Welcome to Checkr!
This guide will walk you through the Crendentially / Checkr integration process and outline how to use the Checkr dashboard for the background check process.
The Checkr Help Center is a great resource for any questions that may not be covered in this user guide. If you have any questions not covered in this guide that are specific to Credentially, please fill out a support request for additional assistance.
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- Prerequisites
- Enable Checkr Setup
- Create A Checkr Account
- Account Hierarchy
- Order Background Checks
- International Packages
- Domestic Package with International Verifications
- Reviewing Background Checks
- Background Check Statuses
- Background Check Info Credentially Displays for Administrators
- Checkr Features
- Use the Checkr Dashboard
- Checkr's Candidate Experience
- Resources
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Prerequisites
The following items are required to initiate Credentially / Checkr integration. Please ensure you have the following before proceeding.
- Access to Credentially, with admin rights
- Access to Checkr, with admin rights
To enable Checkr for your organization, you will need to first contact support@credentially.io to enable the Checkr integration connection on Credentially.
Enable Checkr Setup
1) Go to your organization on Credentially under your "Administrator" (default) profile
2) Then, navigate to "Organization Settings" -> "Integrations" (on the left-hand panel) -> Edit (in the Actions column for Checkr) -> "Connect Checkr Account"
Important Note: When the integration is connected to your organization on Credentially, Checkr will continue sending out all related notifications directly to Administrators and Staff Members. Therefore, notification texts (or notification preferences for Administrators) cannot be configured by or in Credentially. Please navigate to your Checkr dashboard to make any changes.
Create A Checkr Account
If your company does not yet have a Checkr account, one must be created before integration with Crendentially.
To create an account for use with Crendentially:
- If you are already a Checkr customer, select Sign In to connect your current Checkr account to Crendentially.
- If you are not a current Checkr customer, fill out the required fields, and select Get Started to create a Checkr account and add your company information.
- After providing your company information, enter payment information. Invoices for background checks will come directly from Checkr, not from Crendentially. (Payment information may be edited on the Checkr dashboard after the account has been created.)
- Once complete, select Submit and your account will be sent to Checkr for review. Once the credentialing process is complete, Checkr will notify both Crendentially and you to begin ordering background checks through the Crendentially platform.
Account Hierarchy
The integration allows users to set up different "nodes" inside of their Checkr account to have displayed in the background check ordering workflow. Nodes can be used to designate different locations, teams, or groups that order background checks within your organization. Checkr requires you to assign packages to nodes once they are created and will then display which node ordered which package on your Checkr invoice.
Each time you order a background check, you will be asked which node to order the check from and then select from a pre-populated list of packages available to that node. Invoices will show the background checks ordered by each node within 2 billing cycles after setup.
To order a background check with Account Hierarchy and nodes:
- Fill in the work location of the candidate as you normally would for any background check.
- Select which Hierarchy node you would like to order from.
The list of available Packages will automatically generate based on the node you select. Select the background check package you want to run. If you do not see any packages populating, you will need to assign the appropriate packages to that node in your Checkr dashboard before proceeding.
For more information on Account Hierarchy, nodes, and how to configure your account, see Checkr's Payment & Billing, Adverse Actions, and Manage Account Settings Help Articles.
Order Background Checks
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Administrators initiating background checks:
- Default Administrators and administrative roles with "Edit" permissions can initiate a check for a Staff Member in a few clicks. Administrators with “View” permissions can only see Background Checks that have already been initiated.
- While on a Staff Member profile, navigate to “Background Checks” on your left hand toolbar.
- Click “Add New Check” in the upper right hand corner, and select Checkr as your screening service.
- Enter the Work Location of the Staff Member. State is required, city is optional but recommended.
- If your organization uses Account Hierarchy and Nodes in Checkr, select the appropriate Node.
- Node selection will prompt you to select the specific Background Check Package for that Staff Member at the indicated Work Location.
- Once you’ve selected your package, click the green “Add New Check” button at the bottom of the screen.
You may change Account Hierarchy (the Node section) in your Checkr account so it is also automatically updated on Credentially.
Important Note: A standard package contains the list of the default screenings; however, you can request a bespoke package in your Checkr account by contacting our customer support team.
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Staff Members Completing Background Checks
- Once an Administrator has assigned a check to a Staff Member, Staff Member will receive a Checkr notification to complete a background check.
