Wells Fargo Background Checks: Everything You Need to Know
- Blog
- Wells Fargo Background Checks: Everything You Need to Know
To work at Wells Fargo, you must pass a background check. Learn what it involves and what to do when it goes wrong!
As a financial services company, Wells Fargo strives to hire financially savvy, honest, reliable, conscientious, and trustworthy people. One way to achieve that goal is to run background checks on job applicants. Unfortunately, sometimes Wells Fargo background checks report wrong information. When they do, applicants have legal rights! Learn more.
Wells Fargo is a well-known and respected American financial services company. It has a rich and storied history that dates back to its founding in 1852 by Henry Wells and William Fargo. Messrs. Wells and Fargo initially established their company to provide express and banking services during the California Gold Rush. Their names quickly became synonymous with reliability and security. Over the decades, it expanded its services nationwide and established a significant presence in the financial services sector. Today, Wells Fargo offers a wide range of banking, investment, and mortgage products, serving millions of customers across the United States.
Wells Fargo has become a place where people want to work. Like many other industries and companies, Wells Fargo relies on background checks as part of its hiring process. Wells Fargo wants to hire reliable, trustworthy, honest, and financially responsible people to protect its reputation, appeal to its clients, and protect its employees. A company has the right to run background checks on job applicants. Those job applicants also have rights.
This article provides an overview of Wells Fargo, its hiring process, its background check process, and the rights of job applicants who are the subject of those background checks.
Working at Wells Fargo: The Hiring Process
The Wells Fargo hiring process starts like most others.
- The Application Process. The hiring process at Wells Fargo begins with an online application. Prospective employees must create an account on the Wells Fargo careers website, and search and apply for jobs matching their skills and experience. Applicants are required to submit a detailed resume and complete an online questionnaire assessing their qualifications and compatibility with the job requirements.
- Initial Screening. Once the application is submitted, Wells Fargo's HR team reviews the candidate's qualifications. This involves evaluating the applicant's education, work experience, and skills. Candidates who pass this stage may be contacted for a phone interview, discussing their background, career goals, and reasons for wanting to work at Wells Fargo.
- In-Person Interviews. Successful candidates from the initial screening are invited for in-person interviews with hiring managers and potential team members. These interviews may include behavioral questions, situational scenarios, and discussions about the candidate's previous work experiences to assess fit within the company's culture and their ability to perform job duties effectively.
The Wells Fargo Background Check
Wells Fargo takes its hiring process seriously and conducts thorough background checks on all potential employees. The Wells Fargo background check process is designed to ensure that candidates meet the company's standards for integrity and reliability. This process is essential for maintaining the company's reputation and ensuring a safe and secure work environment.
Wells Fargo uses a company called E-Verify for the employment verification portion of its background checks. E-Verify is an online system that allows employers to verify the eligibility of their employees to work in the United States. It compares the information provided by employees on their I-9 forms to records available from the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration.
Wells Fargo uses various background check companies for the remaining portions of its background check.
What Does Wells Fargo Look for in a Background Check?
The background check process for Wells Fargo includes several components:
| Step | Description |
| Identity Verification | Confirming the candidate's identity through various means, such as Social Security number validation and government-issued identification. |
| Employment History | Verifying the candidate's previous employment, including job titles, dates of employment, and reasons for leaving previous jobs. |
| Education Verification | Ensuring the accuracy of the candidate's educational background, including degrees earned and institutions attended. |
| Criminal Records Check | Checking for any criminal history that may pose a risk to the workplace. This includes searching federal, state, and county records. No federal law limits the amount of time an employer is allowed to look back into a criminal history. However, state laws do impose limits on this, and for most states, the look-back period is seven years. This can increase, though, for specific jobs. |
| Credit check | Reviewing the candidate's credit history to assess their financial responsibility, especially for positions involving financial duties. |
| Reference checks | Contacting references provided by the candidate to gather additional information about their character and work ethic. |
| Drug use | Wells Fargo may require drug screening for specific roles. Tests include urine, hair follicle, or saliva samples. Results are confidential and shared with the employer. |
Wells Fargo Background Check Disqualifying Factors
Certain factors may disqualify candidates from being hired at Wells Fargo. These disqualifying factors can include:
Convictions for crimes such as fraud, theft, or embezzlement can be disqualifying, especially for positions involving financial responsibilities.
Providing false information on the application or during the interview process can lead to disqualification.
For roles involving financial duties, a poor credit history may indicate potential financial irresponsibility.
Negative feedback from previous employers or a history of frequent job changes without valid reasons can also be disqualifying.
The time it takes to complete a Wells Fargo background check can vary. On average, it takes one to two weeks. However, it can take longer if there are delays in obtaining information from educational institutions and previous employers or if the candidate has lived in multiple jurisdictions.
