你热爱这家公司，你对这份工作很兴奋，而且面试很顺利。下一步？背景调查。但这没问题——你知道这是招聘过程的一部分，毕竟，这需要多长时间？我们生活在数字时代，信息获取起来又快又容易。

但是一天过去了。然后另一个。你开始担心。信不信由你，你的潜在雇主希望这个过程和你一样快——背景筛选对你和招聘公司来说都是一次压力大的经历，而顺利的招聘过程对双方都有好处。所以，当这个过程被延迟或遇到一些障碍时，它会增加每个人的焦虑。

然而，延迟可能是由许多不同的事情造成的——其中许多与你的过去无关。

大部分信息尚未数字化

今天，信息以光速传播。我们都习惯于即时下载、即时信息传递以及连接整个世界的互联网，以至于很难想象有人手动翻阅纸质文档。

然而，这经常发生。很多时候，进行研究的人必须在现场实际搜索记录，或者他们依靠法院官员来查找所要求的信息。这些手动搜索会减慢整个发现过程。我们不要忘记天气也会对此产生影响——一场可怕的暴风雪或其他恶劣天气事件可能会关闭法院，甚至在检查过程开始之前就停止检查过程。

工作申请或订单上有错误

应用程序上的错误——例如不正确的社会安全号码、不准确的出生日期或拼写错误的名字或姓氏（或有关唯一标识符的其他错误）——可能会导致搜索过程中的不匹配。雇主可能需要与您联系，以仔细检查他提交的所有信息，以确保其准确 - 从姓名拼写到数字的所有信息。但是如果你 没有 犯任何错误呢？可能是雇主在订单本身上输入数据时出错。无论哪种方式，跟进以确保一切都正确可以使一切完全停止。

职位需要更全面的事实核查

如果您申请的是具有高安全等级的职位、医疗保健行业的职位或负责管理敏感财务信息的职位，您将需要进行更深入的筛选。快速的一次检查不会奏效。这些行业中的每一个都必须根据适当的法规和法律检查其背景的正确方面 - 并且找到这些信息可能需要更多时间。 

不要害怕提问

如果您担心该过程花费的时间太长，请联系您在招聘公司的联系人。他或她可能会回答您的问题，或者如果公司需要任何其他信息来完成流程，他或她可以让您知道。

But then a day passes. And then another. And you start to worry. Believe it or not, your potential employer wants this process done as quickly as you do – a background screening can be a stressful experience for both you and the hiring company, and a smooth hiring process benefits both parties. So, when the process is delayed or hits some bumps, it increases anxiety for everyone.

However, the delays could be caused by a number of different things – many of which have nothing to do with your past.

Much of the information hasn’t been digitized

Today, information moves at the speed of light. We’re all so used to instant downloads, immediate information delivery, and the Internet connecting the entire world that it’s hard to imagine anyone manually rifling through paper documents.

However, that’s often what happens. Many times, people doing the research have to be on-site to search records physically, or they rely on court officers to find the requested information. These manual searches slow down the entire discovery process. And let’s not forget that weather can affect this as well – an awful snowstorm or another severe weather incident could shut down a courthouse, stopping the checking process before it even starts.

There are mistakes on the job application or order form

Errors on the application – such as an incorrect social security number, inaccurate birthdate, or misspelled first or last name (or other mistakes regarding unique identifiers) – can cause mismatches during the search process. The employer may have to reach out to you to double-check all the information he submitted to make sure it’s accurate – everything from name spelling to numbers. But what if you didn’t make any mistakes? It could be the employer made an error inputting data on the order form itself. Either way, following up to make sure everything’s correct can grind everything to a complete halt.

The job position requires a more comprehensive fact check

If you’re applying for a position with a high-security rating, one in the Healthcare profession or one responsible for managing sensitive financial information, you’ll need a more in-depth screening. A quick once-over won’t do the trick. Each of these industries must have the right aspects of his or her background examined per the appropriate regulations and laws – and finding this information could take more time. 

Don’t be afraid to ask questions

If you’re concerned that the process is taking too long, reach out to your contact at the hiring company. He or she might be able to answer your questions or can let you know if the company needs any additional information to finish the process.