Running Background Checks on Your Staff

Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/D5kq-jc-SvQ

Background checks help you verify that the people working under your company account meet your network and compliance requirements. This guide covers the full process: initiating checks, tracking statuses, viewing reports, using checks completed outside of Pruuvn, and handling adverse action for candidates you reject.

Who Can Be Checked

Any staff member on your account: employees, contractors, or drivers. If you haven't added the person yet, start with How to Add Employees, Contractors, and Drivers to Your Company Account and assign the background check requirement during setup.

Inviting a New Staff Member (Screening Starts at Intake)

You can start the background check process at the moment you add someone to your account.

Select Hiring Tools and then Applicants

Click Invite Candidate

Select the Position Profile. The profile determines which screening package applies. If your network has assigned a required profile, it appears as a locked field and cannot be changed.

Enter the person's first name, last name, and email (phone is optional). If the selected profile includes a motor vehicle record (MVR) check, the driver's license number and license state are also required.

If the profile requires a background check, choose how the check will run:

Invite the candidate (default): The person receives an email invitation, creates their account, confirms their identifying information, and signs the required FCRA disclosure and authorization. The check runs once consent is complete.

I have the signed authorization — order the check now: This orders a screen run through Pruuvn. Select it only if the candidate has already signed the FCRA disclosure and authorization and your company retains it — you must certify this before submitting.

Upload an external background check result (where available): Use this when the check was completed by a screening company outside of Pruuvn. Enter the screening company, the date the check was completed, and upload the result file. No new Pruuvn screen is ordered.

Click Invite Candidate

Each person you invite is created as an individual record and screened separately under the selected profile. They receive an email to set up their login the first time they access the platform.

ℹ️ If no Position Profile appears in the dropdown, or the Invite Candidate option isn't available on your account, contact support@pruuvn.com for assistance.

Step 1: Initiate the Check

If the person is already on your account, you can request a check at any time.

Select Hiring Tools and then Applicants

Open the staff member's entry and request the background check

If the check was assigned as a requirement when the person was added or invited, this step happens automatically.

Step 2: Staff Member Provides Consent

Federal law requires the individual's written consent before a background check can run. The staff member receives an email with a secure link to review the disclosure, provide consent, and confirm their identifying information. The check cannot proceed without this step.

Step 3: Track the Status

You can monitor progress in two places.

Review Background Checks on the sidebar menu shows two columns:

Review Status shows Under Review while the check is still processing or pending

Order Status shows one of three values:

Open: processing has not been completed and results are not finalized

Completed: processing is complete

Canceled: the check was canceled due to an error. You can re-initiate the check by clicking Cancelled on the entry and selecting the option to re-initiate

The Applicants screen under Hiring Tools shows the Background Check Status column with one of four statuses:

Pending (Work in Progress)

Pass

Pass (Continuous)

Failed

✅ The Order Status must show Completed for the check to be fully through the process.

Step 4: View the Completed Report

Go to Review Background Checks on the sidebar menu

Confirm the Order Status shows Completed

Click the screen ID on the entry to open the full background report

Using Background Checks from Outside Pruuvn

If your company has already conducted background checks through another screener, you can record that information instead of running new checks.

Go to Network Settings (you may also see a banner at the top of the page prompting you to identify your screening company; clicking it takes you to the same place)

Under Screening Type, click Update

Enter the name of the entity that completed your background checks and the date of the most recent check run on any employee or contractor

Click Update to save

Pruuvn will periodically require you to reconfirm this information to stay current with network requirements.

Adverse Action for Candidates You Reject

If you decide not to move forward with a candidate based on their background check, the law requires that you notify them through a formal adverse action process.

Go to Review Background Checks on the sidebar menu

On the candidate's entry, click Update Review Status

Select Notice of Pending Adverse Action and click Update. The candidate is notified automatically each time their status changes

After the pre-adverse action period, return to the candidate's entry. The final Adverse Action option only appears once the pre-adverse notice has been initiated

Select Official Notification of Rejection and click Update

The candidate receives the official rejection notice along with the applicable disclosures. A rejected candidate must reapply to join your organization in the future.

⚠️ If a candidate sits in Notice of Pending Adverse Action for 15 days without being updated to Continue, Continue with Monitoring, or Rejected, the system automatically rejects the candidate as required by law.

FAQ

What if a staff member doesn't complete consent?

The check stays in pending status. You can resend the consent request from their entry in the Applicants screen.

Can the staff member see their own results?

Yes. Individuals have the right to view their own background check results and dispute inaccuracies with the screening provider.

What happens if results affect eligibility?

Adverse action requirements apply under the FCRA. Follow the adverse action steps above and your company's HR and legal process before making decisions based on results.

Where can I find more answers?

See the Background Check FAQs article for common errors and troubleshooting.