Get Answers to Your Background Screening Questions

Have questions about background screenings, compliance, or how S2Verify works? Our FAQ page provides clear, concise answers to help you confidently navigate the hiring process.

General Background Screening

What percentage of companies use background screening as part of their hiring process?
Which form of background checks do employers use most?

A domestic criminal background check, county, and federal jurisdictions is the most popular tool for employers. A close second is employment/education verification. Employers also frequently include drug screening in their screening process. We offer all of these options.
What info do I need from the applicant for an accurate background check?

Name and Date of Birth are the two most important pieces of information we need. Matching the full name of the applicant and their date of birth is the basic way of linking a criminal record to the individual. The social security number is also a very important piece of information. The SSN can be used in some limited criminal courts to assist with the search, but its main purpose is to establish a past address history. With this history, you will know where to order a county criminal search.
Where should I search?
What kind of records should I look for?
The answer to this question depends on a number of factors:

Which industry is your company a part of?

Are there any particular searches that are required by law in your state or industry?

What are the responsibilities of the position you are attempting to fill?

to assets, sensitive information, and customers?
How far back should I search?

Going back seven years is typically the standard for most industries. However, industries such as education, financial services, and healthcare may require you to go back further.

Different jurisdictions also determine what is legal in terms of how far you can go back into someone’s criminal history.
Why are charges not showing up when all we are running is the National Criminal Search?

The National Criminal Search is a real value because it includes the Sex Offenders Registry, Terrorist Watch List, and GSA/OIG sanctions, to name a few sources. By itself, however, it is not a comprehensive search of criminal convictions at the local level. S2Verify recommends that this search always be used in conjunction with county or state-wide search.
Which search should I use? State-wide or county?

While the processing of a Statewide search (versus a County Courthouse search) offers greater geographic coverage area, it must be recognized that State Central Repositories receive their criminal record information and updates from local law enforcements agencies, and the courts within that state. Therefore, a county search may be more current than a statewide search.

When considering a statewide search, you must take into account factors including coverage area, data integrity, record access requirements and turnaround time. We constantly evaluate these factors for each state and can educate you on which states a statewide search is advisable. That being said, there are several states that do not offer a statewide search capability or it is not recommended. When setting up your search package, an S2Verify associate will provide you with our best practice recommendations.

Drug Screening

How long will it take to get my results back for a drug test?
My drug test order has expired. Can you extend it for me?
Will I be charged for the new drug test order when replacing an expired order?
I am not getting the link for my Drug Test Scheduling. What do I do?

Contact us by phone or email. Our drug screening specialist can check to see if there are any behind-the-scenes issues. If no issues are found, then it could be your firewall blocking emails from your inbox. We can work out a temporary solution until you resolve the issue with your firewall.
My applicant is at the collection site and they are telling us we need an account number. What do I do?
What does Non-Contact Positive mean?

This means the applicant tested positive for a substance, but the Medical Review Office was unable to speak with them about what was found. If this happens, have the applicant call the Medical Review Officer at 303-757-4546 to confirm the findings. The MRO will determine whether or not a prescription caused a positive result. At this point, the result will either be downgraded to a Negative or upgraded to an absolute Positive.
My applicant was told they have a cold specimen. What is that?

This means the applicant may have tried to manipulate the system by using an old specimen. This specimen was brought into the collection site in hopes of being passed off as a fresh sample. When this happens, the collection site will give the applicant the chance to produce a fresh sample for them. If they can’t or won’t, then it is marked as a refusal to test. It will then be removed from their system.

Using Our System

How do I get started?

We recommend you contact us by phone at 1-855-671-1933 or get in touch with us through the Contacts tab of our website. An S2Verify associate will guide you through each step of the process. Not sure which searches you need to run? That’s not a problem. An S2Verify associate will educate you on what searches are a good fit for both your industry and the position you are trying to fill.
Will I be charged any extra fees when searching for county records?

Yes. When searching for county records, oftentimes there is a data access fee that the courthouse charges for access to their records. Whether using a 3rd party provider or dealing with the courthouse directly, you will incur this data access cost. These data access costs differ from county to county. The costs can be as low as $1 or as high as $65 for some counties in New York. You can negotiate a flat rate price to include fees, should you desire to do so.
Are there any other fees I should be aware of?

