What's Included in an Amazon Background Check? Do They Hire Felons?

Amazon’s background check policy requires all finalists to complete criminal background searches, reference checks, and drug tests. According to people who have interviewed for the company, Amazon’s criminal background checks look back seven years and consider any convictions from that time. The company makes a hiring decision “within a few business days.” Candidates who are disqualified based on their background checks are notified in accordance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act. 

Because Amazon is a global organization that hires people from many jurisdictions, the company’s criminal background checks are quite broad. To prepare for one of these checks, you might consider using backgroundchecks.com’s National Criminal Background Check service to conduct a powerful background check on yourself. 

Once you have an account with backgroundchecks.com, consider purchasing county or state background checks in your jurisdiction to get a sense of what Amazon’s employers will see when they look at your history. If there are red flags on your record that shouldn’t be there, a self-screening will help you identify them before they come up on an Amazon background check and influence your job chances.

Amazon is extremely vigilant about conducting drug screenings on new hires and existing employees. The drug test typically occurs in Amazon’s hiring process after an interview or orientation session and criminal background and reference checks. Once a candidate has been identified as a likely hire—or given a conditional offer of employment—Amazon uses a mouth swab test to check for drugs. This test is designed to find traces of common drugs including cannabis, cocaine, and meth. Once employees are hired, they are required to complete an annual medical exam each year which includes random drug screenings.

To see if you are prepared for Amazon.com’s drug screening check, consider ordering a home drug test and administering it to yourself.