Bergen County, New Jersey

Bergen County, home to 930,000 people, is New Jersey’s most populous county, lying on the edge of the New York metro area. Adjacent counties include Essex, Hudson, and Passaic in New Jersey and The Bronx, Manhattan, Westchester, and Rockland counties in New York. Major industries in the county include retail and healthcare with businesses such as Quest Diagnostics and the Stryker Corporation operating here.

Bergen’s massive retail sector and its position across the Hudson River from Manhattan make it a significant destination for job-seekers, many of whom may be new to the area. While this fact means that business owners are never short on applicants to open positions, it also increases the likelihood of businesses receiving applications from unsuitable individuals. Finding a way to separate those who  would  be a good fit is necessary for businesses to foster a safe work environment, and thoroughly vetting applicants before hiring is the right step for them to take.

Even applicants who seem trustworthy in an interview may have a checkered past, but you won’t learn about it from their resumes. A criminal background check furnishes those key details. For some positions, such checks are a legal requirement; in other cases, it’s simple due diligence. To be effective in either case, businesses require a well-crafted process.

That process begins by sourcing detailed data for your decision-making efforts. Start by consulting Bergen County’s court records. Does your applicant have a history of felonies or a recent conviction on a serious charge? Sometimes, discovering such information may lead you to consider other candidates. A clean slate locally does not mean that your applicant is in the clear, though. For your next step, take a wider view and look for records in other places that your candidate may have lived.

To use background checking tools effectively, you must use them legally. New Jersey has a “ban the box” rule applicable to private employers throughout the state. Businesses may not conduct a background check until after they have held at least one interview with a candidate. They also may not consider expunged or pardoned convictions during hiring. 

Federal anti-discrimination laws also apply, including the FCRA and Civil Rights Act. Always obtain applicant consent before ordering a background check.

With a compliant procedure in place, you can begin checking applicant backgrounds after interviews. Through backgroundchecks.com, you’ll have everything that you need for this step in the process. Start with a county-level background check to search Bergen County records, then move on to our US OneSEARCH to check your candidate’s background across all of New Jersey and New York.

These products use data from local and state databases that are unaffiliated with backgroundchecks.com. This data may be subject to change. For time-sensitive searches, request a direct search of county courthouse records for the most current information possible—results are available within three working days.

These reports source information from the:

• New Jersey Admin Office of the Courts – Statewide felony convictions from 1984-present, updated monthly
• New Jersey Department of Corrections – Felony conviction records from 2000-present, updated monthly
• New Jersey Sex Offender Registry – Updated bi-weekly

These report’s may contain a subject’s:

• Name
• Charges
• Sentencing date

Take full advantage of Bergen County’s robust job market with assistance from backgroundchecks.com.

Learn more about our county background check options