Home Depot Background Check

If you’re ready to apply for a job with Home Depot, you’ve probably got questions about the Home Depot background check.

Home Depot is the largest DIY and home improvement retailer in the world. You’ll find their stores across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The retailer grew into the giant it is today by having the best prices and by obsessing over its customers. To work for Home Depot, you’ll need to display that same commitment to customer service.

If you’ve got any kind of background in DIY, that will be a big bonus when you get to your interview because the more DIY knowledge and experience you have, the better you can serve Home Depot customers.

Does Home Depot Carry Out A Background Check?

Home Depot will carry out a background for every job applicant that passes the interview stage of the hiring process.

Once your interview is complete, you’ll be asked to use a computer to begin the background check process.

You’ll need to provide your name, address, date of birth, and social security number, and then you’ll go through a series of screens that ask for additional information.

As you enter your information, double-check that you’re entering your details accurately. Misspelling your name or keying in the wrong social security number will cause problems with your background check. And when you’re entering past employment dates, try to be as accurate as possible.

If you don’t have exact dates, ask the HR assistant what you should enter instead. If you have any difficulty at any stage of the process, ask for help.

What Does The Home Depot Background Check Look For?

The background check will verify the information you gave on your application and the details you provided after your interview. The Home Depot background check will verify your identity, date of birth, and social security number.

As long as you gave accurate information, you’ll pass this part of the background check without any difficulty.

The background check will confirm that the information you provided about your educational attainment is correct. For Home Depot associate positions, you’ll need a High School Diploma or a GED as a minimum requirement, so they will check to make sure you have yours.

For positions that require a college degree, your degree will be verified, and if you need to have a trade certification for your job, for example, a forklift certification, or a plumbing or electrical qualification, these will also be confirmed.

Your employment record will be verified. For most associate positions, this will mean checking that you actually worked for the previous employers you listed between the dates you specified.

If you’ve applied for a management role, the check may go into more detail about your previous employment to confirm the positions you held and the level of responsibility entrusted to you.

Again, as long as you’ve been honest and accurate with the details you provided, you’ll pass this stage of the background check.

If your job will involve driving a company vehicle, Home Depot will want to see your Motor Vehicle Report (MVR) to make sure you don’t have significant traffic offenses and to make sure that your license is current and hasn’t been suspended.

Certain management positions with financial responsibility may also require a credit check to guard against the risk of fraud.

Your criminal record will be checked against the county, state, and federal databases for any offenses that would be incompatible with working for Home Depot.

How Far Back Does Home Depot’s Background Check Go?

We’ve heard reports from Home Depot employees stating that their background checks went back 7 years, while others claim that their checks went back for 10 years. It’s impossible to be sure how far the background check will go, but some limits are in place that companies must adhere to.

For arrests, charges, warrants, and misdemeanor convictions, the background check can only go back for 7-years. A pre-employment background check is actually a type of consumer report and, as such background checks are regulated by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).

This federal legislation limits most background check information to 7 years. However, the FCRA doesn’t cover felony convictions and these can be reported without limitation unless your state has put its own limit in place.

The following states have a 7-year limit on felony reporting:

• California
• Colorado
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Montana
• Nevado
• New Hampshire
• New Mexico
• New York
• Texas
• Washington

You should know that some states block reporting on convictions dating back more than 7 years, while others allow the date of release from prison or start of parole to be included.

This would mean that an offense that occurred 10 years ago but had a prison release date of 5 years ago could be included.

What Criminal Offenses Are A Problem For Home Depot?

Home Depot has to protect its business interests and at the end of the day that comes down to minimizing the possibility that it will lose money.

Making the wrong hiring decision when a candidate has a criminal history could expose them to a negligent hiring lawsuit if that individual caused harm to another employee or customer.

So if you have a record that includes serious sexual offenses, violent assault, or murder, you can expect Home Depot to turn you down.

Home Depot will also be on the lookout for risks that could result in merchandise theft, or theft or fraud at the register. So convictions for theft, burglary, and fraud may mean that they won’t hire you.

Many jobs at Home Depot involve the use of machinery and equipment. Obviously, these pose a safety risk to the associate operating the equipment, but unsafe practices and failure to follow proper procedures also pose a threat to other staff and customers.

This is one reason that Home Depot has zero-tolerance for drug or alcohol use. If your background check reveals past offenses related to drugs or DUIs, this could be a problem. However, passing a drug test will alleviate some of those concerns (see below).

How Long Does The Home Depot Background Check Take?

Under normal circumstances, your background check should take no longer than one week. Most times, the background check comes back within one or two days, and the employee is then scheduled for orientation the next day or soon after.

When Home Depot is overwhelmed with job applications and background checks to process, you’ll need to wait a little longer.

Home Depot is typically very busy with new hires during the spring when they take on many new seasonal workers in addition to their regular hiring needs.

During this time, your background check could take as long as 2 weeks to come back.

In general, if you haven’t heard anything after 10 days, you should call and check if your background report has come back.

Does Home Depot Do A Drug Test?

Yes, a drug test is one of Home Depot’s pre-employment checks.

The drug test usually takes place after a successful interview, although sometimes it can be held back until orientation. There’s no way to tell when your drug test will be until you get to the interview and by then it’s too late if you haven’t prepared beforehand.

The best thing to do is get drugs out of your system before you begin your Home Depot application. Then, if you have an interview the next day, you know that you’ll pass.

