Human Resources

The college conducts background checks to promote a safe work environment, protect key organizational assets such as people, property and information, and enable the hiring manager to make prudent hiring decisions. Human Resources will coordinate the background check process with a third-party provider to review findings and make determinations based upon criteria set forth by the college. 

Background checks must be completed prior to the first day of employment or engagement with the college.

All staff and faculty roles will require background checks as a pre-employment requirement after a conditional offer has been accepted by the candidate.

In most cases, background checks will be conducted for the finalist and only following a contingent offer of employment. Informal offer letters issued prior to completion of the background check will notify the finalist that the offer is contingent upon successful completion of any and all required background checks.

The college will add a statement notifying potential applicants of the requirement for appropriate job-related background check(s) in the individual job postings. Additionally, search committees will inform candidates of the college background check requirements during the selection process. A general statement about the college’s background check processes is provided on the Reed college jobs page. This published statement serves as required notification to all candidates.

A standard background check will include a Social Security Number verification, a misdemeanor and felony criminal history check, and National Sex Offender Registry check.

Additional background checks may be required for specific positions based on job-related need, including but not limited to the following:

● Motor Vehicle Record: required for positions where an individual is required to drive a vehicle on college business, whether Reed-owned or other vehicles.

● Credit History Check: Conducted only for positions where the information is substantially job-related such as, for example positions with extensive authority to commit financial resources of the college or with extensive fiduciary responsibility for financial resources of the college; or as required by law, and as appropriate for positions with the following responsibilities:

• Direct access to and handling of cash and cash equivalents (i.e., checks, credit card receipts, negotiable securities);
• Public safety and campus security ○ Note that federal law prohibits discrimination as a result of personal bankruptcy. For positions that require a credit history, the college will notify candidates in writing in advance how the credit history is substantially job-related and the reasons for the use of the information.

• State or federal law or regulations, professional associations, licensing entities or contracting partners may impose additional background screening check requirements upon certain individuals (for example, the Medicare Exclusion/FACIS check).

No. The existence of a criminal conviction or other finding will not result in automatic disqualification from the applicant pool. Not all criminal convictions are considered to be job-related, and decisions about criminal convictions and employment are made on a case-by-case basis. Findings will be considered by the college to the extent they relate to the applicant’s suitability for employment in the position for which the applicant has applied, and may be considered based on the following factors:

•  Nature and gravity of the offense(s),
• Time since conviction, completion of sentence or any other remediation, and
•  Degree of relevance to the position for which the candidate is being considered/employee is performing.

It is to be expected that there are college positions on which the public trust and reputational impact of the college rely, and evaluation of findings will include those factors.

Candidates have the right to access credit and/or criminal background check(s) information reviewed by the college and a description of the evaluation of findings; a summary of these rights is included in the background check authorization and release.

Academic freedom and the expression of free speech are critically important to academic life. Findings arising from the expression of academic freedom or First Amendment rights will be reviewed according to the importance of those values within our community. Other convictions will be reviewed based on the factors defined for assessing all findings.

Finalists for positions must authorize the college to conduct background checks. The finalist will receive email notification of the background check requirement and will be provided with authorization and disclosure forms. The finalist is asked to provide identifying information, including other names used, Social Security Number and birthdate, driver license number, all addresses for the prior seven years, and conviction history. 

Candidates for employment who fail to participate fully or who provide inaccurate information in a background check will be eliminated from consideration for the position. Candidates may decline to authorize a background check; in such cases, no background check will be performed, but the candidate will not be considered further.

Background checks are typically completed within three business days. Some jurisdictions may require additional time. Candidates who have lived internationally may require an international check, depending on the duration and purpose of their travel (e.g., students who went on study abroad for a term but who never changed their permanent address may not be required to have an international check). International checks take additional time to process.

Hiring managers and departmental HR contacts are notified by email when finalists have successfully completed the background check process. You can contact the departmental HR contact for an update.

Human Resources is charged with the initial evaluation of findings to ensure that decisions about findings are made consistently and are based on a job-related analysis and take into account the nature and context of the offense.

If findings are present, the background report will be reviewed by Human Resources based on the criteria outlined in question 8. Human Resources will notify the finalist of a finding (pre-adverse action notification), including providing access to the complete report and advising the finalist of their rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”). Human Resources will also ask the finalist to confirm that the report pertains to them and invite the finalist to provide any additional information for consideration.

Following this step, Human Resources will make an initial determination as to whether the finding is sufficiently job-related to seek next-level evaluation. If Human Resources has insufficient information about the position requirements to make this determination, they will seek additional information from the hiring unit. If findings are determined to be substantially job-related, or if there is insufficient information to make such a determination, Human Resources will then make a recommendation regarding the findings to the area Vice President (for staff) or Dean of the Faculty (for faculty), or the designees of individuals serving in these roles. The recommendation will include whether disqualification from that specific job is warranted, based on application of the criteria mentioned above. 

If a decision is made to withdraw the contingent offer of employment, Human Resources or the Dean of Faculty's office will notify the candidate that they are not eligible to fill the position based on the unsatisfactory results of a background check, and will provide the finalist with all required notifications pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act and/or other applicable law(s), including the right to review the report and how to contact agency(ies) that provided the background check results (adverse action notification).

Information gathered as a result of background screening is considered sensitive, and disclosure is restricted to those individuals who need the information to perform their job duties. Records are maintained by the college’s Human Resources department in accordance with the records retention schedule.

Current employees that initiate an employment change (e.g., application to a competitive recruitment or acceptance of a new position via direct appointment) will not require a background check for a new position unless the new position requires a background check for state or federal requirements or one is needed or advisable as a result of specific responsibilities of the new position. 

Changes in employment that are initiated by the college, at the college’s discretion (e.g., change in job functions, transfer to new positions as an accommodation, participation in a layoff process, direct appointment via a re-employment pool) will not typically require a background check unless the new position triggers requirements under college policy, state or federal law.

The college also retains the right to conduct relevant background checks of current employees when it has reasonable grounds to do so. Some examples include:

• a workplace incident has occurred,
• upon self-disclosure of criminal activity or upon the college being informed of such activity, or
•  upon the addition of a secondary or supplemental assignment.

If a current employee has recently had a background check and is being considered for a supplemental assignment designated as requiring a background check, the findings of the check will be reviewed for relevance to the supplemental assignment.