For many of the employment positions in the federal government, the person must undergo and pass criminal and credit background checks to ensure that they can be trusted with secure information and access to the federal government's computers.  The agency that is interested in hiring the individual will background check credit criminal information about the person's past for criminal convictions or financial difficulties that may make the person a liability to the agency.  

The government agency that is hiring for the position will obtain a signed waiver from the applicant, leaving them free to do a credit criminal background check before committing to hiring the individual for the job.  Additional background checks may also be needed during the course of a person's career if they are being considered for a promotion or for a new position requiring a higher security clearance.

The results of criminal and credit background checks can generally be returned quickly, although the person that is conducting the interviews for the position may want some additional time to review the information before making their decision.  There are several different methods they may use to obtain free background check criminal record credit information and employment history information for their applicants, but each method will return accurate information about the subject.