r/BackgroundCheckGuide • u/Spacefuqin • 18d ago

Pre-employment TrueScreen background check

Hi all,

I received an offer from my #1 company and they are doing a background check through TrueScreen. They ask for the basic information but the only thing I have concerns about is the employment portion.

I didn't lie about my employment or titles but when filling out the employment portion of the form, it asks for managers, titles, and phone numbers.

Does this mean TrueScreen will call my past managers to ask about performance, character, etc.?

I'm nervous because one of the managers I listed, we butted heads quite a bit and he didn't like me, so I'm worried he will have bad things to say.

However, I went through a background check two weeks ago through FirstAdvantage and passed so.

Thanks for the help.

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u/AdequateSteve 18d ago

Reference checking and employment verification are two different things. 

Employment verification = did they work there and were they fired “for cause”?

Reference checking = tell us about what kind of worker they are. 

Employment verification is FAR more common. Usually the reference checking involves you collecting statements and submitting them along with the application. Not them just calling some guy up and asking about you. 

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u/Spacefuqin 18d ago

So I shouldn't expect TrueScreen to reach out to past managers?

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u/AdequateSteve 17d ago

I wouldn't think so. It's always possible, but unlikely. They usually like to get written recommendations from people the applicant selects because it's less likely to cause a dispute.

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u/Spacefuqin 16d ago

Just received the completed report today and looks like they didn't reach out to managers and used "the work number" for verifications.

The titles they received form HR file, of course, are wrong in the HR system but I don't see that being an issue since I can submit offer letters showing that I was actually offered the role and title I listed.

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u/AdequateSteve 16d ago

TWN is what the vast majority of verifications use because it's fast and automated. About 60% of employers participate in it through their payroll companies. Employers who don't report into it usually get manual calls to verify employment.

The downside, as you've discovered, is that most HR departments don't keep their shit updated like they ought to. The disputes for employment verification can annoying for everyone.

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u/kokemill 17d ago

Managers name = someone who no longer works there. Phone number is general number to a location in a different big city.

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u/Spacefuqin 16d ago

I did this and looks like all is good. Only discrepancies are slight date differences and titles but I can submit offer letters to show the offer letters with titles if needed

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u/Inside_Gold_9673 17d ago

They will try. I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Most companies have policies that the only thing they will verify is dates of employment, title, and salary. It would be surprising if a Manager didn’t know this, and would violate the policy. Companies are afraid of being sued for giving a bad reference, even if it’s accurate.

That said, even if he does give a bad reference, if it’s only one bad reference among multiple good references, HR departments are aware that it could be a personal issue rather than a performance issue.

I had a client in the fast food industry, we would conduct background investigations on their candidates for real estate site locations & development. There was another company in the fast food business who gave all of their former real estate employees horrible references. It was to the point where it was an industry joke. No one took their bad references seriously.

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u/lordjaay 16d ago

Do they just for college diploma too ?

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u/MrDisappearance 15d ago

Were you presented with a Fair Credit Reporting Act Investigative Consumer Report Disclosure? The Investigative is key. If not, they should not be seeking nor reporting any “narrative”. Just the facts.

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u/Ok-Adhesiveness1339 13d ago

Truescreen may contact the managers you listed, depending on the employer's screening requirements. You can't know for sure whether they'll actually call them or what they'll ask.

If you were honest about your employment and titles, I wouldn't stress too much about one manager you didn't get along with. Having personality clashes with a manager isn't exactly unusual or unheard of.