Dec282025

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New Year, New Job? How to Beat the January Onboarding Jam

Posted on December 28, 2025

🕥 3 min read 114 Reads

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New Job? Listen to the quick start guide!

Beat the January Onboarding Jam... ⏱ 1:35 mins

The champagne has popped, the resolutions are set, and you’ve landed the ultimate win to kick off 2026: A New Job.

But between the offer letter and your first paycheck lies a critical hurdle that catches thousands of applicants off guard every January: The Onboarding Jam.

Q1 is the busiest hiring season of the year. As companies unlock new budgets and rush to fill roles, the infrastructure that powers employment screening—from HR departments to the Department of Justice (DOJ)—gets overwhelmed.

This creates a bottleneck known as the "January Jam," where standard background check processing times can double, pushing start dates from early January well into February.

⚡

In a Rush? Key Takeaways

✓ The Bottleneck: The "January Jam" is caused by a massive hiring spike + post-holiday backlog at the DOJ/FBI.
✓ Ink Card Risk: Mailing fingerprints in January can delay results by 10+ days due to residual holiday package volume. Live Scan is essential for speed.
✓ High Priority: Teachers, Nurses, and CTEC Tax Preparers face the strictest deadlines. Book a "Priority" appointment to ensure you can work on Day 1.
✓ Be Prepared: Use our toolkit below to check for "Open Now" locations and generate your document checklist to avoid rejection at the door.

New Hire Toolkit

Interactive tools to speed up your clearance and start working sooner.

📅 Clearance Date Predictor 📍 Fast-Track Location Finder 🤔 Booking Strategy Quiz 🎒 Ready-to-Scan Checklist

The “January Jam”: Why Background Checks Stall in Q1

It’s simple math: More Hires + Same Staffing = Delays.

While you were celebrating the holidays, recruiters were queuing up offer letters. On January 2nd, the floodgates open.

1. The Post-Holiday Backlog

Government agencies (DOJ and FBI) and county courts are playing catch-up from December closures. When they reopen in January, they are immediately hit with the accumulated backlog from the holidays plus the fresh wave of Q1 requests.

📅 Planning your first day? Calculate your estimated clearance date based on current January volumes.

📅 January Clearance Predictor

Processing times spike in January. Estimate your actual clearance date.

Date Submitted

Industry / Sector

Estimated Clearance:

2. The “Budget Release” Hiring Surge

Many companies operate on a fiscal calendar that releases hiring funds on January 1st. This leads to a synchronized hiring surge across industries—Retail, Healthcare, and Finance—all submitting electronic fingerprinting requests at the exact same time.

3. Verification Overload

Employment verification often requires a human to answer the phone. In January, HR departments are swamped with tax prep (W2s) and open enrollment, making them slower to verify your past employment dates.

Live Scan vs. Ink Cards: Speed is the Priority

In a crowded system, the method of submission dictates your place in the queue.

Choose the method that fits your timeline.

🐌

Ink Cards (FD-258)

Physical cards must be mailed and manually processed. Subject to severe holiday postal delays.

Est: 2-4 Weeks

View Ink Services

🚀

Electronic Live Scan

Biometrics are digitized and transmitted instantly to the DOJ/FBI. Bypasses the mailroom entirely.

Est: 24-72 Hours

Get Fast Live Scan

“

"I was panicked about my Jan 5th start date because the local police station was booked for weeks. I found a Certifix location open on a Saturday, walked in, and had my results sent to the hospital in 48 hours. I started on time!"

Sarah T. Travel Nurse / CA

Not sure how to book? Deciding between a walk-in and an appointment can be tricky during a surge. Use this tool to find the best strategy for your deadline.

🤔 Should you book or walk in? Answer 3 questions to find the fastest strategy for your schedule.

🤔 Strategy Finder

How soon is your deadline?

🚨 Within 48 Hours

📅 Within 1 Week

😎 2+ Weeks out

When can you visit a center?

🥪 Lunch Break (12-2 PM)

🕘 Flexible / Morning

🌅 Weekends Only

Recommended Strategy

...

Execute Strategy →

Sector-Specific Deadlines: Who is Most at Risk?

The “Jam” doesn’t affect everyone equally. Certain regulated industries see massive spikes in January that require immediate action.

