A posting says that a criminal background check may occur later. The application also asks you to disclose a conviction now. Before treating those as the same step, identify what information is being requested and whether a conditional offer has actually been made.
This guide addresses criminal history questions in Philadelphia delivery hiring at the application and interview stage. It uses the city's updated Fair Chance Hiring poster to explain the timing distinction. It does not determine whether an employer is exempt, decide your job eligibility or describe EPIQ Logistics' screening practices.
Recognize a pre-offer history request
Philadelphia's July 2026 Fair Chance Hiring poster says covered employers cannot ask about criminal records before extending a conditional offer. It expressly notes that some employers are exempt. The poster separately permits notice during applications and interviews that a criminal background check is intended after a conditional offer.
Read the wording for what it asks you to do now. A statement about a possible later check gives information about a future step. A field asking for your arrest or conviction history seeks information in the present application. The city's poster says the pre-offer prohibition includes a disclosure request even when the applicant is told answering is optional.
Keep the actual question or notice available when seeking clarification. A label such as “screening” does not, by itself, tell you whether a form is simply describing a future process or asking for history immediately.
Establish the stage without assuming an offer
A recruiter expressing interest, inviting you to interview or saying that a check may come later does not establish what an actual offer document says. Review the materials you received and ask which stage you are in if the sequence is unclear.
The guide to reading a conditional delivery offer helps you identify stated terms and conditions. Use the actual document when asking whether an offer has been extended. Do not infer one merely because the application has advanced.
You might ask: “I am reviewing this request for criminal-history information. Can you clarify the stage of the process and how this question is handled for the position?” Retain the reply. If you need an interpretation of the ordinance's application to the job, bring the actual facts to the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations or a qualified adviser.
Compare the notice with the actual form
Imagine a fictional applicant, Alex, who receives a message saying that a criminal check is planned after a conditional offer. Alex has only an interview invitation. A separate form asks Alex to list convictions before that interview.
Alex needs an explanation for the form’s present request as well as the message about a later check. Alex can identify both documents when asking how to proceed with the field. If it is required by the form, entering a false answer or an unrelated placeholder would create a different problem; seek clarification instead.
This example does not decide a violation or establish that the employer is covered. It shows why the applicant should preserve the timing and exact wording rather than treating every mention of a check as the same request.
Keep timing separate from record accuracy
If you later receive a report containing information you believe is inaccurate, that is a different question from whether a history request was made at the appropriate stage. The guide to reviewing background records and possible errors addresses that record-preparation task.
This article does not summarize all rules governing which records may be considered or how a post-offer decision must be made. A conditional offer does not establish that every record can be used, that a check is accurate or that an applicant is automatically excluded.
Do not send a detailed criminal record to an unfamiliar contact simply to ask which process applies. Start with the question, the job information and the communications already sent to you. Share sensitive information only through a verified process appropriate to the actual issue.
Retain a clear sequence for follow-up
Save the application wording, interview or offer communications, and the dates you received them. Note what was requested before or after the stated offer, without adding a motive you cannot verify. A reply saying the employer will review the issue is not a determination of coverage or compliance.
The EPIQ delivery-job guides can help with other application decisions. For this timing question, the useful record is the actual request and hiring sequence, with any exemption or legal applicability question left for a fact-specific assessment.