CAREERS NOW 07-09-08

Background Checks in Today's Job Market

DEAR JOYCE: I was fired as an inside sales manager. Do I have to sign a waiver for prospective employers permitting them to do a background check on me that could reveal I was terminated? - R.R.

DEAR JOYCE: I sailed through my interview and expected a job offer. But I found out that two bankruptcies on my credit report knocked me out of consideration. How long will those bankruptcies stay on my record? - Y.H.H.

Now the norm, background checks are still kicking job seekers to the curb in the rising unemployment that an economist has termed a "slow-motion recession" for workers.

A company in the huge background screening industry, employeescreenIQ, offers a plausible explanation for why employers will continue to order bucketloads of background checks even as their number of hires dips. At the number one spot on the company's 2009 list of background screening trends is the critical importance of thorough background checking in a shrinking job market. Here's the reasoning:

"The job market is destined to become even more competitive, which in turn could lead some individuals to stretch the truth in order to secure employment...It is imperative the items listed on (new employees') resumes truly reflect the experience they are claiming."

The employeescreenIQ trends report claims a whole lot of resume "fluffing" (bulking up a resume with untruths) is going on. The company finds a 56 percent discrepancy rate between what is reported on a resume and what is found when conducting employment and education verifications. Data vary about how many liars there are among us in the marketplace but a 56 percent discrepancy is believable.

Among other trends reported: using social networking sites to screen individuals, screening outside contractors, screening existing employees, states' new focus on privacy for public records, and electronic verification of potential employees' citizenship and right to work. To read the entire list, Google "2009 Background Screening Trends."

WHAT SCREENING COVERS. The term background check can mean anything from a credit report to an intense verification of someone's background that includes your previous addresses and interviews with family, neighbors and friends.

Checks usually review criminal and court records, and may include driving records and vehicle registrations. Sex offender databases may be reviewed.

Bankruptcies can stay on your credit reports for seven to 10 years, depending on the type of bankruptcy you file. For more details than you ever wanted to know, look up bankruptcy on wiki.answers.com.

BULLET-PROOFING MOVES. Screening information is usually reliable but history shows it can contain errors, innuendos and grudge-induced lies. What's worse, as some scary court cases illustrate, when reporting mistakes are made in background checks, they can be nearly impossible to correct, even though employers are required to give a copy of background reports to rejected applicants.

Do you have to sign a waiver? Yes, if asked, or you won't be considered for employment. Under federal law, you can buy a pre-employment self-check to get a look at what an employer would learn about you. Not all positions require background checks. For information on your rights, visit the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, privacyrights.org.

If a red flag is going to turn up on your report, consider a pre-emptive strike by revealing the fact at the interview. This strategy gives you the opportunity to put yourself in the best possible light.

Fighting your way through a flawed background check is tricky. Armor yourself by learning all you can about the process. Search online for "Background Checks," especially recent articles by Chad Terhune. And read books, such as "Sleuthing 101: Background Checks and the Law" by Barry Nadell.

Remember, the employer is not out to burn you but instead to protect the organization by doing everything possible to ward off problems and legal liabilities. Don't become emotional when discussing an uncomfortable or employment-threatening issue. Look for ways to deal with a negative background issue in a manner that doesn't separate you from your career.

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