Do Arrests Show up On Background Checks when Looking for An Employment? A 2022 Updated Guide

Along with many other countries in the world, background check is performed for a variety of reasons in the United States as well. They are performed mainly prior to employment, signing a lease document, or rental agreements. It is also normally called background or pre-employment screening for employment which determines the traits of the person and helps in providing insights into his life.

Do arrests show up on background checks? Whether you have a past history or not, a background check can be daunting. This is why as a potential employee or employer; it is necessary to know what a background check entails? How will it impact your ability to get employment, a new home, or hire an employee?

The Process of conducting a background check

Background check processes vary from organization to organization and country to country. Most of the time it requires the applicant to fill and submit its information in a detailed form in person or online. The information is then verified usually by a third-party enterprise and returns the results to the employer or the landlord who has asked for it.

Before the applicant provides his sensitive information in a background check process, he should ask the employer or the landowner about the authenticity of the third party in handling the sensitive data securely.

What information do you need to provide in a background check?

Based on the reason for a background check, there can be a variety of information that background checks demand you to provide. Oftentimes, this is the same information an employer has asked an applicant to apply for the vacant position. They are just needed again to authenticate from a third party. Similar goes for a lease agreement, where a tenant is required to provide the information needed for a lease or rental agreement, third-part will analyze it and determine its authenticity.

Regardless of the reason, you can expect to provide this information on a background check;

• Social security number
• Criminal Records
• Driving records
• Past employment history
• Past convictions and arrests

Some employers also ask for your past educational, medical, and financial history. But this information cannot be pulled out easily from the government departments. The applicant has to provide a written permit to have the records from the concerned departments.

Do arrests show up on background checks?

Looking at the list of the required information above, it shows that your arrest and convictions will show up in your background check. However, it does not need a written application, so anyone performing a background check can validate whether there’s a criminal conviction in your background check.

This is because criminal records are usually public records just like the traffic cases, bankruptcy, or civil cases filed against you. This particularly means that they can easily be obtained by anyone including agencies, lenders, and potential employers.

But even if you’re wrongly convicted and accused falsely, do arrests show up on background checks in these cases? Regrettably, no matter if you are convicted or arrested wrongly in a case, it does appear in your criminal history. This also needs to be put into consideration that it does not matter how your case(s) ended – convicting you guilty or not guilty – it does show up in your records.

The records will include the charges regardless if they returned in plea bargains or convictions and if they were dismissed or dropped. Even if you are incarcerated for a speeding ticket, it will show up in your record.

Information that a background check holds

Background checks are relatively transparent and have a detailed version of an individual’s commitments. To have relevant information, an interested party can request a federal, state, or criminal search across jurisdictions to witness public records of past criminal convictions, arrests, traffic violations, bankruptcies, and even divorces.

You can expect the following information in a criminal background check of a person;

• The charge
• The time and date of the offense
• The court schedule dates
• Disposition of the case
• Jury panel of the case
• The details of the defense attorney(s)
• The bond amount, penalties, court dates, names of the involved parties, and every docket information.

How does a criminal conviction in your background check impact your life

Having deep stains of criminal charges and convictions in your history can easily become major hurdles in achieving anything in your life. Indeed, they can;

• Impede your career – after knowing your arrest, your employer can fire you, after a background check, the potential employer won’t hire you. Also, you may lose the professional membership in significant organizations
• Get you expelled from the institution – Students can be kicked out of their schools and colleges in the event of a criminal conviction. There may be no admission facilities available for convicted students or students with a criminal history.
• Limit your renting and housing options – Every time when landers and house owners see your criminal records, they will deny providing you the privilege to have a house on rent.
• Tarnish your public, professional, and personal reputation – No matter what outcome you faced against your accusations and convictions, an arrest record in your background can hit your personal and professional life harder. Exes can use them against you for having a divorce or child custody, organizations might cancel your memberships, proposals may take time to review, and might not get accepted.

FAQs regarding a Background check

It is undoubtedly scary to be shown up on a piece of paper either positively or not. If you are applying for a lease or need to grab an employment opportunity, you may have some questions in mind about a background check. Let’s hear them out.