Last month, we shared insights into how you can more easily interpret existing background check statuses. This month, we’re thrilled to introduce upcoming status options that will make your review process even more transparent and actionable.

As you may recall from our previous newsletter, the Review status serves as a call to action suggesting that you take a deeper look into one or more components included in the background check. While it does not necessarily indicate a problem, it simply means that there is data present which warrants your attention. This data may be a personal or professional reference or even a minor traffic violation flagged by our team.

We’re currently developing additional status options that will help you take further incisive action after reviewing a report. In August, we’ll be introducing two useful new options:

• Eligible
• Disqualified

When a report comes back as Clear or Verified, the candidate’s background check is automatically updated to Eligible status. When a report comes back as Review, this suggests that someone on your team should review the results and determine if the candidate meets your hiring criteria.

Updating the status of a report to Eligible is essentially giving the candidate a green light. It signifies that you’ve reviewed the background check and are interested in moving forward with the candidate.

In some scenarios, a report may return to you in Review status due to a criminal conviction, unexpected data was returned, or a discrepancy was discovered. In these cases, the individual responsible for reviewing the findings may determine that the candidate is deemed ineligible for hire. At this point, they may mark the candidate as Disqualified which automatically sets the background check status to Pre-Adverse.

It's important to note that when a candidate is marked as Disqualified, it does not mean a final decision has been made. Every employer is required to follow a federally mandated process before taking adverse action against a job seeker. A pre-adverse notice must be sent to the candidate to provide them with a reasonable period of time to review and dispute the results of their report if they feel it is warranted. They may also choose to provide relevant information, such as proof of rehabilitation or related efforts for further consideration.

Learn more about requirements for employers in our Pre-Adverse Actions article.

New Statuses are Coming Soon

We’re excited about these upcoming enhancements and hope they will facilitate an even better screening process for you. Stay tuned for updates about this beneficial feature that will make it easier than ever to navigate your background screening results with clarity and precision.