The Air Force background check or screening process of the military is nothing compared to the background screening process you go through when applying for some civilian job positions.
Any individual who achieves a pass in the Air Force background screening and job application process is considered highly proficient and eligible because it takes only an individual who can meet the profoundly high standards of the Air Force to secure a pass.
The Air Force background screening process is extremely extensive because a whole lot of your background information will be used to ascertain the standard of security clearance they can offer you, and the job positions you can secure in the Air Force are dependent on the standard of security clearance offered to you.
Read through this well-detailed article to find out more information about all that the Air Force background check process encompasses.
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About Air Force Background Check
The Air Force conducts the most thorough background check exercises on their employees.
The background screening process in this sector is quite sensitive because a lot of air force job positions entail the management of confidential information and databases relevant to the security of a particular nation.
Every single air force job candidate should expect an In-depth and extensive background screening process.
This can be whether the applicant applies for an entry-level job that encompasses no security clearance at all or the applicant applies for a job position that encompasses a government security clearance.
The air force will still conduct background checks to ensure that their potential new hires have reliable, accountable, loyal and trustworthy personalities.
There are so many factors that the air force background check process encompasses. As with any military organization, the mode of operation regarding background checks may vary depending on the job position applied for.
Every candidate is always asked for consent to allow the military organization to access information about their background. Most times, questions regarding anything from educational background to prior drug convictions are asked.
Any dishonesty regarding your past and your background would prompt the air force to disqualify your job application with immediate effect.
In most organizations, each candidate is called for a personal interview in order to answer some essential questions and they take down written notes of the information given. During background checks, there will be serious consequences if there are any discrepancies observed.
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What Information Does The Air Force Look For During Background Checks?
Once you have gone through an interview to determine your eligibility for acquiring a job position at the Air Force, you will be asked to provide the information required for your Air Force background verification process.
Here are the categories of background checks and the information you may be required to provide for the screening process.
1. The Common Background Information
- Your full name
- Other additional names were given to you by relatives
- Date of birth and birth certificate
- Place of birth
- Information about your area of residence, citizenship and nationality
- Your height
- Your gender
- Your religion
- Home address
- Your contact details
- Email address
- Marriage certificate
- High school graduation certificate
- Passports
- Your driver’s license
- Social security number
2. Information About Your Family
Information about your ex-wife or ex-husband, parents, siblings, and in-laws will be required by the Air Force. You are expected to provide information about their:
- Full name
- Married status
- Home address
3. Employment History
Provide this information for each previous workplace and job position you have managed:
- The prior workplace location
- The job you have managed
- Employment date and the date you quit working there
- The full name, address, and contact info of your previous workplace employers
4. Educational Background
- Where you attended high school, college, or elementary school.
- The names of all the schools attended in the last 10 years
- The years it took to complete schooling in your elementary, college and high school.
5. Areas You Have Travelled To And Foreign Contacts
6. Criminal Background And Alcohol/Drug Use History
7. Financial History
- Your credit card and the loans you have taken
- Owed taxes
- Financial status
These are the background check categories and the Air Force investigates information that may render an applicant ineligible for the job applied for, if you have engaged in some shady activities in your past, it is possible that the Air Force will find out during background checks.
How Far Back Does A Military Background Check to Go?
Different information is searched during background checks in the military and they cover different time durations in an applicant’s background history.
Generally speaking, all background checks with regard to employment go as far back as seven years in search of different background records and some go back more than seven years depending on the law of the federal and state government.
Some significant background checks that the military investigates are pre-employment background checks, bankruptcy checks, credit history checks, felony convictions, misdemeanours, driving records, educational history, employment history, and professional certificate verification.
In some states, a background check such as the professional certificate verification may go as far as throughout your lifetime, employment history will go far back to seven years, and driving records may go far back four to seven years. All these depend on the background check laws of the states.
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How Long Does The Military Take To Complete A Background Check?
Granted, the background check conducted by the military on every potential hire is very thorough, but the duration it takes for the military to give feedback concerning the progress of an applicant’s background check is dependent on the standard of security clearance required for the job position he or she applied for.
Basic entry-level military job positions do not require a high-ranking security clearance, so their background screening process will only take at least two weeks to be completed, this also depends on how busy the human resource management responsible for hiring employees is.
However, high-level military job positions do require a high-ranking security clearance, so their background screening process will take a maximum of two months to be completed, it can also extend to six months depending on the candidate competition of that particular job position, and how busy the human resource management responsible for hiring employees is.
Military Background Check Disqualifiers
There are certain things that can disqualify an applicant from getting a security clearance, the top security clearance disqualifiers of the Air Force are:
- Past engagement in criminal activities
- Past engagement in the trafficking, usage and manufacturing of illegal substances
- Drug and Alcohol Abuse
- Deterioration of the mental, emotional, social health and personality disorders.
- Security violations resulting in a disqualified or suspended security clearance
- Road & traffic violations
- Sexual misconduct
- Foreign influence and Favouritism
- Nepotism
- Foreign preference and dual citizenship
- A dishonourable disqualification from the military
- Prior felony convictions
Conclusion
For the sake of safety and a high level of security, and to live up to the high standards of the Air Force, every Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) candidate is expected to undergo a background screening procedure.
Generally, individuals who have engaged in all kinds of felonies and have a suspicious allegiance to the United States are not considered proficient enough to be recruited as military personnel.
Regardless, each Air Force branch has its own recruitment policy and, in certain situations, may possibly grant pardons for moral misconduct, misdemeanours and felonies