Holly, you ask a terrific question. To my understanding, there are no laws limiting employers as to how far back they can look into a candidate’s past regarding criminal convictions. My recommendation is to be upfront about any such incidents at the onset of being considered. You may want to write a letter explaining…not excusing…but explaining the situation, what you learned from it, and how the incident has made you a better person / better professional, etc.

For example: If a candidate got a DUI fifteen years ago do they need to disclose this information if the background check is only going back 10 years?

In a situation such as this, what is the best approach?