How to Write a Background Check Update Email (With Examples)
How to Write a Background Check Update Email (With Examples)
A background check is an added safety layer to protect your business from individuals who may exhibit careless, deceitful, or dishonest behaviour in the company or towards the organisation. It will help you to get to know potential candidates and highlight any negative patterns or mismatched information before fully considering them for the job position.
You can run background checks through criminal records, education and employment history, credit check, drug check, and social security number verification. Should it be critical for the job position, some companies also prefer to do social media background checks to see how candidates present themselves publicly.
Background checks can take some time and can be daunting for both job seekers and employers. But because the benefits of doing so outweigh the discomfort in this part of the hiring process, it is vital to keep a potential candidate engaged and excited so you won’t lose a prospective competent new hire.
It’s normal for applicants to apply for other positions or other companies and quite normal for background checks to have unexpected delays. Keep the lines open with your potential employee by updating them on the status of their background check. It is preferable that you keep them in the loop, especially when there are different stages in the process.
Dear [Candidate’s Name],
I hope everything is well with you. Thank you again for applying for the [title] position.
I am emailing to update you on the status of your background check.
We have received the requested documents and they are currently being reviewed by the HR department. We are also awaiting the results of the tests conducted. Please be informed, however, that we might experience delays due to [reason]. Nonetheless, I will keep you informed and we hope that any delays will be avoided. We are expecting and targeting to finish the process by [target date to finish]. I will reach out as soon as I have news.
Please do not hesitate to email me or contact me via [phone number] if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
[Your signature]
[Your name]
[Your job description]
A background check can leave the possible candidate hanging. It would be a welcome gesture to keep them in the loop so they know where they stand with the application. This will help you conduct a smooth background check while making a good impression as an employer who knows how to value their employee’s time. Make sure to ask for their employment reference.