Kroger Background Check

Kroger is a major retailer with hundreds of job openings at any one time. Many of those jobs have fairly low entry requirements, but there is one requirement that is written in stone for every potential new hire, and that is passing the Kroger background check.

Every new employee, from cash register clerks to senior managers, has to be vetted to make sure they are safe to hire for the company.

Kroger operates multiple brands across the grocery sector. You may not realize this, but many familiar supermarkets are actually owned by Kroger, including Baker’s, Dillons, Food For Less, Fred Meyer, Gerbes, King Soopers, Metro Market, Pay Less, Ralphs, and Smith’s.

All the Kroger family of companies use the same background check procedure. And in this article we’ll tell you how the background check works when you apply for a job with Kroger, so you can get an idea of how likely you are to pass the check.

Applying For A Job With The Kroger Company

One of Krogers’ mottos’ is “Come for a job, stay for a career”. And in fact, the current CEO of Kroger began his days at Kroger as a lowly stock boy back in 1978.

Whatever job you’re thinking of applying for, there will always be opportunities for diligent, hard-working employees to move up in the company.

To begin the Kroger application process, go to their company website and select the department that interests you, or use the filter to look for available jobs based on your location.

Once you’ve found a role that you want to apply for, complete the application honestly, then wait for their HR department to contact you for an interview.

When completing your application, make sure you give accurate and honest information, because Kroger’s background check will uncover your genuine history. An issue from your past may not result in a rejection, but they won’t hire you if you’re dishonest.

After a successful interview, Kroger sends an email and asks you to consent to a background check. Look in your spam or junk folder if you don’t receive the email after a few days because these emails can get filtered out by email apps.

After you give permission for the background check, a background check agency will begin processing your report.

Background checks can take anywhere from 2 days to 3 weeks to come back.

What Will the Kroger Background Check Look For?

Kroger uses an industry-standard background check that will verify the information you supplied on your application. The background check will also search for any criminal records you have, as well as your credit report.

If you’ve applied for a driving job, your driving license will be checked and your driving record will be examined for violations.

Basic Information

A background check will verify your name, age, and social security number. Employers need to know that you are who you say you are, that you have the right to work in the country, and that you’re old enough to work. The minimum age to work at Kroger is 16 in most states.

Education Record

Your education record will show whether you graduated high school, which college, or other higher education institution you attended, and for how long.

When an applicant has a high school diploma, it shows that they had a good attendance record which should be an indication of their ability to follow their scheduled work hours, and it shows that they have the aptitude to carry out basic tasks and understand written instructions and policies.

If the role you’re applying for requires a college degree, or other technical skills or licenses, then the background check will verify that you hold the necessary qualifications.

Employment Record

Your past employment record will show an employer if you have any relevant experience and if you have any long stretches of unemployment.

Candidates with a good work history are more attracted to a company like Kroger than applicants with a string of short-term jobs.

Kroger will contact your most recent employer to find out if you were reliable and good at your job.

Criminal Record

Background checks also search national, state, and county criminal records databases and if you have any offenses on your record, these will affect the final hiring decision.

Credit Report

Kroger may also look at your credit report. Employers can tell a lot about a person’s character from their credit report, and if there are any big issues on the report, it can show that you could be a security risk for the company.

How Many Years Does Kroger’s Background Check Cover?

Background checks are regulated by The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) for positions paying less than $75,000 per year. Under the Act, a background reporting agency can look back for, and report, seven years of your history.

The seven-year limitation does not cover felony convictions and these can be reported, no matter how long ago the felony occurred.

Your background report will also reveal any current charges and proceedings against you.

The FCRA limits disclosure of the following matters to 7 years:

• Arrest records
• Charges and dropped charges
• Misdemeanors
• Warrants
• Court proceedings
• Civil suits and judgments
• Most debts exclude unpaid student loans, unpaid taxes, and Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

As we already mentioned, felony convictions can be reported without a time limit, however, some states have passed laws that limit reporting of felonies, and some states also limit how criminal records can be used.

The following 13 states limit felony background checks to 7 years:

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

In the state of Kentucky, pre-employment background checks cannot report on your criminal history unless the offense resulted in a conviction.

New York state law prevents employers from disqualifying your application based on your criminal record, unless the offense has a direct negative bearing on the role you’re applying for, or presents a risk to public safety or company property.

Do You Need to Pass A Drug Test To Work At Kroger?

Kroger has a drug testing policy in place for applicants for some roles. If the job you apply for is one of those roles, Kroger will ask you to take a drug test when they send you your conditional offer of employment.

Once you accept the job offer, you have 24 hours to submit a sample for testing. If you don’t comply with that requirement, Kroger may withdraw your job offer.

Who Gets A Pre-employment Drug Test?

According to the experiences of current employees, applicants for most retail hourly paid positions aren’t asked to take a drug test.

However, pharmacy staff is required to pass a drug screen before they can be hired.

Applicants for supervisor and managerial roles may also be asked to take a drug test.

If you apply for a driving job at Kroger, you will have to pass a drug test if you need a commercial driver’s license (CDL) to operate the vehicle you will be required to use.

All roles requiring a CDL are regulated by the Department Of Transportation (DOT) and the DOT has rules in place for both pre-employment and ongoing drug testing.

All employees, once hired, have to sign paperwork agreeing to random drug testing, and to drug tests after an accident or incident that causes injury to themselves or others or that causes damage to company property.

As an employee, you will also be tested if your manager suspects you are under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

How Does Kroger Drug Test?

Drivers subject to DOT regulations have a urine sample tested for drugs. Other employees give a saliva sample which is collected with a mouth swab.

Samples are checked using a 5-panel drug screen for:

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

FAQS on Does Kroger Do Background Check

What Does Kroger Look For In A Background Check?

Kroger’s background check for all potential employees will verify basic information including age, identity, and social security number.

They will make checks on your education, qualifications, and employment history, and carry out a criminal record search. Applicants for driving jobs will also have their driving records checked.

How Far Back Does Kroger Go On A Background Check?

A Kroger background check goes back seven years for everything except felony convictions, which can be reported no matter the age of the conviction unless state laws place a time limit on felony record reporting.

If you have a recent felony on your record, they will reject your application, but sometimes Kroger hire felons, depending on the nature of the felony and how long ago the offense occurred.

Is Kroger Background Check Strict?

The Kroger background check is the standard check carried out by most large employers. As long as you were truthful on your application, the background check won’t raise any red flags for your identity, education, qualifications, or employment history.

If you have a criminal record, then Kroger will know about your past offenses. However, the company evaluates candidates on a case-by-case basis, and people with past misdemeanors and felonies do sometimes get hired. Whether they decide to hire you will depend on the type of offense you committed and how long ago it was.

Can You Fail A Background Check?

Yes, you can fail a background check.

If the information you supplied about your identity, education, qualifications, or past employment isn’t true, then a background check will show that.

Background checks also reveal any criminal history that you have, and it is then up to the employer to decide if they can hire you, given your background.

Some companies will also refuse to hire applicants who have bankruptcies on their file or very high amounts of debt that the job’s salary clearly can’t cover.

Summary

When you apply for a job at a Kroger store or at one of their other companies, you have to pass the Kroger background check.

The background check will verify the information you supplied on your application and it will retrieve at least the last 7 years of your criminal record.

Applicants for driving jobs will have their driving license and driving record check.

For some roles, Kroger will ask you to pass a drug test as part of the hiring process and this is certainly the case for pharmacy staff and for CDL driving jobs.