How long does a background check take? Whether you’re a job applicant eagerly awaiting a final offer of employment or a hiring manager who needs to expand the company’s roster of talent, you may want to know exactly how long you’ll have to wait. Unfortunately, there is no universal answer to the question, “How long does a background check take?” It depends on the specific types of background screenings selected by the organization.

Average Completion Times for Background Checks

Job candidates who have applied to positions at law enforcement agencies, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), should expect to wait a long time—about a month or longer. However, most job applicants and hiring managers can expect to receive the background screening report within a few days to a week. This is dependent upon the exact type of screenings requested.

For example, it may take one to three days to receive a motor vehicle report (MVR), depending on the state. A Social Security number trace may take one or two days. A criminal background check typically averages a few days, and so does a fingerprint check. If time is of the essence, you can ask the company for an expected turnaround time when you submit the background check request.

Possible Reasons for a Longer Wait Time

The answers to the question, “How long does a background check take?” may not apply in certain situations. There are a number of reasons why it might take longer than usual to run a background check. For instance, the employer is required to obtain release forms signed by the job applicant. Without those release forms, the background check agency cannot move forward.

It’s also common for a job applicant to have aliases. For instance, “Daniel” may also be known as “Dan” or “Danny.” If multiple variations of a name have been used, the agency will need to meticulously comb through the records to ensure they are matching the right info to the right person.

To reduce the possibility of a delay, employers should ensure that all information they provide to the agency is correct and complete. Employers must also ensure that they have the job applicant sign the proper release forms.

Do you need to run a background check on a job applicant? AZC Drug Testing offers a comprehensive range of background check services, which are fully customizable to your specific needs and preferences. Contact us today and enjoy hiring with confidence.

Everyone has a past, but there are some incidents in the past that can affect an individual’s future employment qualifications. Because you cannot rely on every applicant to provide a complete and honest history of his or her driving record and any previous criminal conviction, you might perform background checks upon conditional job offers. In a background screening report, you will be provided with valuable information to guide your hiring decision, including:

Driving Record
Any industry that follows DOT regulations will need to screen applicants for any driving infractions and commercial license status. A motor vehicle report can be included in a background screening to show you seven years of an individual’s driving history, including any DUI convictions.

County, State, and Federal Criminal Convictions and Warrants
After verifying an applicant’s social security number, a background screening of any criminal activity will take place with a national search for federal crimes and warrants as well as localized convictions at the county and state level, though local criminal searches will be limited to areas where the individual would be most likely to get convicted, such as counties of prior and current residency and surrounding areas.

Sex Offender Registration
If an applicant has ever registered as a sex offender, this will show up on a background check. Though this may not disqualify an individual from every professional opportunity, it will prohibit someone from working in any environment where they may regularly encounter minors, such as bus driving.

Workers Compensation Claims
Searching previous workers compensation claims is essential for verifying that an individual is physically capable of performing job duties. A previous claim may not rule someone out, but it can be telling of injuries that might stop someone from fully meeting the requirements of a given position.

When you need to know about where your potential employees have been prior to applying to your company, you can count on AZC Drug Testing Employee Screening Services. We offer nationwide service with background checks, drug and alcohol testing, and more, so reach out to us at (800) 224-8532 to learn how we can help your company.

Employees in the aviation industry, including pilots, airplane manufacturers, air traffic controllers, and those working at repair facilities are subject to drug and alcohol testing through the Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA. FAA drug testing is required to ensure the safety of travelers and the general public, and it is strictly implemented and regulated. To comply with FAA regulations employees must be screened upon hiring and following any workplace accidents, as well as at random throughout the year. Keep reading for a little more on how FAA screening works to keep the aviation industry safe.

Random Employee Selection

Random tests take place periodically, wherein 25% of employees will be screened for drugs and 10% for alcohol. If your company has a small number of regulated employees, you may join a drug testing consortium in which employees from multiple companies are pooled to make the random selection, which will eliminate unfairly high rates of testing and overuse of resources for smaller businesses.

