Background Checks
If you have ever been employed, chances are good that
you’ve had a background check run on you. Employers looking
for reliable, trustworthy individuals will often use these
reports to confirm that information given on a resume is
true and ensure that they are hiring persons of high
standards. But what is included in a background check? Do
you have control over who can access your report? How can
you find out what is on your record?
What is included in a background check? Specific details of
an individual’s past are revealed in a background check for
purposes of employment. Depending on the company providing
the background check, your report may include a range of
information, including: criminal records, litigation
records, driving and vehicle records, education records,
licensing records, military records, social security
number, property ownership, credit records, employment
history, worker’s compensation, medical records, sex
offenders list, and interpersonal interviews (with
neighbors and other character references). Some services
offer nothing more than the information given in a phone
book, while others employ private investigators that offer
the whole gamut of information. Most employers hire an
outside company to give them the type of information that
is pertinent to the job you are being considered for.
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act bankruptcies more than
ten years old; civil suits, judgments, and records of
arrest more than seven years old; paid tax liens after
seven years; accounts placed for collection after seven
years; and any other negative information (other than
criminal convictions) after seven years cannot be reported
in a background check.
Do you have control over who can access your report? While
some feel they have nothing to hide in a background check,
concerns over submitting to one are certainly valid. Some
applicants fear that employers can dig into the past in
ways that are unrelated to their jobs. In addition, a
background check may include information that is illegal to
use for hiring, or comes from questionable sources.
When you complete an application for employment you must
give your consent for a background check to be run. This is
one reason why it is so important to be open and honest if
there is anything in your past that may show up on your
record. In some fields a clean background check is required
by law for employment or to even qualify to give volunteer
work, such as jobs where individuals interact with children
and youth, elderly, or disabled people. Jobs that require
an individual to cross the nation’s borders or involve
transporting goods or people will also require successful
background checks. It is easy to understand why background
checks would be required in such cases. In some states it
is also mandatory to pass a background check in order to
purchase a handgun or other restricted firearms.
Some recent controversy has risen over whether dating
services should be allowed to process background checks.
Services contend that they want to supply their clients
with peace of mind that the people they meet within the
system are upstanding citizens, while others contend that
personal information should be volunteered by clients at
their own discretion, just as it is in the “real world.”
How can you find out what is on your record? It is in your
best interest to check and update all aspects of your
background check, regardless of the type of employment you
are looking for. For instance, an employer may review your
credit history as a means of judging your reliability,
regardless of whether you will be working with money or
not. It is also important to note that if you have been
arrested for DUI or DWI, this is not considered a minor
traffic infraction, and the failure to report it can result
in being denied employment based on falsifying a form.
If you are entering the job market, and you have any
concern about your record, you can hire a company to run a
background check for you. Companies are listed in the
yellow pages, and there are several services on-line. Most
of the information is a matter of public records created by
government agencies. You can certainly search out your own
information.
—————————————————-
Francesca Black develops educational material for
http://www.security-port.com and
http://www.security-protection.net a top resource for
locating security related RSS feeds.
