HEB Background Check

HEB is a very popular supermarket. Customers love their quality and service, and employees love the working environment and benefits. For job seekers in Texas looking for retail work, HEB is an attractive choice, but before you can join the team, you’ll have to pass the HEB background check.

In this article, we’ll explain how the process works so you know what to expect.

When Does HEB Background Check?

After you’ve finished the interview process, the HEB hiring manager will decide if they want to offer you a job. If you’ve been successful, you’ll receive a conditional offer of employment. The job offer is contingent on you passing a background check.

Once you accept the job offer, you’ll be sent an email asking for your permission to run a background check.

The background check can’t take place unless you give your consent, so make sure you check your inbox and junk folder regularly otherwise you could miss the email.

When HEB have your consent to run a background check, they’ll forward your details to the background check agency they use.

How Far Back Does HEB Background Check Go?

Your background check will go back at least 7 years.

In Texas background checks can’t usually search more than the last 7 years of your criminal history, but there’s an exception for some types of employment.

At HEB you may apply to work as a delivery driver, delivering grocery orders to customers’ homes. In this case, your job is exempt from the 7-year limit. Because you’ll be visiting customer property, your background check will go back 20 years.

Employers are required to make sure that delivery drivers do not have certain types of felony convictions or misdemeanor convictions.

• Offenses against a person or family (assault, harassment, stalking, domestic violence, etc.)
• Offenses against property (theft, vandalism, arson, breaking and entering, etc.)
• Public decency offenses (prostitution, displaying obscene material, etc.)

For offenses in the above categories, a felony in the past 20 years, or a misdemeanor in the last 10 years will be disqualifying.

There’s also no limit on how far back a background check can go if the job you’ve applied for pays over $75,000 a year.

What Does HEB Background Check Look For?

The HEB criminal background check is a standard pre-employment background check.

The check will confirm your age and identity, social security number, and right to work.

If you applied for a job that requires a minimum level of experience, your past employment will be verified.

Your education and qualifications will be checked if the job you’ve applied for requires qualifications or certifications.

The background check will also involve a criminal record search.

Does HEB Hire People With Misdemeanors?

Yes, it’s possible to get a job at HEB with a misdemeanor on your record.

HEB’s hiring policy states that having a criminal record will not result in automatic disqualification.

However, some types of offenses are incompatible with employment at HEB. Whether they will hire you once your background check discovers your offense will depend on the nature of the offense, how long ago it took place, and your conduct since that time.

If you apply for a delivery job, then certain types of a misdemeanor within the last 10 years will disqualify you.

Does HEB Hire Convicted Felons?

Yes, they do. But the type of felony offense on your record will affect their hiring decision. If you apply for a delivery job, then certain types of a felony within the last 20 years will disqualify you.

Retailers are also unlikely to hire individuals with convictions for theft, fraud, violence, or sexual offences.

You’re more likely to be eligible for a job as an overnight stocker or a warehouse operative. Don’t let a felony on your record deter you from applying, though. The only people who can say for sure if you’ll get hired are the recruiters at HEB, and they can’t make a decision until they have your background report in front of them.

HEB does hire felons, so apply and see what happens.

What Happens If You Fail The Background Check?

If you fail the HEB criminal background check, you’ll receive a notice of pre-adverse action.

The notice informs you that adverse action will be taken regarding your offer of employment. In other words, because of the information on your background report, your job offer is going to be withdrawn.

The pre-adverse action notice gives you the opportunity to obtain a free copy of your background report and the option to dispute any incorrect information.

It’s a good idea to ask for your background report so that you can check it for errors because mistakes do happen. Plus, you’ll be able to see how far back they went and which offenses they found.

Depending on the offense in question and the time that has passed since the completion of your sentence, it may be possible to apply to have the offense expunged.

When an offense is expunged, it will no longer appear on your background report and stand in the way of future employment opportunities.

Does HEB Drug Test At Orientation?

HEB doesn’t drug test for most store positions, so there’s no drug test at the orientation. Drug tests are required for pharmacy technicians, and for HEB warehouse and transportation positions though.

You’ll be asked to take a drug test after your interview. The drug test is a 5-panel urine screen that looks for:

• Opiates
• Cocaine
• Marijuana
• Amphetamines and methamphetamine
• Phencyclidine (PCP)

When you receive your orientation date, it means you’ve already passed all pre-employment checks and you’re hired.

While HEB doesn’t carry out pre-employment drug tests for most positions, they will ask you to take a drug test if you appear to be under the influence of drugs, after an accident or injury, and if you’re selected for a random drug test.

What Are The Steps In HEBs Hiring Process?

The first step is filling out an application. HEB doesn’t accept applications at their stores, so you’ll need to apply via their careers website. If you’ve seen a job advertised on a 3rd party site, HEB advises you to go to the HEB careers website and search for the job directly.

Sometimes applications made from 3rd party sites don’t go through, and sometimes the job postings are fake.

Once you’ve filled out the application your application will be reviewed, then you’ll be invited to a video interview.

The video interview asks you a short series of basic questions including:

• Tell me about yourself
• Why do you want to work at HEB?
• What will you do if a customer drops a bottle of milk in the store?
• What’s your availability to work at HEB?
• Tell me what you know about HEB
• Tell me about a time you dealt with a difficult customer
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?

For each question, a timer will count down your 30 seconds prep time and 2 minutes answer time. You should look directly at the screen and speak clearly.

After your video interview, you may be asked to attend an in-person interview or take an interview over Zoom.

Once you accept a conditional job offer, HEB will carry out your background check and ask you to take a drug test if the position requires one.

When you clear the pre-employment checks, you’ll be given your orientation date.

The entire hiring process can take 2 to 4 weeks.

Quick Recap

Everyone who applies for a job at HEB has to pass a background check. The background check is a standard pre-employment check, that will confirm your identity and right to work, search your criminal history, and if necessary, verify your past employment and qualifications.

The background check takes place once you accept a conditional offer of employment, and can take anywhere from 2 days to 3 weeks to be processed. For some positions, you’ll also need to pass a drug test.

Once you’ve passed all of your pre-hire checks, HEB will let you know and set up your orientation.

Having a criminal record won’t result in automatic disqualification, instead, HEB will review your record and decide if your offense is incompatible with their requirements.