If you don’t receive a drug test at your interview, you’ll need to continue to abstain from drug use because your orientation could take place at short notice. It’s often the case that new hires get a call on one day telling them to come in for orientation the following day.

Home Depot uses a mouth swab drug test for new hires, and drug tests are carried out on site.

Your saliva sample will be sent out to a lab for analysis, where they will test for the following substances:

• Opiates
• Cocaine
• Marijuana
• Amphetamines and methamphetamine
• Phencyclidine (PCP)
• Methadone
• Benzodiazepines
• Barbiturates
• Propoxyphene
• Methaqualone

In addition to a pre-employment drug test, Home Depot reserves the right to carry out random drug tests and will drug test if there is any reason to suspect that you’re working under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and after workplace accidents.

What Happens If You Fail the Home Depot Background Check?

If you fail the Home Depot background check, you will receive a notification of Pre Adverse Action.

This notice will tell you that the information discovered during your background check makes you unsuitable for hire.

You’ll be offered the opportunity to obtain a free copy of your background report and given a time limit for disputing any errors that you find on the report.

You should always obtain a copy of the report and check it carefully. Even if you already know that you have an offense in your past, there could still be mistakes in your report.

If there are errors on the report, you need to contact the company to dispute the report and have it corrected so your job offer at Home Depot isn’t unfairly affected.

If everything is correct on your report, then there is nothing further that you can do for this job application. But you should look into the possibility of getting your record expunged.

Not every offense is eligible for expungement, but if yours is, it’s a really good idea to get started on the process.

Once an offense is expunged from your record, the offense will no longer show on your background reports and it won’t be able to ruin future employment opportunities.

Does Home Depot Hire Misdemeanors?

Yes, they do. However, even though they don’t use a blanket policy to disqualify applicants with a criminal record, there are some offenses that will be incompatible with working for a retailer like Home Depot.

Home Depot has signed the Fair Chance Business Pledge. The pledge was introduced by the Obama Whitehouse back in 2016 with the aim of removing unfair barriers to employment. Since then numerous employers have taken the pledge and no longer use discriminatory hiring procedures.

Fair Chance employers like Home Depot assess candidates on a case-by-case basis and if your misdemeanor won’t be likely to have an adverse effect on their business, they will be open to hiring you.

Offenses likely to have an adverse effect on business include assault and sexual assault because an individual with a history of violence could pose a risk to staff and customers.

If you’ve been convicted for crimes involving theft and fraud, Home Depot could choose to deny your application because you may cause the company financial loss.

Does Home Depot Hire Felons?

If you’ve got a felony on your record, don’t despair. Home Depot has hired many felons in the past and many ex-felons are wearing the famous orange apron today as they carry out their duties as a Home Depot employee.

The Fair Chance Business Pledge applies to felonies as well as misdemeanors. This means that your felony will be looked at and assessed based on the nature of the offense, how long ago it took place and what your record has been like since that time.

There’s a broad swath of offenses that fall under the felony category and some are morally questionable, but they don’t make you a dangerous individual.

A felony for public urination or unpaid child support shouldn’t have much of an impact on your application. While a felony for a serious crime like rape or murder would probably mean that you wouldn’t get hired.

We’ve heard reports from Home Depot employees with felonies for things like domestic violence, drug offenses, and (surprisingly) arson on their record, and they were hired. A recent release from prison hasn’t been a barrier for some employees either.

So don’t be discouraged. Go ahead and apply and see what happens. The worst that can happen is they say no.

Frequent Asked Questions (FAQs)

How Long Does It Take For Home Depot To Check Your Background?

The Home Depot background check can take anywhere from 24 hours to 2 weeks or longer in very busy periods. If the Human Resource department is dealing with a heavy load of applicants, then you will normally face a long wait. If you haven’t heard anything after 10 days or so, you can give them a call to see how your application is progressing.

Does Home Depot Check Past Employment?

Your background check will verify the dates of your past employment. If you’re applying for a managerial position, you can expect your references to be checked to find out the reason you left your job and if they would be happy to hire you again.

What Should I Be Worried About A Background Check?

If you’ve got a criminal record, your offense may make you unsuitable for hire by many employers. Each company has its own hiring criteria. But in general, the more serious the offense, the more difficult it will be to pass a background check. Less serious offenses, especially ones that took place a long time ago, may not be a problem.

What Things Come Up In A Background Check?

Your background check will bring up 7 years of your criminal history for arrests, charges, and misdemeanor convictions. About 25% of states also limit reporting on felonies to 7 years, but most don’t have any time limit. In these cases, a felony can be discovered no matter how long ago it took place.

If your background check includes a Motor Vehicle Report, traffic violations, and license suspensions and revocations will be reported. Other information that may be checked includes your past employment history and your education record.

Summing Up

To get a job at Home Depot, you will need to pass a background check. The background report takes place once you’ve received a conditional job offer. In addition to the background check, you’ll need to pass a saliva drug test which is carried out on-site after your interview, or at your orientation.

Home Depot is a participant in the Fair Chance Business Pledge, which means that they don’t unfairly discriminate against applicants with a criminal record. Some felonies and misdemeanors will be incompatible with employment at Home Depot, but they have hired many people with felonies and misdemeanors in the past, so it’s always worth putting in an application and seeing how things go.

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