When an applicant can be identified by several different names, you will be charged for each alias. It is the equivalent of doing a search on different people. For example, a woman got married and took her husband’s last name. You may need to order a search on her current last name as well as her maiden name. You will be charged accordingly for each search. You can negotiate a flat rate price to include all aka’s, should you desire to do so.
“Why can’t I submit orders without the screen telling me that I have left fields incomplete? This didn’t use to happen!”

A permanent change has been made in the system for clients that only order an Instant National Criminal Search, in that it now requires the applicant’s email address be entered below the personal information. This is to ensure the applicant is receiving a copy of their report.
As the administrator for my account, what are my capabilities?
Can I have multiple users on my account?
Can I temporarily disable a user’s access to the system?
Does your system allow us to save the searches on our hard drive?
How can I customize the system to fit my needs?
How can I receive email notifications for completed searches?
How do I change my password, and is it case-sensitive?
How do I conduct a criminal search?
How do I set up to run MVR searches?
How do I print a report off your system?
How do I update my company’s billing and contact information?
How long can I continue to view my search results?
If I have numerous applicants to conduct criminal searches on, is there an easier way than submitting them one by one?

Swifthire may be an option. This is a way for applicants to enter their personal info themselves. We can discuss this option during account set up, or you can email customerservice@s2verify.com to enable SwiftHire on an existing account. You can also send us a batch file (Excel) to upload. The batch file is run and the results appear on your dashboard.
Why are court fees listed separately on the invoice?

Compliance

How can I make sure my screening process is 100% legal?

All companies must abide by Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), state laws, and EEOC guidelines. To help you maintain FCRA compliance, we can provide you with a sample consent form, sample release form, pre-adverse action letter, and adverse action letter. To guarantee compliance, make sure you look it over with your in-house counsel. Also, be aware of the state regulations that apply to your company. Lastly, follow the EEOC guidelines that help navigate Title VII of the Civil Right Act.
Where can I find the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)?
Where can I find EEOC guidelines?
At what point in the hiring process can I order a background check?

The answer to this question depends on the location of your company. You can order a background check at any point (as long as you’ve gotten consent from the applicant) in some cities/counties. On the other hand, some cities/counties don’t allow a background check until after a conditional offer has been issued to an applicant. These regulations are consistently changing, so we are always keeping an eye on new laws. Our blog is a great resource for staying up to date on new laws that will affect your company.
Can I include the disclosure/consent form on our application?

No. FCRA requires that the disclosure and consent remain separate from the application. According to the FCRA, “A clear and conspicuous disclosure is to be made in writing to the consumer at any time before the report is procured or caused to be procured, in a document that consists solely of the disclosure.”
Do arrests that result in a deferred sentence/diversion program show up on the report?

Consumer Questions

How long does this stay on my record?

When we do a search, our client specifies how far back they want us to look into someone’s criminal background. The number of years we look into varies from state to state/industry to industry. As 7 years is the standard in most cases, we will use that as an example. The misconception is that the conviction won’t show up after it has been 7 years since the incident date. In reality, it is reportable for 7 years after the last date of their disposition. By disposition, we mean court date, the date they walked out of the corrections facility, etc.
How do I get this off my record?

You can go to the district clerk’s office and petition for an expungement. State laws must be reviewed, as many variations are in the process. In many states, certain crimes are not eligible for expungement. There is a fee and it has to be approved by a judge. The process can take anywhere from 6-8 weeks. It is highly recommended that you consult with legal counsel.
How can I get a copy of my report?

If a prospective employer has used S2Verify to run a background check on you, you can get a free copy of your report by emailing us at compliance@s2verify.com. If we have not yet run a previous report, you can go to https://s2verify.com/BackgroundCheck_Services.html to order a criminal search on yourself. Please note that you are only authorized to order the report on yourself.

If you have any questions, call 855-671-1933 between the hours of 9 am and 5 pm EST.

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Discover a better way to manage risk from the inside out. Start making better hiring decisions today with fast, easy, and compliant background checks.

Get Started

Get Answers to Your Background Screening Questions

General Background Screening

Drug Screening

Using Our System

Compliance

Consumer Questions

Get Started

Know More. Risk Less.^SM

Screenings

Applicant Experience

Compliance and Risk

Industry

Roles

Business size

Why S2Verify

Learn

Get Answers to Your Background Screening Questions

General Background Screening

Drug Screening

Using Our System

Compliance

Consumer Questions

Get Started

Know More. Risk Less.SM

Screenings

Applicant Experience

Compliance and Risk

Industry

Roles

Business size

Why S2Verify

Learn

Know More. Risk Less.^SM