Pre-Employment Background Check

Austin-Based, Available Nationwide

Just the Facts Investigations, LLC prepares pre-employment background reports for employers. This is a separate service from our investigative background check, and it runs under different rules. A report prepared for a hiring, promotion or retention decision is a consumer report under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and we prepare it as a consumer reporting agency, with the obligations that carries.

If you are not an employer, or you are looking into someone for a reason other than employment, the investigative background check is the service you want.

Who this is for

Employers making a hiring, promotion or retention decision about a specific applicant or employee. Nothing is ordered until the employer has certified in writing, in our signed agreement, that the report will be used for that purpose and for nothing else.

What a report covers

Scope is set in the agreement for each engagement. Searches we regularly run include:

County criminal and civil records. Searched at the county level in the jurisdictions indicated by the applicant’s address history.

Federal criminal and bankruptcy records. Searched directly in the federal court system.

Texas statewide criminal history. Searched through the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Employment verification. We contact prior employers directly.

Education verification. Confirmed through public records. Applicants typically provide copies of degrees and certifications, which we verify against the issuing source where one exists.

Reference calls. We call the references the applicant provides.

Driving records. Available on request, with the applicant’s authorization for that specific search.

We do not run credit reports.

What we need before we begin

A signed agreement. It sets the scope of the search and includes the employer’s written certification of permissible purpose.

The applicant’s disclosure and authorization. The employer obtains these from the applicant, not us. The disclosure must be a standalone document, and the applicant’s signed authorization must be in hand before we start. We can provide sample forms on request.

Identifying information. Full name, date of birth, current address, and prior addresses covering the search period, plus employer, school and reference details for any verifications ordered.

How it works

Turnaround. Five business days from receipt of the signed agreement, the applicant’s authorization, and complete identifying information. That includes verification and reference calls. Court delays, unreturned calls, or records that need a second request can extend it, and we tell you when that happens.

Review. Every search is run and reviewed by a licensed investigator. We do not send automated results. Where a record needs confirmation that it belongs to the applicant, we confirm it before it goes in the report.

Delivery. The report goes to the employer.

Fees. A flat rate per report, quoted when the scope is set. It varies with the number of jurisdictions and verifications ordered.

The employer’s responsibilities

The Fair Credit Reporting Act assigns some steps to the employer, and we cannot take them on for you.

Before the report: obtaining the applicant’s standalone disclosure and signed authorization, and certifying to us that the report is for employment purposes.

If the report leads to an adverse decision: providing the applicant with a copy of the report and the federal Summary of Rights before the decision is final, and the required notice after it. We supply the Summary of Rights with every report.

If an applicant disputes something in the report

An applicant who believes a report contains an error contacts us directly, not the employer. We reinvestigate, correct the report if a record was wrong or misattributed, and send the corrected report to the employer.

Reporting limits

Federal and state law limit what may appear in a pre-employment report, including how far back certain records may be reported. We apply those limits before a report goes out.

What this service is not

It is not an investigative background check. Investigative checks are prepared for individuals and attorneys for purposes other than employment, are not consumer reports, and draw on sources we cannot use here. The two are handled under separate agreements and are never combined.

It is not tenant, credit or insurance screening.

Frequently asked questions