If Wells Fargo Does Not Hire You Because of the Background Check
If Wells Fargo decides not to hire you based on the background check results, it is typically due to one or more disqualifying factors mentioned earlier. These can include a criminal record, poor credit history, or discrepancies in the information provided during the hiring process.
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Wells Fargo must follow specific procedures if they decide not to hire you based on the background check. They must provide you with:
- Pre-Adverse Action Notice. This notice includes a copy of the background check report and a summary of your rights under the FCRA. This allows you to review the report and dispute any inaccuracies before the final decision is made.
- Adverse Action Notice. If Wells Fargo decides not to hire you after considering any disputes or corrections, they must provide you with a final notice. This notice will include information about the background check company, your rights to dispute the decision, and details on obtaining a free copy of your report.
If you believe there are errors in your background check report, you can dispute them. Your dispute will likely be with E-Verify, though Wells Fargo might face some liability if it violates any tenets of the FCRA. Contact a background check attorney at Consumer Attorneys. They will assess what happened, offer guidance on how and where to file your dispute, monitor the case, and, if necessary, take legal action.
The FCRA also requires background check companies to provide people with at least one free background check per year. If you anticipate applying for a job at Wells Fargo, you can contact E-Verify, request your report, and review it before your interview.
Review the report carefully for any errors or discrepancies. Common issues to look for include:
- Incorrect personal information.
- Inaccurate employment history.
- Educational background.
- Criminal Records.
- Credit Information.
Background Check Attorneys
If you encounter significant issues with your background check, call Consumer Attorneys. An attorney can help you understand your rights, navigate the dispute process, and take legal action if necessary. We have decades of experience helping people:
- Review background check reports for any inaccuracies or potential legal issues.
- Dispute errors with the background check company.
- Protect their rights and ensure that background check companies, consumer reporting agencies, drug testing companies, and others tasked with collecting and selling people’s personal information respect those rights.
- Recover damages for background check problems in court.
Understanding Your Rights
As a job applicant, you have certain rights under the FCRA:
| Right | Description |
| Access to Information | You have the right to know what information is being used against you and to obtain a copy of your background check report. This ensures transparency in the hiring process. |
| Dispute Inaccuracies | You have the right to dispute any inaccuracies in your report and have them corrected. This helps maintain the integrity and accuracy of your personal and professional records. |
| Notification of Adverse Actions | If a potential employer takes adverse action based on your background check, they must notify you and provide the necessary information to dispute the decision. This ensures you are aware and have a chance to respond. |
| The Right to Legal Representation | If appropriate, you can take legal action against any background check company that violates the FCRA or otherwise neglects its duty to use reasonable care in compiling your background check. You may also have the right to compensation for the damages a background check error has caused. |
Working at Wells Fargo can surely be a rewarding and fruitful experience. Wells Fargo takes its hiring process seriously and conducts thorough background checks to ensure the integrity and reliability of its employees. Navigating the Wells Fargo background check process can be challenging, but understanding the steps involved and knowing your rights can help you prepare effectively and know what to expect.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, Wells Fargo includes education verification as part of its background check process. This means it will contact the educational institutions you identify in your application to confirm your attendance, graduation date, honors, etc. The purpose is to ensure that all candidates have the qualifications they claim and that they meet the job's educational requirements. This step helps maintain the integrity and standards of the hiring process, ensuring that only qualified individuals are considered for positions within the company.
Wells Fargo will inform you that you passed its E-Verify background check through direct communication from the HR department or your hiring manager. Typically, this notification comes via email or a phone call, confirming that you have successfully cleared all the necessary checks and can proceed to the next steps of the hiring process. In some cases, you may also receive a formal offer letter indicating that the background check was completed satisfactorily, allowing you to move forward with employment onboarding procedures.
The Wells Fargo background check consists of several components: identity verification, employment history verification, education verification, criminal records check, credit check, and reference checks. Identity verification confirms your identity through documents like your Social Security number and government-issued ID. Employment history verification confirms previous job titles and durations. Education verification checks your academic background. The criminal records check searches for any criminal history. Credit checks assess financial responsibility, especially for financial roles. Lastly, reference checks gather information about your work ethic and character from previous employers or colleagues.
A member of the Human Resources (HR) team or the hiring manager responsible for your intended department will typically inform you of the status of your Wells Fargo background check. They will inform you via email or phone about the completion and results of the background check. If any issues arise or if E-Verify needs any additional information, the HR team will contact you for clarification or additional documentation. This communication ensures that you are informed throughout the hiring process and can promptly address any concerns.
Daniel Cohen is the Founder of Consumer Attorneys. Daniel manages the firm’s branding, marketing, client intake and business development efforts. Since 2017, he is a member of the National Association of Consumer Advocates and the National Consumer Law Center. Mr. Cohen is a nationally-recognized practitioner of consumer protection law. He has a we... Read more
Related Articles
