Failed CLEAR identity verification requests

CLEAR identity verification helps confirm that a candidate is who they say they are. Sometimes, a verification request cannot be completed successfully. This article explains the possible failure reasons and what you can do next.

CLEAR check failure

If a candidate fails one or more of CLEAR’s checks, you’ll see which part of the verification didn’t pass (such as an issue with their government ID or selfie match).

CLEAR checks may fail for the following reasons:

• Mismatch with their Greenhouse application
• Invalid or suspicious government ID
• Selfie doesn’t match ID (or fails liveness detection)
• Device or network concerns

If the candidate seems legitimate, consider following up and resending the request so they can correct any issues.

If the failure appears suspicious or consistent with fraud patterns, follow your organization’s fraud protocols.

Mismatched application information

When a candidate completes identity verification, Greenhouse compares their verified identity to the information returned from CLEAR.

Sometimes the details a candidate enters in their application don’t match the information they provide to CLEAR. Greenhouse Recruiting checks the following fields:

• Last name
• Phone number
• Email address

A mismatch in any of these fields can result in a failed verification. This helps prevent impersonation and ensures the person applying is the same person being verified. However, a mismatch doesn’t always mean fraud.

 Common reasons include:

• A candidate applies with their married name but verifies with a maiden name
• A candidate applies with a nickname (Cam) but verifies with their legal name (Cameron)
• A candidate signs up to MyGreenhouse with a different email than the one submitted with the application
• A candidate provides a work phone number in their application but verifies with a personal phone number

If the mismatch appears minor or explainable, you can follow up with the candidate directly.

VPN failure

If a candidate tries to complete verification using a VPN (Virtual private network), CLEAR will mark the attempt as a failure. This helps protect against fraud.

Ask the candidate to turn off their VPN before sending a new request.

Unverified statuses

Some candidates may not complete identity verification, but these situations are not considered failures. These statuses simply mean the verification request didn’t result in a pass or fail outcome.

Unverified statuses include:

• Pending: The candidate received the request but has not yet taken action.
• Unsupported location: The candidate attempted verification from a location where CLEAR is not supported.
• Candidate declined: The candidate chose not to proceed with verification.
• Expired: The verification link expired before the candidate completed it.
• Canceled: A user within your organization canceled the request manually.

These statuses don’t indicate fraud. If the status is expired or declined and the candidate is still in your pipeline, you can send a new verification request. Pending means the candidate may still be completing the process. Canceled means your team withdrew the request and no further action is needed unless you choose to resend it.