Does Dollar General do background checks? Yes. The Dollar General background check is a process that every candidate has to go through before they can start working for the company.
Before you submit your application, you must give permission for a background check to place. If you don’t give your permission, your application will not be considered.
Make sure you provide accurate information when you fill out your application because the background check will uncover any discrepancies.
What Kind Of Background Check Does Dollar General Do?
The Dollar General criminal background check will verify the information you provided on your application and run several other searches to make sure you’re a good fit for the company. They will check the following:
- Identity and right to work
- Education and professional qualifications (if applicable)
- Employment history
- Driving record (for driving jobs)
- Criminal record
- Credit report (for store management)
An employment background check credit report does not disclose your credit score, but it will show lines of credit, outstanding balances, late payments, defaults, and bankruptcies.
When Does Dollar General Carry Out The Background Check?
The hiring process at Dollar General is very straightforward.
All applications should be made online through the Dollar General careers portal. Then if you’re a suitable candidate, you’ll be invited for an onsite or remote interview.
After a successful interview, you’ll receive a conditional offer of employment and a hiring packet via email. Follow the instructions in the hiring packet to submit your information to the Dollar General System.
Once Dollar General receives your hiring packet, your background check will get underway. You can’t move forward in the hiring process until you’ve submitted the hiring packet, so complete your information as soon as you receive the email.
If you don’t receive your hiring packet within a few days of your employment offer, call the hiring manager to chase it up. They could have been too busy to send it, or they might have made a mistake with your email address.
How Far Back Does The Dollar General Background Check Go?
Dollar General has to follow state law when they carry out background checks. In some states, background checks can only go back 7 years, while in others there’s no time limit.
You should assume that your background check will search for at least 7 years of your history. If you live in a state without a time limit, be prepared for the background check to have a longer look-back period.
Does Dollar General Do Pre-Employment Drug Tests?
For store-based and most distribution center positions, you won’t need to take a pre-employment drug test. However, a drug test may be required if you’re ever injured in a workplace accident.
Dollar General operates a zero-tolerance policy for drug use in the workplace.
If you’ve applied for a CDL driving job with the Dollar General transportation fleet, then you will need to take a drug test. The drug test is a standard DOT analysis that checks your urine sample for:
- Opiates
- Cocaine
- Marijuana
- Amphetamine & methamphetamine
- Phencyclidine (PCP)
How Long Does The Dollar General Background Check Take?
Dollar General background checks usually take 2 to 10 days to complete. However, sometimes when there’s a backlog during busy hiring periods, background checks can take as long as 4 weeks.
Another reason your background check can take longer than normal is that you’ve lived in multiple states. That’s because many local criminal record databases aren’t online yet.
It takes time for staff at the relevant courthouses to check their records and respond to the background check request.
If you haven’t heard anything after 10 days, call the store or warehouse to get an update. There’s no point asking about your background check any sooner because managers can’t request an update until 10 days have passed.
How Do you Know If You Passed The Background Check?
If you pass the background check, the Dollar General store or warehouse manager will call you or email you to let you know that you’re hired. Then you’ll need to go into the workplace to complete your employment paperwork and receive your shift schedule.
To make sure you get the call or email:
- Make sure your phone doesn’t reject calls from unknown numbers.
- Check missed calls and messages regularly.
- Check your email daily and look in your junk or spam folder
You can also check your status on the candidate portal you used to make your application.
If it’s been over 4 weeks and you haven’t heard anything from the company, they probably found something negative on your background check.
If they don’t want to hire you because of the information on your background report, they have to inform you of that decision. And there’s a process they’re legally required to follow (see below).
Does Dollar General Hire Candidates With Criminal Records?
A notice on the Dollar General application form states that having a criminal history will not necessarily exclude you from employment.
Dollar General does hire candidates with misdemeanor or felony offenses on their record, but they do so on a case-by-case basis. They’ll look at the type of offense and how long ago the offense took place, then make a decision.
If your offense involved shoplifting or another type of theft, Dollar General probably won’t hire you. Many positions at Dollar General stores involve handling cash and inventory and they only hire employees they can trust.
A history of assault, sexual assault, or other types of violent offense could put coworkers or customers in danger, so if those offenses show on your record, you probably won’t be hired.
The corporate office makes the final hiring decision. Even if you mentioned your offense during your interview and the manager said it wasn’t a problem, the district manager or human resources manager may take a different view once they receive your background report.
If you live in a state that limits background checks to 7 years, then an offense older than 7 years shouldn’t show on your background report.
What Happens If You Fail The Dollar General Criminal Background Check?
All employers are required to follow the rules set out in the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The FCRA regulates all types of consumer reports, including employment background checks.
When an employer rejects a candidate because of negative information in their background report, they must issue a pre-adverse action notice.
The pre-adverse action notice informs you that your background report contains disqualifying information and that the employer intends to withdraw their offer of employment.
The adverse action notice is usually sent via email or mail, but it can be given in a phone call or voice message.
The notice will tell you how to get a free copy of your background report so you can check it for errors and dispute any inaccuracies. It will also outline the reconsideration process.
The reconsideration process allows you to provide more information about the circumstances surrounding the offense, and it’s your last opportunity to persuade the company to take a chance on you.
If you don’t dispute the background report, you’ll receive a final notice of adverse action, which terminates the hiring process.
Summary
All candidates must pass a background check during the Dollar General hiring process. The background check takes place after a successful interview, and you’ll need to complete your hiring packet before the background check can get underway.
Most background checks take less than 10 days to complete, but during busy periods they can take up to 4 weeks.
Your background check will go back at least 7 years and will check your identity, employment history, education, and criminal record. For some positions, a driving record check and credit report are also required.
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