If you’ve got a less than spotless past, you may have questions about the Publix background check, so let’s dive in and get you up to speed.
Getting a job at Publix can be a great opportunity. The retailer offers a competitive pay and benefits package, and because they promote from within, their entry-level jobs can be a doorway to a lucrative and enjoyable career.
Publix Background Check – Supermarket Jobs
When you apply for a job at a Publix supermarket, you’ll need to pass a background check. Background checks are carried out after you’ve completed your interview and the company is interested in hiring you.
After your interview, you’ll be asked to take a simple mouth swab drug test and provide the necessary information for your background check.
For retail jobs, the drug test will check for opiates, cocaine, amphetamine and methamphetamine, and phencyclidine (PCP).
If you’ve applied to work in the pharmacy, you’ll be tested for marijuana as well.
Once a negative drug test result comes back from the lab, the background check begins.
The background check for a Publix retail position will verify your identity and social security number; check county, state, and federal databases for criminal convictions, arrests, and charges; and check to make sure that the information you provided about your education and employment background is accurate.
If your job will involve handling cash, the background report will include a credit report. Why? Having a lot of debt to pay off with a lower income level is often a concern for many retail companies because it could indicate a potential theft risk, so they run a credit report to help reduce the risk of theft from the register.
The staff at the store don’t get to see the confidential information on your background report, so don’t worry that your manager will know your personal business.
Does Publix Do Background Check on Warehouse Jobs?
You’ll need to pass a background check for all warehouse roles at Publix. After a successful interview, you’ll be asked to take a drug test and provide preliminary information and consent for your background check.
For Publix warehouse jobs, the saliva drug test looks for opiates, cocaine, marijuana, amphetamines and methamphetamine, and phencyclidine (PCP).
Once you pass the Publix drug test, the background check will get underway.
Publix will run checks to verify your identity and social security number, and they will check to make sure that the information you gave about your education and previous employment is accurate.
The background check will also search county, state, and federal databases for any criminal offenses you may have committed. And if the job you’ve applied for involves any driving of a company vehicle or equipment like a forklift, your motor vehicle report will be checked for driving violations.
How Far Back Does Publix Background Check Go?
For everything except felonies, a background check can only go back for 7 years. So if you’ve got arrests, charges, or misdemeanors older than 7 years, the background check cannot report them to an employer.
Background checks are regulated at the federal level by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) which sets the 7-year limit that all companies have to follow when they run the type of consumer report that is used as an employment background check.
The FCRA does not put a time limit on reporting felonies, however, and a felony can be reported without any time limit unless your state has put its own limit in place.
We’ve heard various reports from employees that indicate that Publix background checks go back 7 years, while others state that their report went back 10 years.
The following states have a 7-year time limit on felony reporting:
- California
- Colorado
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Montana
- Nevado
- New Hampshire
- New Mexico
- New York
- Texas
- Washington
Depending on the state, the 7-year limit can be set from the date of disposition, or it may run from the prison release date or from the start of parole.
Does Publix hire With A Misdemeanor?
If you’ve got a misdemeanor on your record, Publix will hire you unless the offense is incompatible with the type of job you’ll be doing.
You’ll need to be able to reassure them that whatever your offense was, that kind of behavior is well behind you.
Even so, they may decide that your offense disqualifies you if you were convicted of certain types of theft, a sexual offense, or a violent assault.
Publix has hired plenty of individuals with misdemeanors on their record, so you should go ahead and apply, and see what they say.
Will Publix Hire You With A Felony?
Having a felony on your record isn’t always a barrier to finding employment with Publix. Publix has hired many individuals with felonies on their record and they assess applicants with criminal records on a case-by-case basis.
Some types of felony are more problematic than others, and a felony for theft, a sexual offense, or violent assault will be a red flag. Having multiple felonies will also count against you.
In general, the more time that has passed since your conviction, the better. And if you can show that you’re rehabilitated and have a good record since that time, then that will count in your favor.
What Happens If You Fail The Publix Background Check?
If you fail the background check, you won’t get hired. Even if the store or warehouse manager wanted to have you on board, their hands are tied by corporate policy, and if the Human Resources department deemed you a high risk because of your past offenses then that’s the final word.
You’ll receive a letter from the background check company which is a notification of Pre Adverse Action. This notice gives you the opportunity to obtain a free copy of your background report and dispute any errors.
You should check your report carefully because errors do happen.
If you find an error, the background checking company has to correct your report.
Another course of action that is worth pursuing is getting your record cleaned up. You’ll need to seek legal advice, but often it’s possible to have offenses expunged. If this is possible for your particular offense, then the offense will no longer appear on your record and it won’t stand in the way of future employment opportunities.
Frequent Asked Questions (FAQs)
What Type Of Background Check Does Publix Do?
Publix does a thorough background check which will verify your identity, your education, and your employment record. The background check will also search for any criminal records you have and may include a credit report and driving record report.
How Long Does A Background Check Take For Publix?
The background check should only take a few days to come back, but you might not hear from the company right away. It depends on how busy they are and on when they’re scheduling the next orientation. If you haven’t heard anything after 10 days, you should call and follow up.
Can You Get A Job At Publix If You Have A Felony?
Publix doesn’t automatically reject applications from felons and they’ve hired felons in the past. The type of felony you have on your record, the length of time since your conviction, and your record since that time will all be taken into account when they make their decision.
What Do They Ask In Background Checks?
Background checks verify your identity, age, social security number, and your right to work. They will search county, state, and federal databases to find any criminal convictions, arrests, and charges that you may have.
Other checks they can do include your education record and employment background. Some positions may need a credit report and driving jobs will need a motor vehicle report (MVR) to check for driving violations.
Conclusion
Like all large companies today, Publix carries out background checks on everyone that applies for a job. The background check takes place after your interview and is a good indication that you’ll get hired as long as you pass. Your pre-employment checks also include a simple drug test and once you pass the drug test your background check will be processed.
Your background check should only take a few days to complete, but you may need to wait a week or two before Publix contacts you to set your orientation date. Feel free to follow up about your background check if you haven’t heard from Publix after 10 days or so.
If you fail the background check, the background check company will send you a letter giving you the opportunity to obtain a copy of the report so you can correct any errors.
Related Article: Does Aldi Background Check Applicants?
Robert Eric (a lover of Cats and Dogs) is the co-founder of HireFelonsJobs. In our search for a better life, after… A platform was created for the purpose of easing the search for ex-convicts.