Background Checks Overview

Background checks let you order a candidate’s background screening from inside CONFIRM and track it to a finished report. The checks are run by Yardstik, the screening agency CONFIRM works with. This page covers setup and the Background Checks area; Ordering & Tracking Checks covers sending a check to a candidate.

Background checks are switched on per organization. If you don’t see Background Checks in the sidebar, or the page says “Background checks aren’t enabled for your organization yet”, contact your CONFIRM account team to turn them on.

Who can do what

Action	Who
Open the Background Checks area and view checks and reports	Admins, Recruiters, and Hiring Managers
Order and cancel checks	Admins, Recruiters, and Hiring Managers, for candidates on jobs they have access to
Accept the screening terms, set the default package, and authorize it	Admins
Set up the background check account, packages, payment card, and payment model	Admins (from the Settings tab)
Choose a package for one job, and add the background check step to its pipeline	Admins and Recruiters, from the job’s console

Viewers see a “You don’t have access” message on the Background Checks page.

The Background Checks area

Click Background Checks in the sidebar (it sits under Jobs). The header shows a readiness pill: Ready to order once setup is finished, or how many setup steps are done (for example, “2 of 4 steps done”). The area has four tabs.

Overview

Until setup is finished, Overview shows the Finish setting up background checks checklist (see Setting up below). Once you’re ready to order, it shows:

At a glance tiles: In progress, Awaiting candidate, Completed (30d), Needs review (completed checks with a report), and Budget (your monthly cap, or No cap).
Needs attention: invitations with no response from the candidate after 5 days. Click Open on one to see its details.
Order a background check: takes you to Candidates, because checks are ordered from a candidate. See Ordering & Tracking Checks.

Checks

Checks lists every background check across your jobs, with the candidate, job, package, status, date ordered, result, and cost. Filter with Search candidate, a status menu, a job menu, and From/To dates. Click a row to open that check’s timeline, report, and actions, with a View candidate link.

Packages

Packages is where you choose what gets screened:

Organization default screening: the package every job uses unless it sets its own. Pick one from the package cards.
Jobs: each job is listed with Uses default or its own package (tagged Custom).
Not sure which package?: describe the role, or base it on one of your jobs, and CONFIRM recommends a package and shows what it includes.
Include Retainability Lite: an optional add-on for the organization default.
More reports from Yardstik: reports that aren’t set up on your account yet. Tick the ones you need and click Request reports (or Request this report) with an optional message, and the CONFIRM team implements them for you. These reports can’t be ordered until then, and no prices are shown for them.

Recruiters and Hiring Managers can see this tab but can’t change it.

Packages appear once your background check account is approved.

Settings

Settings holds your account controls. It’s also where Settings → Background Checks takes you.

Background check account: your account with Yardstik. Its status is shown on the card.
Setup: Screening terms (with Review & accept until accepted) and Payment (your card on file with Replace, Add a card, or “Candidates pay for their own check” if candidates pay). This is your organization’s company card, the same one that pays for job board ads, so changing it here changes it on Settings → Billing & payments too. See Company Card & Budgets.
Background check authorization needed: appears when your default package (or a job’s own package) still needs a one-time authorization. Checks can’t be ordered for those settings until it’s given.

Setting up

The setup checklist walks an Admin through four steps:

Set up your screening account

Click Set up account (or Set up background checks on the Settings tab). Enter your business details, then review and sign the order form. Yardstik reviews new accounts, typically within 2 business days; the account shows Active once ordering is unlocked.

Accept the screening terms

Click Review and accept to read the terms for ordering background checks through CONFIRM. Only Admins can accept; once accepted, the terms show who accepted them and when.

Confirm how checks are paid for

Either your organization pays, in which case checks are charged to your company card and you set a monthly background check budget on Settings → Billing & payments, or candidates pay for their own check and no card is needed. Your CONFIRM account team sets which applies.

Choose your default package

On Packages, pick the package CONFIRM runs on a new job unless the job overrides it. This becomes available once your account is approved.

After setup, CONFIRM may ask an Admin to Authorize your default background check. This one-time authorization covers every check ordered with your organization’s default package, so it isn’t asked again on each order.

Background checks on a job

Each job’s console has a Background Checks section (shown when background checks are on). It shows where the check runs in the job’s pipeline (“Runs after … before …”) with an Edit pipeline link, or Not in this job’s pipeline yet with Add background check step. Below that it shows which package the job screens with. Turn on Customize for this job to override the organization default with a package chosen for the role; Include Retainability Lite there adds a transcript pull and a separate consent step for that job. A job with its own package may need its own one-time authorization before checks can be ordered.

The Background check pipeline step holds the candidate until the check clears. See The Job Console.

Reports and messages

Reports: the Reports page includes a Background Checks report (orders, status, and spend) when background checks are on. See Ordering & Tracking Checks.
Candidate messages: the link a candidate receives after you order is sent by a rule in the Background checks group on Settings → Communications. See Communication Settings.
Spend: org-paid checks appear under Background checks on Settings → Spend, if Spend is on for your organization. See Spend & Billing. Each charge is also listed in payment activity on Settings → Billing & payments. See Company Card & Budgets.