Criminal Background Checks

The University is committed to protecting the safety and security of all members, property and assets of the UD community. To meet these objectives, we began criminal background checks for all NEW employees who hold positions posted on January 1, 2011 or later.

Who is included in the criminal background check process?

Anyone receiving a paycheck:

• Faculty
• Exempt
• Non-Exempt
• Miscellaneous Wage/Supplemental
• Student Workers (Grad and Undergrad)

Note:

• If you are terminated and rehired or retired and rehired on or after January 1, 2011, you will be subject to a background check
• Only for student workers, not admitted students

The Process

Initiating the process:

• Miscellaneous wage, undergraduate students, and supplemental contracts: The hiring official completes the "Hiring Notification" form; also found on HR forms.
• Benefitted Employees (exempt and non-exempt): The process starts when Offer Status web form is routed to CBC.
• Grad on Contract: The process starts when a copy of the GSCRF is received in Human Resources.

Once the information is received, the applicant and the hiring official will receive an email from Sterling Talent Solutions. Embedded in the email will be a link for the applicant to start the background check. It is important that the applicant use the same email address furnished to the background check office to register an account with Sterling.

The applicant will provide certain information to Sterling Talent Solutions to start the background process, which must be done using a desktop or laptop computer. Hand-held devices cannot be used to complete this process.

Non US Citizens may receive an email from Sterling Talent Solutions with additional forms to complete. Those forms must then be submitted back to Sterling Talent Solutions to fulfill the background check requirement.

NOTE: Response time starts when the applicant contacts Sterling Talent Solutions and and completes the date entry process, not when the request for a CBC is received at the Office of Human Resources.

Frequently Asked Questions

• I plan on hiring a juvenile (under the age of 18). Where do I find the Juvenile Consent Form, and what is done with the completed form?

The Juvenile Consent Form can be found in the middle of the Hiring Notification Form. When you scroll over the section of the Hiring Notification Form dealing with Juveniles, a link can be located that produces the form. Once the form is completed and signed by both the juvenile, and a parent or guardian, it can be scanned and attached to the hiring notification form. No background will be conducted on a juvenile until the form is received by the background check office.

• The applicant that we selected is not a citizen of the United States. Do I have to wait until the Criminal Background Check is completed to start their employment?

No. If the applicant is not a United States citizen, then they can start working as soon as the information is submitted to the Office of Human Resources requesting the Criminal Background Check. The applicant is still required to complete the information submission to Sterling Talent Solutions, the vendor that conducts the background checks, in order to maintain employment at the University of Delaware.

• My department will have several Grad Students on Contract start in the fall. Do I need to submit a Hiring Notification Form for these individuals?

No. The background check for a Grad on Contract starts in the Office of Human Resources once the approved GSCRF and the SAFF forms are received. The only reason that a Hiring Notification Form would be needed is if the department wanted to hire the Grad student as Grad labor prior to the Contract start date. In that case a hiring notification form would need to be submitted.

• The applicant is receiving an error message in the address history section. Is this common?

This does happen on occasion in the address history section. If the applicant has multiple addresses, it is important that the last month at one address is the exact same month as the first month at the next address. For example, the applicant lived at address 1 from June 2006 to July 2011. The next entry for address 2 should start July 2011, or the Sterling system will assume a gap in residence history.

Resources

• Hiring Notification for Criminal Background Checks Form
• Background Check Guidelines
• Personnel Policy 4-111