Facebook Background Check

Getting hired by Facebook (now Meta) is a big achievement. Jobs at Facebook are highly desirable and competition for positions with the tech giant is fierce. Before you invest a serious amount of time and effort to get through Facebook’s rigorous selection process, it’s a good idea to be prepared for the Facebook background check.

For the sake of simplicity, we’ll refer to Facebook in this guide, but the same background check policy applies to all of the companies owned by Meta, so if you’re applying for a job on Instagram or WhatsApp, the information that follows will also apply to you.

Does Facebook Background Check Applicants For Every Position in 2024?

No matter the job you apply for at Facebook, you’ll need to pass their background check. Background checks even apply to interns.

The Facebook background check is very thorough and includes identity verification, education verification, past employment verification, and a criminal records check.

Because Facebook carries out a detailed background check, it’s vital that you only supply true and accurate information on your application. Don’t be tempted to embellish your employment history or claim to have qualifications you don’t possess.

They will check:

• Employment start and end dates, job titles, and possibly your salary.
• Degrees obtained and the dates you attended the college or university.
• Your identity, including maiden names, aliases, and name changes.
• Criminal convictions for each state you’ve listed as your current and previous addresses.

The background check takes place after all of the interviews and skills assessments are over and once a conditional offer of employment has been made. It’s the last step in the hiring process.

While the Facebook background check is mandatory, you’ll be glad to know that you won’t need to pass a pre-employment drug test or take any random drug tests once you’re hired.

Facebook isn’t unique in this respect and most big-name Silicon Valley employers don’t require applicants or employees to take drug tests.

How Far Back Does The Facebook Background Check Go?

The Facebook Campus is in Menlo Park, California and that means Facebook has to follow California employment law.

In California, employers carrying out background checks using third-party agencies must comply with the provisions set out in the Investigative Consumer Reporting Agencies Act (ICRAA).

The ICRAA limits the reporting of convictions to 7 years from the date of disposition, parole, or release.

Previous Entry: Does Starbucks Background Check?

Does Facebook Hire Felons?

Facebook doesn’t disqualify applicants with a criminal record unless the nature of the conviction leads the company to believe that you pose a risk to their business interests or to their other employees.

The type of felony offenses that will typically be a problem for Facebook includes sexual assault, violent offences, cybercrime, and fraud.

The Equal Opportunity Employment notice posted on Meta’s careers website, states that the company will consider qualified applicants with criminal records, consistent with federal, state, and local laws.

The Facebook application doesn’t ask about criminal history so you’ll need to volunteer the information about your felony yourself.

Your recruiter will be able to advise you whether you should mention your felony during your first interview or if you should hold the information back until a later meeting.

Don’t be nervous about discussing your record. Facebook was one of the first companies to sign the Fair Chance Business Pledge when the initiative was launched by President Obama.

Signatories taking the Fair Chance Pledge agree to remove the hiring barriers that often stand in the way of employment for individuals with a criminal history.

California employment law also requires employers to evaluate a candidate’s criminal record to determine if the offense has any relevance to their ability to carry out the duties and responsibilities of the position being applied for.

Who Carries Out Facebook Background Checks?

Facebook uses a third-party background check agency called HireRight.

You’ll submit the necessary information for your background check to the HireRight portal and from there you’ll be able to track your progress.

If HireRight can’t verify any of your information, they’ll reach out to you and ask you to provide your own records.

People do run into verification problems with HireRight so it’s a good idea to prepare in advance to avoid any delays or the loss of your job offer.

A couple of issues that feature regularly in discussions about HireRight are past employment verification and degree verification.

One way that you can be ready for any potential problems is to have a copy of your old W2 forms and college transcripts to hand.

W2 forms are easy enough to get hold of, and you can ask current and previous employers for them directly by contacting their HR departments, or you can get copies from the IRS.

To get your W2 records from the IRS (and 1099s if you’ve been self-employed) you need to request a wage and income transcript.

The quickest way to get your transcript is by calling the automated service at 0800 908 9946. You can also go to https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript and follow the instructions on the website.

W2 records usually take 10 days to arrive.

Contact your college registrar’s office for your degree transcripts.

Hopefully, you won’t run into problems with your background check verifications, but if you do, you’ll have everything ready.

Once everything on your background report has been verified, you’ll see a notice on the HireRight portal informing you that your report is ready and has been sent to Facebook.

Read Also: Is it reasonable to be worried about a background check?

Does Facebook Use E-Verify?

Yes, every applicant will be screened through E-Verify to ensure that Facebook only employs individuals who are legally authorized to work within the United States.

How Long Does The Facebook Background Check Take?

If there aren’t any delays verifying your information, the background check should only take a few days, but sometimes a background check can take up to 15 days.

And if the background checking agency needs to get more information from you, then the check can’t proceed until they receive that information.

What Happens If You Fail Facebook’s Background Check?

If you fail the background check, Facebook is legally required to send you a notice of Pre Adverse Action.

This notice will inform you that adverse action regarding your employment offer is going to be taken because of information obtained through your background report. The notice will also inform you of your right to request a copy of the background report and tell you how to get it.

Once you receive your background report, you’ll be able to check through the information to find out why you are being disqualified.

If the information in your report is incorrect, you should dispute the report and request reconsideration.

Pay attention to the time limit on the notice. If you don’t respond in time, Facebook will automatically send you a notice of Adverse Action and formally withdraw your job offer.

Summary

Facebook carries out background checks on all candidates that make it through the selection process. Once you receive a conditional job offer, you’ll need to provide some information to HireRight, the company that carries out Facebook background checks.

During the background check your identity, education, and past employment will be verified, and a criminal records search will be carried out.

It’s a good idea to have your own employment and education records on hand in case HireRight cannot verify you through their system.

Under California law, background checks can go back 7 years.

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