Sample Background Checks for Retail Employees

If you're looking for a job in the retail industry, or are a current employee, you can expect to undergo a background check at some point during your career.

Although the retail trade industry has lost some workers during the economic downturn, it continues to attract employees and remain popular. During January, the industry employed 12,381,000 workers and had an unemployment rate of 10.9 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Two of the biggest employee-related concerns in the retail industry are employee theft and turnover. Employers often guard themselves from these possibilities by properly screening candidates before hiring them, which can help improve employee retention.

Here are some sample background checks you may undergo as a job seeker or employee in the retail industry:

• Social Security number trace - This ensures that the Social Security number provided by an applicant is associated with an individual of the same name and date of birth. It also includes an address history, which is used as the reference point for court jurisdictions to research criminal records.
• Employment verifications - This verifies the information on an applicant's resume, including dates of employment, starting and ending positions and salaries, reason for termination and eligibility for rehire. It also may include interviews with previous employers.
• Pre-employment credit report - These reports, which are provided by one of the three nationwide credit bureaus, offer insight into an applicant's reliability and sense of personal responsibility. Reports can include derogatory credit information; public filings such as bankruptcies, liens and judgments; account standing with creditors and previous address history.
• County criminal record searches - This consists of an on-site manual search of the superior, upper, lower and municipal court records available in each county. These searches will indicate if an applicant has had a felony, misdemeanor or infraction filing within the last seven years or longer. Completed reports may include date of arrest, date of filing, charges, level of charges, disposition date, final disposition of charges and any applicable sentence or penalty.
• National criminal database searches - These aggregate databases are comprised of millions of records from various sources throughout the country. Records are obtained by commercial vendors from county court houses, state departments of incarcerations, state record repositories, probation departments, townships and sex offender registries.
• Sex offender registry - This multi-state database search provides sex offender case information from bureaus of investigation, departments of law enforcement, departments of corrections, departments of justice, departments of public safety, Sheriff's departments, state attorney general's offices and state police.
• Substance abuse screening - This allows employers to screen candidates for various drugs through urine, hair and saliva-based testing.