The majority of employers and jobs in the United States run routine background checks for prospective employees. The results of a background check could potentially impact one’s ability to secure or maintain employment status with an organization.
However, not everyone will suffer negative consequences stemming from something like a DUI arrest. For example, some jobs only run checks for felonies. Therefore, a DUI arrest and conviction wouldn’t necessarily impact you with a standard background check in these cases.
Does a DUI Show Up On A Background Check?
Yes, a DUI will show up on a background check. Your prospective employer could hire a third party to perform a background check, or they can search through the DC Court’s Case Search tool.
For example, Background checks will usually inform an employer person that a potential employee has been charged with and or been convicted of misdemeanor offense. Because of a misdemeanor DUI, employment would look to see whether or not a prospective employee has been convicted of it. This doesn’t necessarily imply that you aren’t going to land a job because of it. Likewise, it doesn’t mean you will be fired from your current position either. The impact of a background check can be drastically different depending on the employer and the employee and should always be taken at a case by case basis.
Many employers and jobs may still ask about any and all criminal history, including arrests without convictions.
DC Laws On Job Offers and Background Checks
There are, however, some laws to prevent employers from running background checks on employees before they actually make a conditional offer of employment to a prospective employee. The primary purpose for these laws is to minimize the impact of a negative background check and to reduce the possibility of discrimination based solely on prior criminal offenses which may actually have no discernable effect on one’s ability to perform a job.
With these protections in place, most employers within the District of Columbia aren’t allowed to conduct background checks until they’ve actually made an offer of employment to a prospective employee.
With that being said, plenty of employers in the area, given the nature of many government and contracting jobs in Washington DC which require security clearances, can effectively still run these checks before making an offer. A lot of employers will routinely run background checks on existing employees. The policies for these ongoing checks will vary a lot depending on the organization/employer.
The Impact Of a DUI Charge or Conviction When Searching For a Job
There is no simple answer as to how a DUI conviction on your record will impact your chances of landing employment with a potential employer that runs a background check.
This varies on a case by case basis depending on the employer/organization and the specific role being sought. On some cases a DUI conviction could be devastating and perhaps disqualifying. In other cases it may not impact your chances at all.
How Does a DUI Impact Your Current Job?
In some instances, depending on the employer and organization, your current employer could levy serious consequences for a DUI conviction. In addition, some employers will require you to notify them whenever you are charged or convicted of any criminal offense. This includes being arrested for a DUI.
To safeguard yourself against negative consequences of a DUI conviction at your place of employment you should fully understand all of the terms and policies of your employment; employment contract when you are hired. You should always, thoroughly read your employment contract to ensure you stay compliant as an upstanding employee. You should also be sure to ascertain whether or not your employer has any requirements for reporting a DUI if you are ever charged with one.
If you are facing a DUI charge on Washington DC and are worried about how it will affect your employment your first call should be to expert DC DUI Attorney Nabeel Kibria of Ervin Kibria Law. Mr. Kibria can advise you around the impact of a DUI arrest and also a DUI conviction. Mr. Kibria will also defend you vigorously in any DC DUI case to try and ensure that there is no conviction for DUI.