Review a completed report

After your report completes, Checkr provides visual cues to help you efficiently review the report:

• Report layout
• Clear and Consider statuses
• Engage the candidate or begin the adverse action process

From the Candidates page, click the report status or click go to report to open it in the Checkr Dashboard.

Background check report layout

Background reports include different screenings, from motor vehicle record (MVR) screenings to criminal records screenings and sex offender registries. Checkr's background reports follow a simple, linear, color-coded format to make reviewing and assessing reports more efficient.

Reports have several sections:

• Candidate information: Find basic information about the candidate.
• Report information: Find information about the report that was run, including the initial and subsequent ETAs as well as an option to add a tag to the report or download a PDF copy. If the candidate used the Checkr-hosted flow, you can also download a PDF copy of the authorization and disclosure forms.
• Actions: Find completed actions in this candidate’s adverse action process, if any, and take one of the three available next steps with the candidate:
  • Engage the candidate.
  • Begin the pre-adverse action process.
  • Cancel adverse action if the post-adverse action email hasn't been sent yet.
• Exceptions: Find items that might make it difficult to match records to a particular candidate’s personally identifiable information.
• Screenings and statuses: Find all screenings processed for a given report with color-coded formatting indicating individual screening results. Click the status icon to open a window with supporting detail for a screening’s result.

Evaluate records with Clear and Consider statuses

Checkr marks both completed reports and the individual screenings that they include with a Clear or Consider status. The report’s status is Clear if all screenings return with the Clear status, and Consider if one or more screenings returns the Consider status.

• Reports with the Clear status have no potentially adverse information.
• Reports with the Consider status include information that your team must review.

Individual screenings in reports also have a Clear or Consider status so that you can quickly find records to review.

Click a record with the Consider status to read information that will help you make an informed decision about how to proceed. For instance, you can find the charge type, offense date, disposition, and sentencing information.

To avoid unduly declining candidates, consider the job relevance of each report with the Consider status. This type of individualized assessment also helps you comply with guidance from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), as well as state and federal guidelines.

Checkr also provides the Positive Adjudication Matrix (PAM), which allows your account to set filters by which returned records will be tagged for review for your team. For example, you might decide that you don’t want your team to review any parking tickets older than 3 years, or any fish and game records of any age. For more information about this feature, refer to Positive Adjudication Matrix: Reduce bias and increase efficiency in the Checkr Help Center.

For more information about Checkr’s statuses, refer to What does the status of the report indicate? in the Checkr Help Center.

Take action on completed reports

After a report completes, your team might decide to proceed with the candidate or reconsider their employment.

• If you decide that the candidate fits your hiring requirements, you can engage them.
• If the candidate doesn't fit your requirements, you can begin the adverse action process.

Engage the candidate

To indicate that you reviewed the information that was returned and decided to move forward with the candidate, click the Engage button in the report's Actions section. Clicking Engage also allows you to track that decision within Checkr Analytics.

Begin an adverse action process

If you review the information in the report and decide not to move forward with a candidate, click the Pre-adverse action button in the report's Actions section.

Clicking this button begins the adverse action process.

Although responsibility and liability for the adverse action process ultimately lies with you as the end user, Checkr helps make it easier to maintain a compliant adverse action process.

Checkr provides an automated adverse action process that issues emails to your candidates on your behalf. To initiate this process, use the steps below:

1. Click to open the candidate’s report.
2. In the report's Actions section, click Pre-adverse action.
3. Select the charge for which the pre-adverse action email will be sent.
4. Enter the number of days after which the post-adverse action email will be sent, and click Preview Email.
5. Review the email Checkr will send your candidate, which will include a list of charges, as well as the necessary notices, a copy of the background report, and "A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act" as attachments.
6. Click Send pre-adverse action notice.

Checkr will send the original email and then wait the specified number of days, during which your candidate is encouraged to contact Checkr to dispute the record, if applicable.

If the candidate doesn't respond during this time, the post-adverse action email will be sent, informing the candidate that you won't move forward with their employment.

You can cancel the adverse action process at any time by clicking the Cancel adverse action button in the report's Actions section.

Remember that the responsibility for remaining compliant with local and federal laws is your responsibility. Checkr provides a default and automated adverse action system in an effort to help you remain compliant. Consult your internal counsel to ensure that your company operates within legal boundaries.

For more information about the adverse action process, refer to The adverse action process: Deciding not to move forward with a candidate.