⚠ Who is Most at Risk?

👩‍⚕️

Travel Nurses & Healthcare

January is peak season for new contracts. Hospitals have strict compliance: you cannot step on the floor without a cleared Nursing License check.

Your Strategy: Don't wait for the hospital. Book a priority scan independently to ensure your license is active by Day 1.

👨‍🏫

Teachers & Educators

With the spring semester starting, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) is flooded with last-minute renewals.

Your Strategy: Double-check your ORI Number. Sending results to the wrong agency causes weeks of delay.

💼

Tax Preparers (CTEC)

For CTEC pros, January isn't just a new month; it's the start of the business year. You must be cleared to legally file returns.

Your Strategy: Renew today. Every day of delay in January is a day of lost revenue during your busiest season.

3 Ways to Expedite Your Onboarding

You can’t speed up the government, but you can speed up your submission.

1. Pre-Check Your Data

The #1 cause of “stuck” background checks isn’t the system; it’s typos. A misspelled name or transposed SSN triggers a manual review that can take 30+ days.

Action: Double-check your Applicant Agency info and personal data on the form before the technician scans your fingers.

2. Choose Private Providers Over Police Stations

Local police departments prioritize law enforcement duties and often have restricted public hours for fingerprinting.

Action: Certifix Live Scan locations are private businesses focused 100% on customer service. We offer weekend live scan appointments and walk-in availability to fit your schedule.

🔍 Everything else closed? Find a Certifix location open for ‘Emergency Walk-Ins’ right now.

📍 Find a "Priority" Location

Skip the police station line. Find a Certifix partner accepting Walk-Ins today.

✔ No Appointment Needed

✔ Weekend Hours

3. Bring the Right Documents

Nothing delays a background check faster than being turned away at the door because you forgot a form.

🎒 Don’t get turned away. Generate your personalized checklist of exactly what documents to bring.

🎒 What to Bring Checklist

Don't get turned away. Generate your personalized document list.

Applicant Status

Requesting Agency

Required Items for Appointment:

*All IDs must be current and valid.

Strategic Snapshot

📊

Sector / Method	Est. Speed	Priority Level	Key Strategy & Risk
Travel Nurses & Healthcare	Urgent (24-48 Hrs)	Critical	Risk: Rescinded contracts if not cleared by orientation. Strategy: Book priority scan independently; do not wait for hospital HR.
Tax Preparers (CTEC)	Fast (3-5 Days)	Very High	Risk: Inability to file returns = Daily revenue loss. Strategy: Renew immediately before tax season peak.
Teachers (CTC)	Variable (1-2 Weeks)	High	Risk: Semester start delays due to huge backlog. Strategy: Double-check ORI Number to avoid "wrong agency" rejection.
Electronic Live Scan	24-72 Hours	Recommended	Benefit: Bypasses mailroom & manual entry queues. Best For: Everyone, especially urgent hires.
Ink Cards (FD-258)	2-4 Weeks	Slow	Risk: Severe postal delays & manual processing bottleneck. Best For: Out-of-state applicants only.

Start Your Year Strong

The “January Onboarding Jam” is real, but it doesn’t have to derail your career goals. By choosing the speed and accuracy of Live Scan, you take control of the process.

Ready to get to work?

Don’t let your application sit in a pile. Secure your clearance now and start your new job on time.

Book your appointment now

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long does pre-employment screening take in January?

While Certifix processes submissions instantly, the government response time can vary. Electronic Live Scan submissions typically clear in 3-5 business days, whereas ink cards can take 2-4 weeks during the January rush.
Can I start working before my background check clears?

This depends on your employer’s policy and state laws. Some companies offer a conditional job offer allowing you to train, but you cannot perform sensitive duties (like patient care or handling money) until the check is fully cleared.
Why is my background check taking so long in January?

The most common reasons are volume backlogs at the DOJ, manual reviews due to common names (which require a human to verify that you aren’t a person with a criminal record), or delays in employment verification from your previous employers.
Where can I find electronic fingerprinting near me open now?

Use the Certifix location map to find over 1,200 centers. You can filter for locations that accept walk-ins to get your urgent fingerprinting done today for a job offer.

View All Questions

Live Scan December 28, 2025