How to Initiate a Criminal Background Check/Degree Verification

When to Initiate the HireRight Criminal Background Check

• Initiate the background check/degree verification as soon as possible, but no more than 6 months prior to the start date of the appointment.

How to Gain Access to HireRight

• To gain access to HireRight to initiate the criminal background check, contact your unit security administrator. Your unit security administrator will need to forward your name and contact information to the Solutions Center Compliance Team at cbc@hr.msu.edu to request access to HireRight.
• The subject line of the email should state “HireRight Access for Faculty/Academic Staff.”
• When you receive access to the HireRight system, you will also receive access to HireRight Training and Help Documents. 
  1. Click on the Help & Training tab on the left side of the page, then select the Training & Documentation link. You should review the GUIDE: Quick Start Guide first. Select the Customer Training module to register for the Getting Started with HireRight live session.
  2. The Super Users are the Solutions Center Compliance Team. They can be reached at 517-353-4434 or cbc@hr.msu.edu.

Initiating the HireRight Background Check Request

• Log into HireRight and initiate the background check (HireRight Website).
  1. Select the appropriate background request package for the employee.
  2. Complete the Form Completion Options. You may receive a copy of the email sent to the employee for your records by selecting the appropriate check box. ***Be sure to complete the employees name as it appears on the social security card when applicable.
  3. Review and submit the request.
  4. The new employee can find tips to completing a satisfactory criminal background in the FAS CBC Employee Toolkit.

HireRight Criminal Background Check Statuses

• A status of “Meets Company Standards” means that the applicant has satisfactory background check results.
• A status of “pending, client review required or pending-potential conflict” may occur for a variety of reasons. Some common reasons are:
  1. A discrepancy has been found regarding the applicant’s degree information.
  2. An institution is not able to provide a response regarding degree verification.
  3. Criminal felony or misdemeanor records have been found on the applicant’s record.

All background checks with the status of "pending, client review required or pending-potential conflict” require central HR review. After central HR review, you will either receive an email notification from HireRight stating the status has been changed to “Meets Company Standards” or you will be contacted by central HR for additional follow-up.

Additional Information

• The average turnaround time after a criminal background check has been submitted by them employee to HireRight is 5 business days. Delays in turnaround time do occur. Please allow at least one or two weeks processing time for each background check in the event of a delay. Additionally, a turnaround time of at least two weeks for a request that is submitted for a degree verification from an institution outside of the United States can be expected. Please allow for at least two to three weeks processing time in these cases.
• If additional information is needed, the employee may be contacted directly by HireRight, or by a representative of Michigan State University. These requests need to be responded to in a timely manner.
• Training Resources: Please reference this HireRight guide for questions about how to get started using the HireRight system.

      Still have questions? Contact Human Resources at SolutionsCenter@hr.msu.edu or 517-353-4434.