Harbor Freight has been the leading construction tools provider in America since 1977. The company is committed to providing the utmost quality tools for every worker at a very low price. The company has over 1100 stores nationwide and has successfully served over 40 million happy customers to date.
It’s no surprise why so many American aspirants wanted to join the company and grow with them. Through the years, Harbor Freight has been providing job opportunities in Sales, Marketing, Finance, Operations, and many more. At the moment, the company has over 20,000 skilled Associates ready to serve every customer in America.
The aspiring applicants planning to join the company often ask this question, “Does Harbor Freight do background checks”? Sure enough, this company with a positive image in the industry requires each of its employees to be trustworthy, reliable, and hardworking. Harbor Freight conducts strict background checks on every potential applicant joining the company to ensure all that.
Read Also: Does Harbor Freight Hire Felons?
What does Harbor Freight background checks entail?
When the applicant applies for a position at Harbor Freight, the Human Resources Department requires everyone to fill out an Application For Employment Form. This is a required document to be submitted together with the resume/curriculum vitae and application letter.
The form will ask the applicant to honestly answer all the questions including personal information, type of employment desired, history of misdemeanor/felony, person to notify for an emergency, employment history plus a Supplement to Application for Employment Form (stating previous employer name and contact details for background checking).
The third and last form to be filled out is the Authorization for Background Investigation. A form stating that the applicant agrees or permits Harbor Freight to conduct a background investigation on them.
Applicants are encouraged to read and fill out all the documents honestly and correctly to have a better chance of being hired. Missing details and false information may result in termination of the application. Harbor Freight has the right to exclude applications that are subject to disqualification or are found to be against the company’s policies.
The required information for background check
- Personal Characteristics and General Reputation
Harbor Freight aims to welcome an employee that will add value to the organization. The employee should be someone who will perform the job at hand and truly cares for the company’s mission and vision. That’s the reason why the applicant’s character and reputation matters. He/she shall represent the company when hired.
By permitting Harbor Freight to conduct a background check, you permit them to ask around regarding your character.
- Mode of Living
The company also checks the current living situation of an applicant. They check whether they are living with a family, alone, or sharing with other people. They also check how far the location of the home is to verify which store they can assign the applicant once hired.
- Civil and Criminal Court Records
The Equal Opportunity Law does not discriminate or stop the individual who had a bad history of applying for a job. However, the company still needs to know if the applicant has a civil or criminal history. This helps the company to decide which best fits the applicant whenever hired.
If the company finds out about the history of credit card fraud activity, the company shall instead find a better fit for the applicant where he or she can excel and master a skill. The company does not only help the applicant to get hired for a job but also to regain a whole new sense of self-confidence.
- Credit History
The applicant’s credit history will also be checked for any unpaid loans, mortgage, credit card fees, etc. The company has the right to know if there’s any serious credit problem that the applicant is going through, which can cause resigning from the job.
There’s a huge probability that an employee would run away from a big debt whenever no resources are enabling them to pay for it. In turn, this might end up leaving the state and leaving the job at Harbor Freight.
- Education and Credentials
To know whether an applicant’s skills and competencies are the right fit for the position, they would need to check the applicant’s educational background and credentials. This is to cross-check whether or not the applicant’s education and credentials meet the expectations of the position.
Applicants need to understand that each organization has a standard requirement for every position. The non-negotiables are the education and credentials, especially when hiring newbies with zero experience.
- Worker’s Compensation Record
This information would be needed later on by the HR Department if the applicant was successfully hired. It includes updating the applicant’s social security, taxes, and other labor-related documents that are part of the paperwork when starting with a new employer.
- Employment History
Applicants should expect that most companies would like to know how they were employees from the previous position. This is the company’s way of verifying the information shared during the interview, like past achievements, projects handled, details of the previous job description, salary rate, character score, and so much more.
Harbor Freight requires all applicants to provide a working contact number of every employer to avoid any problem during background checks.
- Personal Preferences
During the application, applicants need to provide at least three personal preferences, not a family member or relative, that the company can call to conduct further background checks.
The purpose of this is to verify some information that the applicant has provided from the people around them.
Key takeaways
There is nothing to worry about background checks as an applicant. It’s part of the overall recruitment process to check if one is qualified for the job. If there’s nothing to hide, there should be no reason to create doubt and worry over a simple background investigation that Harbor Freight conducts. Instead, one has to be honest and sincere towards the application to avoid any future problems.
See also: Does Harbor Freight Drug Test Employees?