What Is a Level 2 Background Check? Your Full Guide

Evelyn Sanderson - April 25, 2025

Trust and safety have always been paramount in the job market, and this is more important than ever in today’s world. As a result, performing background checks has become a fundamental part of job seeking and hiring for individuals and organizations alike. 

A level 2 background check, in particular, is one that gets you a complete evaluation of a person’s background, including their criminal history, creditworthiness, employment history, education, and professional licenses.

This article will go further into the intricacies of level 2 background checks. We’ll talk about the different types of information they show and the benefits they have. We’ll discuss how these checks relate to past employment history as well, whether it’s for hiring purposes, tenant screening, or personal relationships. 

What a Level 2 Background Check Is

A level 2 background check is an in-depth investigation into someone’s background. It goes beyond the basic information that you might find in a standard check, such as criminal records. With a level 2 check, you get a more complete picture of a person’s past, including their credit history, employment history, education, and professional licenses. 

This type of check is usually needed for jobs that require a high level of trust or responsibility or for situations where there’s a need to assess a person’s character and reliability.

Types of Level 2 Background Checks

There are five main types of level 2 background checks to watch for, each one being needed for a different field and type of job. Each check focuses on a different area of information, so you’ll want to familiarize yourself with the one most applicable to your situation.

Criminal Records

When conducting a level 2 background check, hiring managers will typically start by looking into someone’s criminal history. This involves checking both national and local criminal records databases. Some managers, depending on the job, will also check sex offender registries to see if you have any relevant records.

Credit Reports

Another important aspect of a level 2 background check is a credit report. This report will compile details about a person’s credit history and score. As an employer, you’ll be able to see if they’ve had any bankruptcies or liens filed against them.

Employment Verification

To be certain that a person’s employment history is accurate, you’ll need to verify their previous employment. This means contacting their former employers to confirm their job titles, tenure, and reasons for leaving.

Education Verification

It’s also important for you, as a hiring manager, to verify a person’s educational credentials. You’ll want to confirm their academic degrees, certifications, and licenses. This can be done by contacting the institutions they attended, reaching out to past instructors, etc.

Professional Licenses

If the job requires specific professional licenses or certifications, you’ll need to verify that the person has the necessary qualifications. Usually, there will be a credential ID associated with the certification that you can verify. If this isn’t mentioned, you might need to check in with the relevant licensing boards, who can also tell you if they’ve had any disciplinary actions or suspensions.

Do Level 2 Background Checks Verify Employment History?

When an employer runs a level 2 background check on you, they will indeed look at your employment history as well. They’ll start by contacting your previous employers to verify your past occupations and to confirm the dates you worked at each job, your job titles, and your reasons for leaving. For the most part, these are the things they’re interested in:

• Company Names and Locations: This information will help them verify that you worked at the companies you have listed on your resume.
  
• Job Titles and Dates of Employment: This information will help hiring managers understand your career progression and the type of work you’ve done in the past.
  
• Salary Information: In some cases, employers might also ask your previous managers for your salary information. However, this is not always the case, and there are some states where employers are prohibited from asking for your salary history.
• Reasons for Leaving: Employers might also ask your previous employers for your reasons for leaving each job. However, this information is often limited, and your previous employers may not be able to provide a detailed explanation.

The way they reach out depends on the job and the employer as well. Hiring managers will generally contact your previous employers in a few different ways, the most straightforward of which is just to call your previous supervisors or HR representatives. They can also send you written authorization to release your employment records if needed.

Alongside contacting your previous employers, hiring managers should check and verify your employment history through any available public records. This includes things like court records, tax records, and property records. Though tedious, depending on the job, this can be a necessary part of the process.

It’s also possible for background checks to reveal jobs that you didn’t disclose on your resume. If you have a gap in your employment history, for example, an employer might be able to find out what you were doing during that time by running a background check.

At the same time, it’s important to note that level 2 background checks aren’t always perfect. There are times when employers might miss information or make mistakes. If you’re concerned about your background check, it’s a good idea to review your own report carefully and dispute any inaccuracies before they get to potential hiring staff.

Run Your Own Level 2 Background Check

You’re probably wondering how you, as a job seeker, can see what shows up on your level 2 background check in order to verify it (and dispute, if needed). Could you somehow be linked to a criminal history despite not ever having committed any crimes? 

The best way to ease your mind is to run a background check on yourself using a people search site like Information.com. Not only will this help you identify any discrepancies or missing information on your profile, but it will also give you a chance to address any potential red flags and prepare for interview questions in advance. By running a background check on yourself, you can:

• Identify Any Discrepancies or Missing Information: This will help you verify that your resume is accurate and up-to-date.
  
• Address Any Potential Red Flags: If you have a criminal record or a poor credit history, you can take steps to address these issues before they become a problem.
  
• Prepare for Your Job Interview: Knowing what information employers might have about you can help you prepare for your job interview.

The process of running the background check is pretty simple; the tool will ask you for basic information such as your name, phone number, and any other identifiable information that you can provide to make the search easier. With this data, the tool will search online databases, social media, and any other publicly available information that can be tied directly to you and show it in a comprehensive report.

The report will show you everything an employer will see when they run a background check of their own. You can then roleplay as your potential new employer and scrutinize your profile for details to make sure everything adds up as you expect.

After Running a Background Check on Yourself

Before you run a background check on yourself, you’ll want to be aware of the legal aspects of background checks as well. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is a federal law that gives you the right to know what’s in your credit report. It also gives you the right to dispute any inaccuracies.

Upon running the background check, if you do find something concerning on the report, you can file a dispute with the credit reporting agency that provided the information. You can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

It’s also important to be aware of the time it takes for a background check to be completed. The turnaround time for background checks can vary depending on the employer and the type of information they’re looking for, but you can expect most background checks to be completed within a few days. Performing one online takes as little as 30 minutes.

If you’re applying for a job, it’s a good idea to ask the employer about their background check policy so you know better what to expect and how long their process will take.

Knowledge Is Power With Background Checks

As you probably know by now, background checks are a common part of the hiring process. That said, they don’t have to be a hurdle for you to get over. Now that you know what information is typically included in background checks, how they’re conducted, and what you can do to prepare, you’ll have the upper hand in your next job interview. 

Remember, knowledge is power, and with a simple background check, you can get more control over your job search and increase your chances of landing your dream job.