What Is Employment Verification?

Employment verification can help employers confirm information provided on a candidate or volunteer’s resume related to their job history, which may include past employers, job titles, and employment dates. Confirming employment history can help provide insight into a candidate’s skills and experience in relation to the role and mitigate risk of false credentials. 

An employment verification background check is often conducted as part of a comprehensive pre-employment background check that may also include criminal record search, education verification, driving record (MVR) check, credit history, and more.

Employment verification differs from reference checks. When conducting a professional reference check, a hiring manager may seek to learn additional information about the candidate from a previous employer, such as:

• Terms on which the person’s employment ended
• Whether the past employer would consider re-hiring the person
• If the employee has job skills required for the open position
• Whether the individual showed work improvement in their job, earned promotions, or made other advancements during their tenure 

How To Verify Employment History ?

Verifying a candidate’s employment history typically involves contacting each workplace provided by the candidate to confirm their employment, job titles, and work tenure. Although employers can perform employment verifications on their own, the time and effort required for placing numerous calls and the need to be available for callbacks can make the process a burden on valuable resources and budget.

Employers can also perform employment checks by using The Work Number®, a fee-based service from Equifax. While The Work Number® can provide information from more than 1.2 million employer contributors, the service may only be available to employers that have completed an in-depth verification process.

Many employers choose to partner with a qualified background check provider, like us, to conduct screenings including employment verification. Partnering with a consumer reporting agency (CRA) not only speeds the process and is often highly cost-effective, it can help you maintain compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.

How Does Employment Verification Work?

When working with us, you can include up to five employment verifications in a single background report. The process typically involves verifying the past employer’s phone number for accuracy through independent research to avoid potentially false information provided by the candidate; calling the employer up to five times over five business days; and confirming the candidate’s employment dates and job title(s). 

Employers that use a professional background check provider to conduct employment verifications are legally required to follow certain steps under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FRCA). Regulations set forth by the FCRA include:

• Disclosing your intent to conduct a background check to the candidate 
• Receiving written permission from the candidate prior to conducting any screenings
• Following the adverse action process should the results of the background check impact your decision to hire a candidate

What Information Can Be Released For Employment Verification?

A typical employment history report typically confirms that the applicant worked for an employer, their job title, and dates of employment. 

While federal laws do not limit what past employers can or cannot reveal about former employees, many states have laws restricting the information employers can share, and to whom they can disclose it. 

In addition, a growing number of states prohibit employers from asking about a prospective employee’s salary history. If an employer is unfamiliar with those laws, its employment verification efforts could inadvertently violate legal regulations. 

And while not necessarily required by law, many employers make it their policy to restrict the type of information they will disclose. Working with a CRA like we can help employers remain compliant with federal, state, and local screening laws during the employment verification process. 

How Long Does Employment Verification Take?

Turnaround times for employment verification may vary depending on who is conducting the employment verification background check, how many past jobs need to be verified, and how many candidates need to be screened. 

When an employer is working with a trusted background screener, like us, the process tends to be much faster and can sometimes be completed in a day, or within a few days. Partnering with a CRA can help hiring managers save time and valuable resources – especially if your organization is hiring many employees at once or you have multiple candidates to screen for a role.

Employment Verification Background Check Laws

At the federal level, there are no laws that limit what past employers can or cannot reveal about former employees. However, employers still must comply with other federal background check regulations, such as the FCRA and those enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Employers using a CRA for employment verification services must also be sure to also follow FCRA regulations. These include notifying the candidate of the employment verification beforehand and getting their consent in writing. If the employer decides not to hire a candidate based on information that was discovered during a background check, including an employment verification, they must also follow the adverse action process. 

Get Employment Verifications With us

We makes it easy to conduct employment verifications on one or many candidates. Employment verification is included with our Premium package, but can also be purchased as an add-on. Employers can easily view the status of the check, which information was verified, and what information was used to verify the candidate’s employment. You can also compare the information the candidate provided on their application or resume with the verification results.