What a Background Check Can Uncover During Your Job Search

[Wednesday, July 22, 2009 | View Comments ]

If you're currently searching for a job, you know how daunting the entire process can become. Most of your time is consumed with finding job openings, networking, sending in resumes and hopefully going to interviews. If you have a successful interview and are being considered for employment, there's another step you will most likely have to prepare for – undergoing a background check.

In today's society, nearly every employer conducts a background check on potential employees. Not only does it serve as a way for employers to ensure they're getting the best candidate possible, but it also is a way for employees to prove they are who they say they are. But what a potential employer can find during a background check might surprise you.

The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act dictates what is and what is not allowed to be included in a background check. Typical background checks can allow employers access to such information as your social security number and employment history.

Information that can be found through a background check includes: driving records, bankruptcy, property ownership, past employers, vehicle registration, education records, character references, military records, personal references, credit cards, court records, neighbor interviews, state licensing records, incarceration records, criminal records, workers' compensation, medical records, drug test records and sex offender lists.

There is some information that can't be included in background checks as dictated by the FCRA. This includes: bankruptcies after 10 years; civil suits, civil judgments and records of arrest after seven years; paid tax liens after seven years; accounts placed for collection after seven years; and other negative information, except criminal convictions, after seven years.

Some people might feel that some information allowed to be included in background checks is an invasion of privacy. For instance, some might ask what credit card records have to do with work ethic? While this is often a valid argument, all the information included in a background check ultimately leads back to the makeup of your character. In other words, if you're unable to pay your bills on time, you might have trouble completing simple projects on time as well.

Regardless of whether or not you feel a background check may invade your privacy, it's an important part of the hiring process for both the employer and the potential candidate. Ultimately, a background check will help an employer feel confident about their hiring decisions. As long as there is nothing to hide, an employee should feel confident about the outcome of their background check as well.

Guest Expert:

Jennifer Carpenter is a junior copywriter for Cheezhead. In addition to writing posts for the main Cheezhead blog, which deals with the employment and recruiting industries, she also writes search engine optimization content for various companies and contributes articles and blog posts to a large network of Cheezhead-owned blogs and those owned by other professionals in the industry. Jennifer has a degree in journalism and mass communication from St. Bonaventure University. She is originally from Wellsville, New York and currently lives in Lakewood, Ohio, a Cleveland suburb.

If you're currently searching for a job, you know how daunting the entire process can become. Most of your time is consumed with finding job openings, networking, sending in resumes and hopefully going to interviews. If you have a successful interview and are being considered for employment, there's another step you will most likely have to prepare for – undergoing a background check.

In today's society, nearly every employer conducts a background check on potential employees. Not only does it serve as a way for employers to ensure they're getting the best candidate possible, but it also is a way for employees to prove they are who they say they are. But what a potential employer can find during a background check might surprise you.

The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act dictates what is and what is not allowed to be included in a background check. Typical background checks can allow employers access to such information as your social security number and employment history.

Information that can be found through a background check includes: driving records, bankruptcy, property ownership, past employers, vehicle registration, education records, character references, military records, personal references, credit cards, court records, neighbor interviews, state licensing records, incarceration records, criminal records, workers' compensation, medical records, drug test records and sex offender lists.

There is some information that can't be included in background checks as dictated by the FCRA. This includes: bankruptcies after 10 years; civil suits, civil judgments and records of arrest after seven years; paid tax liens after seven years; accounts placed for collection after seven years; and other negative information, except criminal convictions, after seven years.

Some people might feel that some information allowed to be included in background checks is an invasion of privacy. For instance, some might ask what credit card records have to do with work ethic? While this is often a valid argument, all the information included in a background check ultimately leads back to the makeup of your character. In other words, if you're unable to pay your bills on time, you might have trouble completing simple projects on time as well.

Regardless of whether or not you feel a background check may invade your privacy, it's an important part of the hiring process for both the employer and the potential candidate. Ultimately, a background check will help an employer feel confident about their hiring decisions. As long as there is nothing to hide, an employee should feel confident about the outcome of their background check as well.

Guest Expert:

Jennifer Carpenter is a junior copywriter for Cheezhead. In addition to writing posts for the main Cheezhead blog, which deals with the employment and recruiting industries, she also writes search engine optimization content for various companies and contributes articles and blog posts to a large network of Cheezhead-owned blogs and those owned by other professionals in the industry. Jennifer has a degree in journalism and mass communication from St. Bonaventure University. She is originally from Wellsville, New York and currently lives in Lakewood, Ohio, a Cleveland suburb.

blog comments powered by Disqus