Introduction

Run­ning back­ground checks on job appli­cants is a pret­ty stan­dard part of the hir­ing process these days. But just because some­thing is com­mon doesn’t mean it’s sim­ple. Between fed­er­al laws, state reg­u­la­tions, and pri­va­cy con­cerns, employ­ers have to walk a fine line. And for appli­cants, it’s impor­tant to under­stand your rights—especially if some­thing from your past might show up.

Let’s break down how back­ground checks work, what’s allowed under fed­er­al and West Vir­ginia law, and how both sides of the hir­ing table can han­dle the process with­out cross­ing legal lines.

What Is a Background Check?

In the employ­ment con­text, a back­ground check is any review of an applicant’s his­to­ry to help an employ­er decide whether to hire them. That can include:

• Crim­i­nal history
• Cred­it reports
• Employ­ment and edu­ca­tion verification
• Dri­ving records
• Ref­er­ence checks

Con­tin­ue read­ing Back­ground Checks in Hiring—What Employ­ers Can (and Can’t) Do →