Specific Testing Requirements

Screening must take place within certified collection facilities and SAMHSA certified laboratories. In order to maintain a compliant testing policy, you may need to provide supervisor training as well, which will include reasonable suspicion training to identify employees who are under the influence on the job.

Third-Party Supervision

Businesses cannot take on FAA testing alone. They need the services of a third party testing company that will remain compliant with all FAA regulations and provide the timely, affordable services necessary to maintain a safe workplace.

At AZC Drug Testing Employee Screening Services, we are proud to offer FAA screening services, that are compliant with DOT regulations, with a nationwide network of certified collection and testing facilities. We can also provide workplace training for supervisors and employees, so that you can hold your team to the highest standards of safety and excellence. Learn more by calling us today at (800) 224-8532.

When you hire someone for a job, you want to make sure you’re choosing a qualified, dependable, and honest new employee. Screening all applicants can be a difficult task for many companies, but without proper screening, the wrong people might end up getting the job. Keep reading to learn what is included in employment background checks:

Motor Vehicle Report
If the job you’re trying to fill involves driving, you’ll want to make sure you choose an applicant who is qualified and has a clean driving record. With a motor vehicle report during a background check, you’ll be able to select the most qualified driver for the position.

Nationwide Wants and Warrants Search
A history of run-ins with the law might not necessarily turn you away from hiring an applicant, but you might feel differently about someone who is currently wanted or has a warrant out for their arrest. That is why an employment background check may include a nationwide wants and warrants search.

Nationwide Criminal Search
Protecting your company should be a priority when you’re hiring new employees, which is why it’s important to be able to check each applicant’s criminal history. The employment background check process includes a nationwide criminal search to make you aware of any criminal history from across the country should the job applicant lived or commited a crime in other states.

Social Security Number Trace
You want to make sure applicants are telling you the truth during the interview process and on their forms, which is where a Social Security Number trace can be of assistance. This part of the employment background check will provide you with information such as current and past addresses and any other names the applicant has used.

If you’d like to learn more about what is included in employment background checks, you can contact AZC Drug Testing  Employee Screening Services today at (800) 224-8532. AZC Drug Testing Employee Screening Services is a national provider of drug & alcohol testing and employee background check services with offices in Tucson, AZ and Phoenix, AZ.

Thanks to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) program PreCheck, travelers who qualify are no longer subjected to many of the time consuming restraints that are commonly encountered by those in the general security lanes. The cost of a 5 year membership is $85, and enables passengers to expedite their time spent with security via a dedicated lane where they don’t have to remove shoes, laptops, liquids, belts and light jackets.

But, some members of the program have encountered issues accessing these PreCheck benefits. “I can tell you from personal experience, for 99.9 percent of the people who aren’t getting PreCheck, it is user error,’’ said TSA spokeswoman Lorie Dankers. One common reason attributed to the issues includes passengers either forgetting to enter their Known Traveler Number, or entering information such as their birth date, gender and name that doesn’t matchup with what appears on their TSA PreCheck applications.

Initiating a membership consists of submitting an application, visiting an enrollment center and passing a background check. The PreCheck program is continuing to expand with over 4 million members. According to the TSA, “in May 2017, 97% of TSA Pre✓^®passengers waited less than 5 min.” https://www.tsa.gov/precheck. After registering on-line you can select Oschmann Employee Screening Services’ office in Tucson, AZ as your enrollment center to complete your fingerprinting

Here are some tips to keep in mind if you are planning to use PreCheck:

Known Traveler Number – Also called a Trusted Traveler Number, ensure that you enter this nine-character code in a box on the reservations page of the airline or travel website.

Enter your Known Traveler Number on your profile in your airline frequent-flier accounts.

Check in online for your flight 24 hours in advance.

To fix the problem at the airport, arrive at the airline ticket counter at least two hours before your flight.

To learn more about TSA PreCheck and to apply online visit https://www.tsa.gov/precheck.