When your potential employer invites you to complete a background check, you receive an email invitation. In that email message, you’ll find a link to access the applicant portal. In this article, you’ll learn how to access the portal for the first time or as a returning user.

Access the portal for the first time

To access the applicant portal for the first time, follow these steps: 

1. Select the Get Started link in the email you received.
2. You’ll be directed to a page prompting you to enter a 6 digit code sent to your email. Find the code in the email titled Verify Your Certn Account. 
3. Enter your 6 digit code and you’ll be presented with a registration form. 
4. Complete the registration form. After which you can follow the onscreen instructions to complete your background check application.

Access the portal as a returning user

Not logged in

When not logged in to the applicant portal, you can access your applicant portal dashboard and background checks by following these steps: 

1. To begin you can either: 
   • Select the link in the Background Screening Request email or reminder email you received to open the applicant portal login page, or
   • Visit https://applicantportal.certn.co/ directly and enter your email address. 
2. A new page will load asking for the 6-digit code sent to your email when visiting this page. The code is sent in an email titled “Verify your Certn Account”.

3. Enter the 6-digit code found in your email and you will be brought to the relevant background check application or the applicant portal dashboard. 

Already logged in

When already logged in, you can access the applicant portal by selecting the link in the Background Screening Request email or reminder email you received. This will bring you to the relevant background check application. 

You can also visit https://applicantportal.certn.co/ directly, which will bring you to the applicant portal dashboard. 

Missing background check invitation

If a potential employer has sent you an invitation to complete a background check but it does not appear in your email inbox or candidate portal dashboard, they may have sent the invitation to a different email address. Check any other email address you have for the expected email invitation, or ask your potential employer to which email address they sent the invitation. Be sure to check your email’s spam folder for the background check invitation if you are still not seeing it in your email inbox.

If the invitation was sent to the wrong email address, contact our Support team for help.