’s fingerprints in addition to other personal information to locate historical information. The advantage of a fingerprint search is certainty that all records associated with a given set of prints belong to the individual in question.
The precise nature of a fingerprint search can vary, depending on the type of information requested by the employer and the databases used by the screening company. Typically, a fingerprint check involves using the FBI criminal-records database, but other, smaller Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) database systems may be searched instead of, or in addition to, the FBI system.
What does an FBI background check consist of?
Often used to screen candidates for jobs with federal government agencies and companies that work with and for them, an FBI-level background check uncovers any and every interaction a candidate may have had with law enforcement agencies that provide their criminal data to the FBI database. In addition to convictions, this may include arrests (even those that did not lead to indictment or conviction), traffic violations, and even parking tickets.
Applicants must submit to fingerprinting by a recognized law enforcement agency, and their prints are checked against the FBI’s Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS), a vast computerized repository of fingerprints compiled by law enforcement agencies, immigration officials, and even past employment screenings. The IACIS database links personal data to fingerprints collected in both criminal and non-criminal matters.
Fingerprints are also checked against the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database, a huge compilation of criminal-history information and data on wanted criminals; and against databases of sex offenders and terrorists.
FBI background checks have come under some scrutiny in recent years, on grounds that bureau databases are not always complete, and because the records they contain may create disparate impacts in instances involving minority job applicants.
Passing an FBI background check is not the same as obtaining a security clearance. A background check may be a first step in the process, but security clearance typically involves a much more extensive research, including interviews with the subject and others who know him or her well.
What does a Level 2 background check include?
A Level 2 background check is a specialized type of fingerprint background check typically performed on candidates for jobs that involve working with vulnerable persons, such as children, people with disabilities, and seniors. Level 2 checks are also often required for volunteer positions at schools, daycares, and senior centers as well as for paid personnel. They are also often required for adults seeking to adopt or become foster parents.
A Level 2 background screen checks applicants against databases of information on arrests, convictions, and incarceration related to violent behavior and crimes against children and other vulnerable persons. A Level 2 check will even uncover relevant records that have been sealed by courts, including juvenile convictions and detention.
