Once Meridian collects personal information from the faculty candidate (via the "Candidate Info" section on the Candidate Site), it sends the information to HireRight, the background check vendor for the University of Michigan Medical School. After the candidate confirms this information is correct and selects a drug screening location*, HireRight then starts a background check. Once completed, HireRight sends the results back to Meridian, where the hiring process can then continue on into the Appointing, Credentialing, and/or Enrollment steps (as applicable).

*NOTE: Because the drug screen must be conducted in the U.S., international candidates can now choose the 'Drug Screen deferred' option (as of July 2023), which allows the background check to be conducted separately from the drug screen (which is ordered later once they arrive in the U.S.). In this case, Appointing, Credentialing, and Enrollment sections will become available once the background check-only portion has been approved.

Process Details

1. Department admin completes the Candidate Prep phase*, and Meridian sends the candidate an email inviting them to the Candidate Site
   
   
   
   
2. Candidate submits their personal information and attestations in the Candidate Site
3. Meridian automatically sends the candidate data to HireRight
4. HireRight sends an email to the candidate, inviting them to log into HireRight’s site, review their information (sent from Meridian), and select a drug screening location**
5. HireRight conducts the background check
   
   1. Candidate completes their drug screen**
6. Meridian receives the results from HireRight, and either auto-approves the candidate or waits for OFA to make a manual judgement
   
   1. The candidate will receive an email notification about this approval

* Note: This process can also be skipped, for candidates who do not need a background check. This must be approved by Faculty Affairs (OFA) in the Candidate Prep phase.

** Note: As mentioned above, international candidates have the option to defer their drug screen until they are in the U.S.

Status

Meridian will update the candidate workflow status at each step of this process, so you can be aware of what is occurring when. This is viewable from both the candidate detail page and the candidate’s card on your department’s Hiring List.

Candidate Info Phase Status Options

• "Awaiting Candidate Submission in Meridian"
  
  • The candidate has not yet finished entering (submitted) their data into Meridian
• "Awaiting Candidate Submission in HireRight"
  
  • The candidate has not yet finished on the HireRight site
  • The background check will not be started until they finish this step
• "Background Check in Progress"
  
  • HireRight is conducting their background check tests
  • For domestic candidates, the candidate must complete their drug screen within 72 hours for HireRight to finish
• "Awaiting Review"
  • Meridian has received a question or note from HireRight's background check, and OFA must make a manual judgement
• "Approved"
  
  • Meridian has received a “No Findings” (all clear) result from HireRight or OFA has determined that the candidate is 'all clear'
• "BC In Progress; DS separate"
  • Only for international candidates, this indicates that the background check is in progress, and the drug screen will be done later
• "BC Approved; DS separate"
  • Only for international candidates, this indicates that the background check is completed, and the drug screen will be done later
• "Completed Without BC"
  • The status when the background check was skipped (as approved by OFA)
• "Revising Candidate Data"
  • If some information about the candidate needs to be updated, OFA can revise the form and make the changes on behalf of the candidate

You can use the Hiring List’s filter to narrow down your candidates to only those who may be in a certain status. See the Hiring Candidate List page for more details about filtering and searching for candidates.