GoodHire Background Check Errors? We Help You Fight Back

Lots of companies use third-party background check agencies like GoodHire to check candidates’ resumes, work histories, and criminal convictions. While things normally go smoothly, GoodHire sometimes makes serious mistakes that can cost qualified candidates excellent jobs with good pay rates.

If you think your job opportunity has been compromised by a GoodHire background check error, Fair Credit may be able to help. Read on for more information about GoodHire background check mistakes and what to do if you encounter one.

What is GoodHire?

GoodHire, LLC is a subsidiary company of Inflections Risk Solutions, LLC. This 2011 company is primarily based in California, but offers a variety of employment background screening services to organizations around the US and the world. At the time of this writing, proximally 62,000 companies use GoodHire for their background check needs.

As an international, third-party background screening company, GoodHire performs both domestic and international searches for candidate information. As one of the most popular background screening services, GoodHire is fully accredited by the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS).

What Does GoodHire Check in a Background Screening?

GoodHire checks a variety of information when performing screening and background checks for job candidates. This information can include:

• Checks on the national sex offender registry
• Federal, national, state, and county criminal checks
• Civil checks at the federal and county levels
• Checks on the Global watchlist search for terrorists
• DMV or driving record checks
• Drug checks, including whether you failed any recent drug screenings
• Credit checks – these can include a credit check from one or all three of the major credit bureaus depending on what your employer needs
• Tracing your Social Security number to ensure that you are who you say you are and to minimize identity theft

Note that exactly what GoodHire will include in your background check report depends on what your prospective employer needs. Say that you want to work for a rideshare company like Lyft. In that case, Lyft, might be much more interested in learning your background information regarding DUI convictions, speeding tickets, etc., and much less interested in learning whether you are on the global terrorist watch list!

Can You Be Harmed by a GoodHire Background Check Error?

Although GoodHire background check mistakes are fairly rare, they can unfortunately lead to lasting, severe consequences for consumers and jobseekers like you.

For example, imagine that you qualify for a high-paying job position at a company that seems to be a perfect fit. But when your background screening results come through, GoodHire makes a mistake and says that you aren’t who you say you are, confusing your Social Security number with that of another person.

Because of this mistake, you miss out on a job opportunity despite checking all the other boxes the company is looking for. In this way, GoodHire’s background check mistake directly resulted in you losing a job offer, forcing you to go back to your job hunt. That, in turn, can have a major effect on your finances, your family stability, etc.

Since GoodHire background checks can also take some time, and because companies may use GoodHire for post-employment background checks, a mistake can even cost you a job you already have! If you are working at a company, but a post-employment background check returns with a mistake, you might lose your job and get fired because of something completely out of your control.

In both of these cases and more, GoodHire background check errors can affect your finances, your career, your relationships, and much more. A background check error that follows you around can even cause your future job applications to go poorly, regardless of whether or not you have a sterling reputation and other professional references to back up your claims.

Therefore, it’s a good idea to know how to spot GoodHire background check mistakes and how to dispute them properly.   

Common GoodHire Background Check Mistakes

Despite GoodHire’s years of experience in the background screening industry, it can and does make a variety of different mistakes. You might notice these common GoodHire background check errors when scanning through your background report or after receiving an adverse action letter.

• Typos, including misspellings of your name or number dispositions
• Using incomplete or wrong data in original documents, such as reporting your employment info accurately
• Making mistakes during the search, filing, or copying processes
• Sending files with corruptions to employers, which can lead to inaccurate information or erroneous assumptions
• Sending duplicate information to employers, such as listing a criminal conviction that only occurred once in your past multiple times
• Mistaking your identity for someone else’s. This is more common if you have a very common name or if your Social Security number is common for citizens in your area

Background check mistakes like these can happen for many different reasons, such as human error, outdated systems, or simply inattention to detail. GoodHire has a responsibility to provide companies with accurate information for their job candidates, but it doesn't always meet this responsibility perfectly. If that happens, it’s up to you to correct the record and fix inaccurate background check information that you notice.

What to Do if You Lose a Job Offer Because of a GoodHire Background Check Mistake?

If GoodHire makes a background check mistake, and you lose a job offer as a result, you do have some options to pursue. In fact, you may have grounds to sue GoodHire and recover damages because of the missed economic opportunities that it directly caused.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act is a piece of federal legislation that guarantees you certain rights, such as the right to file a dispute letter and the right to an adverse action notice. Let’s take a closer look.

Wait for an Adverse Action Notice

An adverse action notice, put simply, is a document from an employer stating that you were denied a job opportunity on the basis of your background information. For instance, an adverse action letter might state that a record of a previous arrest caused them to reconsider hiring you.

