Employment background checks are more common than ever
. Our difficult economy and the increasingly transparent nature of the web have come together to push employers towards checking the facts more often than not. If you arent prepared, you might lose the job without even knowing why. Worse yet, there may be inaccurate or misleading information out there that is damaging your reputation. Here are a few things you should do before you apply for a position that requires a background check.
1.) Google yourself. This is a good idea even if your employer isnt conducting a background check on you. A simple Google search is so easy to do that more and more employers are checking Google before speaking with job candidates. If you find any misleading information in your search, you can create good content to overshadow the bad, or you can ask the website administrators to have it removed.
2.) Check your court records. This is very important if you have a history of court cases or a criminal record. Sometimes the courts wont update felonies that have been reduced to misdemeanors. Its a good idea to double check to make sure everything is okay and up to date.
3.) Ask your previous employers for your personnel file. Some state laws force employers to allow former employees to go through their personnel files. This is yet another chance to look for misleading information.
4.) Check your credit report. Employers like to see how you spend your money and whether you have difficulty managing debt. Do what you can to make your credit report look better.
5.) Talk to your former colleagues. This will make the background check much quicker and painless. It is also a chance to see who will give you a lukewarm or bad reference. If you take the time to do this, it will reflect positively on you.
You have to be extra cautious in todays social media age. Almost everything you say is recorded somewhere, and it is just waiting to be dug up. Take a proactive stance and do all the research on yourself before you employer gets to it. That is the only way to guarantee you will pass the background check and get the job.