Before You Apply, Know What Shows Up On Your Background Search
Ok, you just aced the job interview, and you’re looking forward to doing a background check before you officially land the job. Now you’re worried about that thing that happened in college. Or you are scared of a super-secret government database that stores inside information on you. Does this apply to you?
Well, you don’t have to worry as most employment background search isn’t as bad as most people tag it to be. That is why we encourage you to know what shows up on your background search so you can approach the job with confidence. If you know how to find anyone, you can find out what employers will find in a background search.
I must say that employment background checks aren’t met to be invasive or scary. By the sound of the word, “Employee Background Search” you’re already thinking that employers are looking for a reason not to hire you. Wrong! The organization isn’t looking for dirt on you.
Why Do Employers Conduct A Background Search On You?
Well, most employers do a background search when they intend to hire you. The search is skillfully designed to confirm your stated credentials and ensures you don’t post a potential risk to customers or employers.
So how do Employers Get Your Information?
You might probably be thinking that there’s a massive database where everything about you is stored. Wrong Again! There isn’t. Your information is written and compiled from different sources, and this is how you can find anyone online.
For instance, what we do here in KidGuard is to contact the school of the employee to confirm their education history. We also contact past employers to verify your employment history. And when checking on criminal history, employers might go to county, state and federal court records to find information about you.
Are All Employee Background Checks The Same?
Every background checks differ from one employer to another and across job roles. Some background search would want to find out about your criminal record history, employment history, education history, drug testing, driving records and more.
So you cannot actually pinpoint the type of background search an employer is going to adopt. That is why we can’t encourage you enough to carry out your own background checks. This will enable you to know what shows up in your history search so you can approach the employer with confidence. This process shows you how to find anyone online as well, for any reason from lost friends to neighbors.
So what does a Typical Background Search Reveal?
A typical background search will have a few different components and show your history for the past 7 to 10 years. This can include:
- Criminal History
- Drug test Records
- Sex offender listings
- Bankruptcy
- Driving records
- Credit records
- Job history
- Education history
- Previous Employers
- Personal references
Do Employers Hire Applicants With Criminal Records?
We do get this question most times. “I have a criminal record, why would any employer want to hire me?”
Don’t get too hard on yourself. The factor that may and will prevent you from getting hired varies from different job roles. That means a particular crime may not be an issue for an employer but may be a problem to another.
Whether an employer will hire you or not will depend solely on the organization’s internal policies or any laws and regulations.
The good news is that if any employer discovers anything that will prevent you from being hired, you will be sent a copy of the report. You have the legal right to correct, dispute any incorrect or inaccurate information about you in your background report.
What Rights do You Have When an Employer Performs a Background Search on You?
When you are about to land a job, and a background check is required, you do have certain rights. First of all, the employer has to get your written consent to carry out a background search on you.
Yes, you heard me right. You will have to sign a document which shouldn’t have extra language on it such as telling you that you can’t sue somebody if the information on the background search is found inaccurate.
As earlier said, it is your right to get a copy of the report on the checks conducted. If the employer isn’t going to hire you, then they have to notify you in writing. They have to tell you who the background company was, and let you know what your rights are to dispute the report under the Federal Character Reporting Act.
Are Screening Companies Carrying Out A Background Search To Find Something Bad About You?
Background Search companies are out there to find accurate information about you. For example, KidGuard only aims to find accurate information about you and provide it to the client to make a good hiring decision.
We at KidGuard work automatically for our clients and also try to protect the rights of applicants as best as we can. As a screening company, there are a lot of steps we provide to ensure that our information about you is accurate, honest and correct.
Our Sincere Advice
If you are being hired as an officer of a company, you are personally responsible for your actions. That is why companies want to make sure they get the right candidates in those positions. Since you will be entrusted with assets of the enterprise, the employer wants to make sure you have a clean record by running a background search on you to know more about you.
We, however, suggest you find out upfront what your employer is going to be looking for when they decide to conduct a background on you. So, ensure you find records about yourself before your employer does, as they will always know how to find anyone and anything about them, including you
This will help you deal with any bad record you had in the past. Make sure you take the time necessary to address these records and clean up your online personas on your social media account and be honest as well.
Article from: https://www.kidguard.com/background-check-guide/know-whats-in-your-background-search-applying-to-job/