- To do so, they need to go to "My profile" -> "Background Checks" - > "Start Check":
- The Staff Member will need to click "complete invitation", and will be directed to Checkr's website. Here they will need to provide consent to run the requested checks and an electronic signature.
International Packages
Checkr defines international background checks as background checks run on candidates living and working outside of the United States.
Checkr currently offers the following international screenings for candidates with work locations outside the United States:
- International Criminal
- Adverse Media Search - may be enabled to automatically run if criminal is not available
- Identity Document Verification
- Global Watchlist
- Education Verification
- Employment Verification
Domestic Package with International Verifications
If your candidate works in the United States but has out-of-country history, for example, attended school internationally, request a package that includes an education verification with out-of-country history enabled. Checkr currently offers an out-of-country history setting that can be added to any domestic criminal search or verification.
The option can be applied for candidates who will perform their work inside the US but who have an address history outside the US. Screening types that can be run on domestic screenings with out-of-country history include:
- Education Verification
- Employment Verification
Reviewing Background Checks
(For Administrators)
Administrators will be notified that a Staff Member has completed the Checkr Background Check Invitation once the Staff Member has finalized the submission process for the required information.
- Once the background check has been ordered, the status of the report will be listed in the ‘Background Checks’ area of a Staff Member’s profile.
- Credentially will automatically display any status updates received from Checkr right on the same ‘Background Checks’ area and within the report details
- Once Complete, click on ‘Report Details’ to open the report in the Checkr Dashboard for review. (For more information on reports and report statuses, see How do I interpret a background report in the Checkr Help Center.)
Most background checks will be completed within 24 hours, but the time to complete can range from a few minutes to a few weeks, depending on the type of check ordered, the geographic location of the candidate, and/or county courthouse operations. Credentially will automatically reflect all status updates received from Checkr in the ‘Background Checks’ area in the left-hand navigation.
Background Check Statuses
The statuses displayed for Administrators:
Not Started: A Checkr check has been assigned to a Staff Member by an Administrator, but it hasn’t been started by the Staff Member.
Started: A Checkr check has been started by the Staff Member.
Pending: It could indicate one of the below statuses:
- The Staff Member has completed the invitation, and the report is now in progress
- The report has been completed with a “consider” result (the adjudication process hasn’t been started)
- The report has been completed with a “consider” result (the adjudication process has been started but hasn’t been completed)
Clear: It could indicate one of the below statuses:
- The report has been completed with no issues found
- The report has been completed with some issues found and an Administrator has decided to engage the Staff Member during the adjudication process
Not Eligible: Indicates the report has been completed with some issues found and an Administrator has decided NOT to engage the Staff Member during the adjudication process.
Suspended: It indicates the report has been suspended after an exception occurred (e.g., their entered SSN or Driver's License was returned as invalid), and the Staff Member either did not resolve this within the 7-day window OR they entered another invalid value upon updating their data.
Canceled: It could indicate one of the below statuses:
- The invitation has been deleted (canceled) before the Staff Member completed it
- The report has been canceled after it was started
Expired: The invitation expired before the Staff Member completed it.
Background Check Info Credentially Displays for Administrators
On the Credentially system default, Administrators and administrative roles with "Background checks" permissions have access to:
- Staff Member's check status
- Created at (time)
- Completed at (time)
- Last updated (time)
- Included Screenings
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Check History
- To drill down to the history of the check, click "View History" in the opened check on Credentially. You will then be able to see when and by whom certain actions on the check have been triggered.
Checkr Features
Use the Checkr Dashboard
While the integration allows users to order background checks and view their status, the following features are available only within Checkr:
- Background check invitation links
- Full background check report results
- Begin the adverse action process
- Checkr settings
Checkr's Candidate Experience
The Checkr candidate experience overview describes the Checkr candidate experience of the background check process. It includes information about the Checkr Candidate Portal and Help Center, where candidates can self-serve and address common issues that can stall or delay their background checks. The overview also includes common reasons candidates contact our support and how to address these issues.
The overview includes:
- An overview of the candidate process
- General information about the background check process, including exceptions and disputes
- An overview of the Checkr Candidate Portal
- An introduction to the Candidate Experience team
- A list of some of the most common candidate questions
- Links to the most frequently used pages in the Checkr Help Center
Resources
For a quick overview of the Checkr Dashboard, please see Getting started with Checkr