Applicants can enter the background check stage in two ways.
Manually: after an interview or another step, you can move them into this stage and choose to send or skip the background check request.
Automatically: if automation is enabled, applicants who pass the previous stage are moved automatically, and the background check request is sent via automated message.
Once sent, applicants receive a link to complete the check through Sterling. You can track progress and results under the Background tab in their profile.
💡 For comprehensive answers to common questions about Sterling's background checks, including account access issues, legal requirements, and the screening process, please visit Sterling's Client FAQs.
Starting a background check for an applicant
Find applicants in the background check stage
Applicants in the Background Check stage can appear in different tabs in the Applicants page depending on where this stage falls in your hiring process and whether automation is enabled:
Applications – If the Background Check stage is placed before or within the last scheduling stage, applicants will remain here
Interviews – If the Background Check stage follows interview-related stages but is not yet past the final scheduling stage, applicants may appear here
Offers and Hires – If the Background Check stage is after the last scheduling stage or at/after the Hiring Complete stage, applicants will move here. Any applicant marked as hired will also appear in this tab, regardless of stage type
This placement follows system rules that categorize applicants based on hiring stages. If you’re unsure where an applicant is, check the Applicants page and navigate through the tabs accordingly.
Start a background check for an applicant
Go to Team View, then Applicants.
Find the applicant in either of the three tabs – Applications, Interviews, or Offers and hires.
Select the three-dot menu ••• next to the applicant, then Move to stage.
Choose the background check stage.
Toggle the request button to send a background check request, or turn it off to skip it.
If you choose to send a background check request, the request will follow the automated message you set up in the Background Check stage of your hiring process. If you turn it off, the applicant will be moved to the Background Check stage without receiving a background check request.
View applicants' background check results
Go to Team View, then Applicants.
Find the applicant under the Interviews or Offers and Hires tab.
Select their name to open their profile, then go to the Background tab. Here, you'll see the applicant’s background check details, including their current status.
If more information is needed, you’ll also have the option to view their report directly in Sterling.
The person who started the background check gets an email when the results are ready. For example, if a hiring manager starts it, the hiring manager gets the email.
Find out what the background check statuses mean
Clear: These scores mean that there was no derogatory or discrepant information found
Consider: These scores would mean that some derogatory or discrepant information was found