Whats the longest to wait for a background check?

You’re an employer who is ready to make an offer to the sharpest candidate in your search to fill a position. All that is needed is completion of a background check.

But how long will that take? Data indicates that the sooner a background check is obtained, the better an employer’s chance of keeping the job candidate. A job candidate’s willingness to wait depends on a few things, including the age of the job applicant. 

There’s one more concern for employers: What will the candidate be doing while awaiting the background check?

How Long Will Job Candidates Wait?

The willingness of job candidates to wait, and how long they will wait, varies by age, but data from a 2018 Harris Poll makes one thing clear: The longer it takes to obtain a background check, whether during the interview process or to make an offer final, the lower the percentage of candidates who are willing to wait. That's true in all age categories: 18-34 years old, 35-44 years old, 45-54 years old, and over 55. It’s why a professionally done background check that can be done thoroughly but quickly is so important.

Candidates 18-34 years old are the most reluctant to move on when a background check takes only a week to nine days. Among respondents in that age group, 37 percent said they will wait a week to nine days for the results of a background check before looking elsewhere. Forty-three percent of those 35-44 and 42 percent of applicants 45-54 years old said they would wait that long. Among those 55 and older, 41 percent said they would wait a week to nine days. 

Stretch that waiting period out to 10 to 13 days, and on average, only 22 percent of applicants said they would be willing to wait: 18-34 years old, 23 percent; 35-44 and 45-54 years old, 25 percent; and 55 and older, 21 percent. 

Take two weeks or more to get a background check back, and the applicant pool dwindles even further, with only 20 percent on average saying they will wait that long: 18-34 years old, 21 percent; 35-44 and 45-54 years old, 23 percent; and over 55, a mere 17 percent.

What Job Candidates Do While Waiting

Waiting for employers to make a decision — and a decision after a background check is one form of a final decision — is among the biggest generators of job-related stress, according to job-search and resume-forwarding websites. Stress is never a good thing. And every job-seeker site out there advises that people reduce stress.

Sites encourage job candidates to remain in touch with employers who interviewed them, so expect some emails or phone calls. One even suggests that candidates ask the person who interviewed them whether there’s time to have a chat or to have coffee. You might want to consult your attorneys on devising a policy for handling such requests.

Another widely offered suggestion is that candidates send work samples or other documents that might support statements made during their interview.  

Here’s what is most important to employers: Websites universally advise job candidates who are waiting to keep their options open to apply for jobs with other companies. So, while your top candidates are awaiting word from you, they’re also shopping their skills elsewhere.

What It All Means: Speed Matters

The chance of losing qualified job candidates emphasizes the importance of making background searches not only thorough, but also timely. That’s why it’s best to use a professional background checking company such as Global Backgrounds, where staff has procedures in place and the expertise to know where and how to obtain information legally.

Be candid with applicants about how long the search is likely to take — the professional agency that does the search will give the employer an estimate — and about how long it will take for company officials to read and analyze the findings provided by the background checkers. 

Typically, a domestic background check takes two days to a week. Checks that delve deeper into backgrounds, such as those involving interviews, might take longer. And remember: If you are doing business in a state with a ban-the-box law, you may not ask for criminal history or do  criminal background checks until after making a conditional job offer. Make sure that you have a written procedure for taking negative action if the report uncovers criminal activity, and whether it falls outside the seven-year period in affected states.

International background checks are slower. How long? It often depends on the country where the information is being sought. Different countries have different rules on privacy protection and on making records public. Two weeks or more can be expected. Without a doubt, a search in, say, Canada is going to be faster than a search in China.

Once the background check is returned, it must be reviewed by the company that ordered it. Involve the relevant hiring executives and those who would supervise the worker. Form a written procedure so that every candidate receives equal treatment, making sure the procedure adheres to federal and state Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regulations and the Fair Credit Reporting Act. 

Notifying candidates of background check completion is up to individual employers. Some notify a candidate that a check has been completed. Many do nothing. Again, it’s best to set a lawful policy in writing and stick to it.

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