Are There Any Jobs That Don’t Conduct Background Checks?

Michelle Wilson - September 26, 2019

It may not be easy to go about a regular job search when you have something negative in your past. It could be a felony arrest, bankruptcy, a tax lien, or something else. Whatever sits in your past — depending on how far back it goes — you might be worried about what a background check will show and assume you won’t be hired.

Many convicted felons -even when they complete their prison sentence and/or parole- can never really get out from underneath that past. A few states do limit how long a felony record can remain on a person’s background check to seven years, but the majority of states have no limitations.

Most states even permit listing felony arrests -even if that person’s case was dismissed or they were found guilty in a court of law- to remain on their background history.

It does hamper one’s ability to find employment.

It’s not just employment that we need to be concerned about; it’s also housing. More housing managers and realtors are running background checks on prospective tenants. This is complicating one’s ability to find adequate housing just as it is making it difficult for some men and women to find work, especially if they have a felony on their record.

Yet, it seems more employers are running background checks on all prospective hires. They are doing this for a number of reasons.

First, many employers will run a background check to specifically look for criminal history. While many states do not permit an employer to ask whether an applicant has ever been charged or convicted of a felony on their application, there are no stipulations regarding a background check.

In other words, even if the application you fill out specifically says your employer is not permitted by law to ask about your criminal history, they can certainly find out through a legal criminal background check conducted through the Fair Credit and Reporting Act, a federal law.

Since employers may be limited on what questions they can ask on an application, they turn to background checks to ensure they know exactly who they are hiring.

Second, finance-related positions may be required to run a background check. A person who may work with clients as a financial advisor, who may work in human resources, or who may have something to do with the financial aspects of the company will likely have a background check conducted on them.

If that individual is applying for a federal or government level job, a background check may very well be a requirement as well. Any criminal background — financial crimes or otherwise — could be grounds for somebody to be denied employment, even if they qualify on every other front.

Third, liability is a serious concern for many companies. If they hire somebody unknowingly who has some type of criminal background and a crime is committed while employed by them, they could be held legally liable for potential damages.

As a result, more employers seek to protect themselves and make sure they don’t inadvertently hire somebody with a criminal history, even if that prospective employee claims they have nothing in their background.

CheckPeople.com is a great resource for those uncertain what will show up in a background check.

How Can Someone Find Work with a Felony Record?

As noted, even if a person had charges dismissed or was found not guilty in a court of law, a felony arrest can remain on their background for life. Some states limit this to seven years and there are a select few states that will not allow dismissed or not guilty convictions to remain on their record, but most states don’t provide these protections.

There are numerous felons who have completed their sentences, who have turned their life around, who have walked away from that past and continue to struggle to find optimal employment opportunities decades later.

It may be an unfair situation, but this is the way it is for now. Until laws are changed, a person with any type of felony record may have extreme difficulty securing certain types of jobs.

If you aren’t certain about what your background check will show, especially if there’s something deep in your past, you might want to use a service like CheckPeople to see what’s showing up on your public record.

Some Jobs to Consider That Won’t Run Background Checks

While we may mention certain types of jobs, this reference is not a guarantee a particular business or employer will not run a background check. We have heard about HVAC companies refusing to hire people with criminal records because of background checks they’ve used while other contractors never bothered to run any such check at all.

Independent contractors or other general contractors may or may not run a background check. These include plumbers, HVAC technicians, carpenters, builders, heavy machine operators, irrigation technicians, auto technicians, and so forth.

If you have a skill in any of these areas, you may very well be able the find a small, independent contractor willing to give you an opportunity to learn, grow, and establish yourself within their company.

Also, private sanitation companies will often hire people without running a background check, but if you will be operating any type of machinery, including driving a truck or other vehicle on the road, they may conduct a motor vehicle check to determine your history behind the wheel.

Telephone sales or customer service may not run background checks. If you have an opportunity to get a job with a company as a telephone sales rep or customer service personnel, you may not have to worry about a background check. The larger the company, though, the more likely they will run some type of background check as a way to protect themselves from any form of liability.

Because this type of job will not put you in direct contact with prospective customers or clients, you may be able to get one of these jobs without a background check. However, if customers may be sharing personal information, including credit card or Social Security information with these types of calls, you may have to go through a tougher background screening check.

Delivery drivers and restaurant staff rarely ever go through any type of background check. The nature of the work generally leads to high turnover, so employers are more focused on personality, skills, a willingness to learn, and dedication to the company than what happened in your past.

Also, with restaurant work like a line cook or wait staff, there’s going to be close supervision at all times; in other words, there is no need to worry about somebody’s history when a supervisor is almost always on staff and always present.

As far as delivery drivers are concerned, the employer may run a motor vehicle check to find out if you have been involved in any accidents, have a history of speeding tickets and other moving violations, and so forth, but they may not be concerned about a felony arrest from 20 years ago.

Are There Any Other Jobs That Won’t Require a Background Check?

Most work from home job opportunities are not going to require a background screening check. These are not the easiest types of jobs to establish yourself and make consistent money, though. Depending on the company you applied to, you may be hired as an independent contractor, a freelancer.

If that’s the case, how much you earn will be directly dependent on how much you work, your ability to secure opportunities and the availability of jobs from the company.

If you’re struggling to find work because of a criminal background or some other black mark on your background check, it can be frustrating. Don’t give up hope, though.

Understand What’s in Your Background

If you have no idea what’s showing up on a background check, but you have been passed over for one job after another after another and it’s getting frustrating, use a service like CheckPeople to find out exactly what’s there.

If there is something showing up beyond the specified allotted time as designated by the state’s law, you can set forth to have that information removed. If there is a felony record, conviction, or dismissed case that is also showing up and you can show how your life is completely different, you can also petition to have the records sealed or expunged.

This is a long and difficult process and while the percentage of men and women who successfully get their records sealed or expunged is small, it is still an option.

Finally, if you are struggling to find work with certain companies that continually run background checks, seek out opportunities elsewhere that don’t generally use background screening in their hiring process.

You can couple that with a work from home opportunity, build yourself up, develop skills, and make yourself indispensable. Then, in a few years, you may be able to get past the gatekeepers in a company you really want to work for that does run a background check.

Also, remember to always be honest about your history, even if you aren’t certain whether a company will run a background check. An employer is more likely to hire somebody who is upfront and honest than somebody who doesn’t mention their background or history and they discover it when they run that check.