Each consumer is entitled to an adverse action notice if they are denied an offer or opportunity on the basis of credit or background information of any kind. Employers don’t have to state exactly what their reasoning was behind the denial, but they do have to send you these documents. You should receive an adverse action notice within a business week after your background check completes.

Read Through the Notice

Once you receive an adverse action notice, it’s your responsibility to read it carefully. The adverse action notice will include, at minimum, a copy of the background check report and related information, the contact information for the screening company that made the report, etc.

Once you know which company did your background check – such as GoodHire – you can move to the final and most important step of the dispute process: filing a full dispute letter with GoodHire.

File a Dispute with GoodHire

A dispute letter is a document stating that:

• You believe GoodHire made a mistake with its background check by providing or reporting inaccurate, erroneous, or out-of-date information to a prospective employer
• You want GoodHire to look into the matter and fix the issue if there is any erroneous information

Under the terms laid out by the FCRA, GoodHire is legally required to do just that when it receives a dispute letter from you. Even better, GoodHire has to do that within 30 business days. If GoodHire doesn’t investigate a dispute within a business month, it’s technically violating your rights and could be held liable for a lawsuit.

If GoodHire notices that it did indeed made a mistake, such as reporting out-of-date information to an employer, then it has the legal responsibility to tell your prospective employer and fix the issue ASAP. On top of that, GoodHire should communicate with you within five business days after noticing that mistake.

Fortunately, you can file a dispute letter with GoodHire in one of two ways. First, you can visit GoodHire’s website, which maintains a dispute portal for just this purpose. You’ll be able to attach digital documents, like your adverse action letter or background check report, to the dispute file.

Secondly, you can write a letter by hand and mail it to GoodHire. This second method can be effective, but it will also take a little longer since you have to account for the mail's travel time before GoodHire begins its investigation. The above-mentioned 30-day timeline only kicks in when GoodHire receives your dispute letter, not when you initially send it. 

In a lot of cases, if an employer realizes that your background check had a mistake, it will hold off on hiring someone else or fully rescinding your job offer. If the information gets corrected, you might still have the chance to accept your initial job opportunity!

Can You Sue GoodHire for Background Check Errors?

While GoodHire should correct any inaccurate information you bring to its attention, background screening services like GoodHire don’t always abide by the regulations under the FCRA. In fact, they may ignore your dispute letter entirely, or they may refuse to correct inaccurate information even after you point it out.

If this happens, you could have grounds for a lawsuit. You may also have grounds for a lawsuit if a GoodHire background check error results in a missed job opportunity (which you can determine from an adverse action notice). Under these circumstances, you can prove that GoodHire caused demonstrable or material harm to your well-being by preventing you from acquiring employment.

In addition to those situations, GoodHire could be on the hook to pay you damages from a successful lawsuit if a background check mistake prevented you from starting work on time. Say that you are provisionally hired at a new company, but then you have to wait another two months before you can officially start earning money because of a background check problem. 

GoodHire might be forced to pay you for those lost wages if its mistake was the only factor in your job start delay.

If your lawsuit is successful, you could recover up to $1000 from GoodHire, in addition to other damages to cover your attorney fees and related expenses. However, even if you believe you have sufficient evidence, no lawsuit is open and shut. You need to prepare extensively and hire knowledgeable attorneys to help you through the process.

Fair Credit can provide you with invaluable assistance if you choose to sue GoodHire for background check errors. For example, we can:

• Help you gather evidence to strengthen your case, such as email or written communications pointing out that you showed GoodHire the inaccurate information and the company did nothing to fix it
• Help you present evidence compellingly in court or in arbitration meetings
• Provide you with sound legal counsel so you understand the best course of action for you, your family, and your finances

It may be a wise idea to contact Fair Credit early in the process, in fact. With our help, you can file an effective, fast dispute letter and point out all the inaccurate information that could have cost you a job opportunity. We can also provide you with advice, such as talking to your prospective employer and explaining that inaccurate background information is affecting your job prospects. 

Your employer will then have to wait to deny you the job until the matter is resolved.

Bottom line: don’t try to sue GoodHire or pursue a resolution without legal experts on your side.

Wrap Up

Ultimately, GoodHire’s background check errors shouldn’t cost you an excellent job opportunity. In fact, you can and should take advantage of your rights under the FCRA and file a dispute letter with GoodHire at the earliest opportunity.

That’s where we come in. The knowledgeable FCRA attorneys at Fair Credit can help you file an effective letter, contact and negotiate with GoodHire, and sue GoodHire if necessary. Contact us today to learn more.