What Causes a Red Flag on a Background Check?

Cindy Ellis - June 27, 2024

Employers routinely conduct background checks, often as the final step of the hiring process. Doing this ensures that everything the applicant has submitted throughout the hiring process is accurate and their past aligns with the company’s values.

However, not all background check results are feasible for employers and potential employees. There can be red flags that make the employer doubt if the candidate is a good fit for their business. Our article will go over exactly this – potential causes of a red flag on a background check.

Read to the end to learn the common red flags on background checks and find answers to the commonly asked questions around this topic.

What Is a Red Flag on a Background Check?

A red flag on a background check refers to any information that raises concerns about an individual. These can be job-specific, such as a history of poor driving records for a position that requires operating a motor vehicle, or broader issues, like a criminal record.

Regardless, red flags indicate to the employer that there’s something about the candidate’s past that requires further investigation to ensure they are a good match for the job.

Nine Common Red Flags on Background Checks

Below, you’ll find nine common red flags on background checks that range from criminal history and inconsistent information to possible implications of a candidate’s social media posts.

1) Prior Criminal Record

Since background checks thoroughly dig into the subject’s criminal history, past misdemeanors, convictions, arrests, and repeat offenses will appear on the results. Based on public arrest records, employers can access detailed information about the candidate’s past offenses.

As previously mentioned, crimes that are directly related to the job at hand have the most significant impact on the hiring process. For instance, a candidate with a history of theft may not be suitable for roles that involve handling money, such as cashiering.

However, the impact of some crimes on the hiring decision may decline over time, particularly if they occurred in the candidate’s youth or were relatively minor offenses like trespassing or disorderly conduct.

2) Inconsistent Information

Another major red flag is inconsistencies in the information provided by the candidate, such as work experience or education. Any discrepancies are flagged to screen out candidates who may have lied in their resume to get the job.

This can be anything from dishonesty about the duration of past employment and positions to credentials provided by the applicant. Since employers want to hire someone who’s honest and matches the requirements for the position, inconsistent information is a red flag that employers take very seriously.

3) Poor Driving Record

Background checks may include motor vehicle records, which are mostly for positions that require operating a motor vehicle, such as delivery driving. If the individual has a poor driving record, it will come out on the background check. For positions that necessitate driving, employers mainly base their decisions around driving records.

These details on background checks include minor violations like speeding tickets and driving with an expired license, as well as major violations like DUIs and reckless driving. While such results may be red flags for positions that require operating a vehicle, minor violations won’t bat an eye for jobs that don’t involve driving at all.

4) Employment Gaps

Employment gaps, particularly multiple lengthy unemployment periods, are a red flag on a background check regarding past work experience. While the candidate may have their reasons for lengthy employment gaps, the employer may interpret them as a lack of motivation to work or a sign of rejection by other employers.

However, employers generally ask why there are employment gaps on the candidate’s resume during the interview. If the candidate has a clear and reasonable explanation, it shouldn’t affect the hiring decision.

5) Short Employment Durations

Short-lived jobs are a red flag on background checks. Employers certainly don’t want to hire job-hoppers, as it is costly to acquire talent. If there are multiple accounts of short employment periods at different companies, the employer may question the candidate’s dependability.

However, similar to lengthy employment gaps, short employment durations may not affect the hiring decision if the candidate can provide a reasonable explanation.

6) Negative References

Background check companies contact the references provided by the candidate on their resumes. This verifies the information while giving them a chance to evaluate the candidate’s work ethic and performance.

If the references give negative feedback about the individual, it will appear as a red flag on the background check. Common red flags regarding references are conflicts at the workplace, performance issues, and leaving the job without giving notice.

7) Poor Financial History

Background checks investigate the financial history of individuals if the position requires managing finances. Just as employers wouldn’t want to hire a bad driver to operate their company vehicle, a poor financial history indicates that the candidate won’t be a good fit for a position that requires money management.

Some specific red flags are bankruptcy filings, low credit scores, and high debt-to-income ratios. When these are present in the candidate’s background check, the employer will likely doubt their financial skills to perform well in the job.

8) Concerning Social Media Content

Nowadays, many background checks include candidates’ social media accounts to ensure they maintain a level of professionalism outside of work. As such, if the job applicant is sharing concerning social media content, such as inappropriate media, hate speech, or harassment, it will appear on the background check as a red flag.

Since every employee can make or break the reputation of a company, employers often take inappropriate social media content just as seriously as other red flags.

9) Denied Background Check

Before the employer or a third-party service provider can run a background check on a potential employee, they must sign authorization forms to consent. If the candidate refuses a background check, the employer will question their trustworthiness or think they may have something to hide.

Although it isn’t a part of the background check itself, since the candidate is refusing, employers take background check refusal as a major red flag and may not move forward with the hiring process.

Understanding Red Flags on a Background Check

While a background check can have numerous red flags, not all lead to negative consequences. Unless it is something major, providing a reasonable explanation to the red flags will ensure that it doesn’t affect the employer’s hiring decision.

However, major red flags on a background check, such as inconsistent information and recent criminal record, almost always have a negative impact. These can make the employer eliminate the candidates with such red flags.

FAQs

What Causes a Red Flag on a Background Check for a Gun?

There are several red flags when it comes to background checks for the purchase of a firearm. Some of these are conviction of a crime with a sentence longer than one year, mental incompetence, a renounced US citizenship, substance use, or even a dishonorable discharge from their military records.

What Causes a Red Flag on a Background Check for an Apartment?

Background checks for renting an apartment verify the tenant’s financial qualifications, criminal history, and identity verification. Poor credit and rental history, including frequent moving, are the most significant red flags that can get you denied housing. Income verification may also be a part of a background check for an apartment. If your income is too low for the apartment, it may be flagged.

How Common Are Red Flags on Background Checks?

Red flags on background checks aren’t uncommon. All of the above red flags we’ve listed appear on background checks all the time. While some are more serious than others, red flags that can be explained, such as employment gaps and prior criminal record when young, don’t have much impact on the hiring decision.

Run a Background Check Online

While traditional background checks are lengthy and involve many steps, you can run one on someone, including yourself, through our website in just a few minutes.

Our background check scans public records and web pages to compile a detailed report that includes information on employment, education, criminal history, social media accounts, dating profiles, relatives, associates, and much more.

To get started, you only need to enter someone’s name, city, and state. If you don’t have access to all this, you can enter the available information and use the filters to narrow down the results to find the right person.

You can also conduct a background check on someone using their email address, phone number, or address. These also work great when trying to find out who lives at a specific address or owns an email address or number.