Background Checks… For Employment?

Yup!  Its not a new concept!  Many corporations and even small businesses are now conducting background checks on job candidates of interest, as part of their overall hiring process.  It might not exactly be fair in every case, but it is sort of an insurance policy for businesses hiring a new employee.   While it may not always be exactly fair, it is hard to dispute this piece of the disqualification process.  I use the word disqualification because that is the name of the hiring process – to create a group of seemingly qualified candidates and then weed out every one except the one that matches the hiring criteria the best.

So, in our continuing efforts at preparing you to find a new job, I thought I would give you some basic information on background checks as they are becoming quite the norm these days.

For starters, you should be aware that if a company is going to conduct a background check before hiring you, they need to get your written consent.  Therefore you will be tipped off if this is going to occur.  To be safe you should simply anticipate the hiring company is going to perform one and therefore be prepared.  You might even want to offer it before they ask, as if to suggest you are absolutely OK with the background check being performed and that you have nothing to hide, or can explain anything negative that may be discovered during the check.

Now, if you are interviewing and have agreed to a background check, it can be a good sign that the hiring company is very interested in your employment.  This is obviously a good thing (that is, if your background is OK to display).  If after the background check, the hiring company doesn’t hire you, that hiring company is obligated to provide you with the name of the consumer reporting agency that provided them the background check.

As mentioned, it is strongly encouraged that you really take the time to review your background so you are made privy as to what will appear on these background checks.  They really can include a plethora of information from past work history, SSN verification, credit report, driving record, criminal history and more.  For more information on what is included in a background check you can further research The Fair Credit Reporting Act.

What will NOT be in the background check is school information.  Also, much of what will be detailed in the report differs by state.  So it may provide a criminal arrest, but might not give much details.  Again, if you are aware of what will be found in your background check beforehand, and get into a situation where a background check is going to be performed, you can make mention of any blemishes beforehand to the individual hiring.

So once again, preparedness is paramount!  Do your own due diligence – on yourself.  What supersedes this, as always, is the old adage “Honesty is the best policy”.  If you lie on your resume, there is a strong probability that the lie will surface and put a halt in the your hiring.