Getting started with Checkr

This article will help you:

• Order background checks
• Track candidates on the Checkr Dashboard
• Review background reports
• Hire/place or decline candidates

Note: This article is designed for end users of Checkr (or, in other words, companies who use Checkr to run background checks).

• If you're an applicant looking for more information, please visit our Applicant Portal.
• If you're a developer looking to build on Checkr's API, please visit our API Docs.

Welcome to Checkr!

We're happy to partner with you to make your background check process more efficient, reduce your compliance risk, and improve your candidates' experience. As you get started with Checkr, you'll probably be doing one of a few things: running a report, managing candidate statuses, or adjudicating/reviewing reports.

This guide will walk you through the basics of using Checkr, and we'll link to other articles that take you more in-depth. But first, check out this quick video for an overview.

1. Order your first background check

Users with admin or requester roles (usually recruiters at your business) can invite candidates to a background check.

Tip: If you don't see any links to invite candidates in your account, you likely haven't set up payment yet. As an admin, go to Account Settings > Payment to enter it.

To send invitation links in bulk via email (recommended), go to the Candidates section, and click Invite Candidates.

To send an individual invitation link, go to the Home section to see a list of invitation links that you can simply copy and paste.

The link takes the candidate to a page hosted by Checkr. We'll collect the candidate's PII (personally identifiable information) and provide Disclosure and Authorization documents, including state-specific documents.

To learn more about running checks, see our article "How do I request a background check?"

2. Track candidates and reports on the Checkr Dashboard

Once you order the background check, the candidate takes the next steps in the process:

• Enter their PII (see "What information are applicants required to provide for their background check?")
• Read the disclosure(s) and authorize that they consent to have a background report run
• Submit additional information if an exception occurs. An exception is when Checkr can't proceed with the background check until we receive additional documentation. For more information, see "How can applicants submit documents for additional verification?"

All user roles can track candidates and reports as they process.

Report Status

As candidates move through the process, you will see different statuses in the Candidates section that indicate where they are in the process, including the outcome of the background check. The most common statuses that you'll see are:

• Pending: The report is processing and will typically be finalized in 2-3 days, but could take longer if we need documentation from the candidate or if a particular search is taking longer than expected (search delays are often due to court processing, over which Checkr has no control)
• Clear: The report is complete and does not contain adverse information on any of the screenings
• Consider: The report is complete and contains some sort of adverse information to evaluate. This doesn't necessarily mean a "fail." See the section below on assessing background reports for more information.

For more about report statuses, see "What does the status of the report indicate?"

Get email updates on candidates

To set up email updates, go to the Account Settings section. Under Your Email Preferences, you’ll see your options. For example, you can be notified when a report reaches Clear or Consider status, or when a report is Suspended or Expired (indicating that the candidate failed to respond or provide the requested information) to keep your process moving more efficiently.

Email preferences are set for each individual account, so you can set the ones that you’d like to receive without worrying about changing your teammates’ settings.

To learn more, see “How do I manage my email notification preferences?”

3. Review a background report

All user roles can review background reports, but only users with admin or adjudicator roles can take action based on a report.

Checkr's background reports follow a simple, linear, color-coded format to make reviewing and assessing reports more efficient.

Try filtering the dashboard to reports in consider status, then click go to report.

The report will display all screenings that have been processed for a given report. It will also apply color-coded formatting based on the results of that specific screening so you can quickly see which screening(s) are triggering a consider status.

Based on the information in the report, go to the Actions section and do one of two things:

• Engage: This means that you have reviewed the information that was marked consider and intend to hire or place the candidate
• Pre Adverse Action: This means that you have reviewed the information that was marked consider and decided that you intend not to hire or place the candidate, based on that information

Tip: If you decide to engage, make sure to click the Engage button so that your team members will not be confused about the candidate’s status, and so Checkr’s analytics will work correctly!

4. Manage Adverse Actions

Only users with admin or adjudicator roles can manage the Adverse Action process.

When you intend not to move forward with a candidate based on the information contained in a background check, that is called an Adverse Action. This is one of your requirements under the FCRA.

Avoid disqualifying candidates just because they have a record in Consider status. Take into account:

• the nature of the crime (e.g. petty theft vs. assault and battery),
• when the crime occurred (e.g. 6 months vs. 6 years), and
• whether the crime is relevant to the job duties that the candidate would be performing.

As part of a proper Adverse Action process, you must provide:

• a Pre-Adverse Action Notice,
• a reasonable waiting period, and
• a final Adverse Action Notice if you still intend to move forward at the end of the waiting period.

Checkr helps you stay compliant throughout the Adverse Action process. To learn more about this process, see our article on Adverse Action.

Admin information and advanced features

For Admin users, who are able to change account settings within Checkr, the most common things you'll do are:

• Add and manage users
• Configure more powerful, advanced features like programs, geos, and the Positive Adjudication Matrix
• Review and interpret Checkr's analytics

For an introduction to those topics, see our Getting Started Guide for Admins. 

If you have questions, need tips, or want to get access to advanced features, email clients@checkr.com to get in touch with our Customer Success team.