How long do background checks take?

So, I got a job offer on Tuesday morning, but I have to wait for the background check to finish before it's official. It's been 3 days now since I submitted the information for the background check. Anybody know how long these things usually take? I haven't had a full-time job in 9 months and the waiting is killing me.

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Comments

Mojo_666

In the UK BC (Basic Check) is a matter of hours if HR are doing their thing, but it can take a few days.

Basic Identity Check (BC) Security Cleared Jobs UK (BPSS)

If your are not in the UK, no clue.

veritas_libertas

It was a good three or four days for me. They thoroughly vetted me.

Countryboi

the length of time the Background takes has a lot to do with the level of background they use...i remember them doing background checks for the county, state and country level and each one having a taking longer to come back....i remember at one job we had a contractor that they only did a county background on but when they tried to hire him and did a state level they found out he had a few felonies in another city....needless to say that didnt go well.

Devilsbane

Depends who is running them. If this is just a simple check for any old job where they call up an agency, just a few days. If this is a government job that requires speaking to your neighbors and nearly everyone you know, it could be awhile.

Mojo_666

Devilsbane wrote: »

Depends who is running them. If this is just a simple check for any old job where they call up an agency, just a few days. If this is a government job that requires speaking to your neighbors and nearly everyone you know, it could be awhile.

In the UK that is called DV (Developed Vetting) and can take up to 4 months and costs approx $30,000 (if you have a spsonsor willing to pay) I know only 1 person who has it and he is a DBA who earns approx $2000 a day.

earweed

I'm in the running for a job that requires a secret clearance and they said 4-5 weeks to get an interim clearance.

cbsharpe0824

my clearance took about a week

Mojo_666

earweed wrote: »

I'm in the running for a job that requires a secret clearance and they said 4-5 weeks to get an interim clearance.

We would call that SC (Security Clearance)..if you wanted to know.

So we (UK) have

BC (Basic Check) 2-3 days
SC (Security Clearance) 1-2 weeks
DV (Developed Vetting) 3-4 months

rogue2shadow

Devilsbane wrote: »

Depends who is running them. If this is just a simple check for any old job where they call up an agency, just a few days. If this is a government job that requires speaking to your neighbors and nearly everyone you know, it could be awhile.

I know the feeling all too well lol.

cleanwithit

Mine took three weeks. The average I heard was one-two weeks.

Forsaken_GA

When I changed jobs, they did a pretty thorough background check on me, as the company handles alot of sensitive info and is regulated like a bank. Took about a work week (I submitted everything on Monday, and I heard it came back clean from my source inside the company on Friday)

dynamik

3-4 days for me.

How long is your criminal record?

phantasm

For a full Secret clearance it can take up to a year. It really depends though. Basically the more places you've lived and the more jobs you've had the longer it takes. Also, if you're in the states, did they have you fill an SF-86? If not then more than likely you're just getting a BI (background investigation) done. Also, depending on level of clearance you'll have to disclose all of your financial assets (SSBI) and provide 5 yrs of tax data to an investigator plus all of your critical documents. From the date I turned in my paperwork it took 5 months for invesitgator to come out to the house and then 13 months for the clearance to be adjudicated.

Simply, it can take a long time. I've known people with interims get turned down for the full clearance.

tpatt100

We had a guy who married a girl from Russia and he filed bankruptcy a few years ago. He sat outside for a year before they let him go.

rogue2shadow

tpatt100 wrote: »

We had a guy who married a girl from Russia and he filed bankruptcy a few years ago. He sat outside for a year before they let him go.

On a random note, the SF86 is scary even if you've done nothing wrong lol.

What do mean he sat outside for a year? Did they deactivate him on his honeymoon?

tpatt100

He sat outside in a different office area because he was not allowed to sit in the actual SOC

rogue2shadow

tpatt100 wrote: »

He sat outside in a different office area because he was not allowed to sit in the actual SOC

That's rough.

earweed

rogue2shadow wrote: »

On a random note, the SF86 is scary even if you've done nothing wrong lol.

Man, that is a scary form. I'll have to get to work on this.

rwmidl

phantasm wrote: »

For a full Secret clearance it can take up to a year. It really depends though. Basically the more places you've lived and the more jobs you've had the longer it takes. Also, if you're in the states, did they have you fill an SF-86? If not then more than likely you're just getting a BI (background investigation) done. Also, depending on level of clearance you'll have to disclose all of your financial assets (SSBI) and provide 5 yrs of tax data to an investigator plus all of your critical documents. From the date I turned in my paperwork it took 5 months for invesitgator to come out to the house and then 13 months for the clearance to be adjudicated.

Simply, it can take a long time. I've known people with interims get turned down for the full clearance.

Ditto. If you've lived in quite a few places it can take longer since different locations/jurisdictions get involved. And if there are more "flags" during the investigation it can add time to the process.

wastedtime

I think this is just about a background check and not a clearance. I would have to agree with the 3 - 4 days. I think mine took about a week when I had one done on me many years ago. If it is about a clearance I would say a few months for a secret and much longer for Top Secret.

rogue2shadow

wastedtime wrote: »

I think this is just about a background check and not a clearance. I would have to agree with the 3 - 4 days. I think mine took about a week when I had one done on me many years ago. If it is about a clearance I would say a few months for a secret and much longer for Top Secret.

True that. Background checks took 3-4 days for me too in my retail starting days; sometimes even shorter than that by maybe a day.

Paul Boz

The background check for my current job took a week and a half but they're very thorough. They verified my certs, called every one of my references, and ran me through several database services.

smg1138

It's just a regular background check, not security clearance. I actually went through a background check for Confidential clearance back in early 2009 and that took several months to go through. I'm hoping this one should be done by early next week. I was just really hoping it would be done by today, so could start on Monday. I have a totally clean record and good credit, so I think everything should be fine.

The only thing I'm slightly concerned about is that I checked "do not contact this employer" for my last position which was a contract. I had to list the staffing agency that paid me instead of where I actually worked on the background form. The thing is I never actually met anybody who worked there, including my recruiter. Everything was done by phone and email and all they basically did was act as the middlemen for my contract. In all my other previous jobs, I actually worked directly for the company and had a working relationship with the people in HR. I guess I'm just not comfortable having a bunch of strangers at a staffing agency giving a reference for me. That's understandable, isn't it?

Devilsbane

I wouldn't consider checking do not contact this employer as a DQ flag. You should be alright.