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Are they a good thing for an employer?

Are they comprehensive?

How far back do they go?

Do they pick out discrepancies for residences and past jobs?

Do they include credit info?

 

Does anyone have any experience on them from an employer point of view and also an employee or prospective hire?

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1. Are they a good thing for an employer?

You bet. It keeps an employer from hiring someone with a criminal record, someone who doesn't handle finances well (could be subject to blackmail or have a motivation to steal), etc.

 

2. Are they comprehensive?

 

Depends on the job the candidate is being considered for. Some government jobs require a top secret clearance which takes months to perform. Most employers do a simple criminal and credit check that could take up to two or three days.

 

3. How far back do they go?

 

As far back and the records go. Many employers will consider misdeeds of ten or 20 years ago. Generally, once you have an arrest of almost any kind on your record most employers don't want you. There are too many people with clean records looking for jobs. Unfortunately, the inability to find a job because of one's record can be motivation to go get involved in more criminal activity to make a living.

 

Credit reports go back seven years, bankruptcies come off after ten years. Criminal records are a gift for life unless you pay an attorney big bucks to get certain arrests removed for good cause.

 

4. Do they pick out discrepancies for residences and past jobs?

 

Employers will look at the record and if anything is glaring they will question it in most cases.

 

5. Do they include credit info?

 

That's the credit bureau's job. That's why they exist. If you're asking if an employer will consider credit information, you bet they will. Many ONLY do a credit check. A person who handles finances poorly or who owes a lot of money is a big employment risk or may perform poorly at work because of a preoccupation with financial problems.

 

6. Does anyone have any experience on them from an employer point of view and also an employee or prospective hire?

 

I'm with all other employers who do background checks, and more and more of them do so everyday. Hiring and training someone is very expensive. Why invest a lot of money in someone who is not quality and who is without character and irresponsible. Yeah, the world forgives but the records don't. People need to give a lot of thought to the stupid things they do and understand actions have consequences. I don't think it should be any other way.

 

You don't need to be forgiven if you don't do anything wrong. Criminal acts are not mistakes...they are intentional acts that harm others in one way or another. Poor spending habits and irresponsible use of credit are signs of lack of will power and weak control of impulse. You don't want somebody working for you who can't control their own behavior but is guided by outside forces and irrational emotions.

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Are they a good thing for an employer?

 

They're a necessity nowadays.

 

Are they comprehensive?

 

That depends on the employer. Some don't check anything, most check something, and some check everything. Typically this will include a criminal history, credit check, and in some cases, a drug screen.

 

How far back do they go?

 

I believe that credit checks would reveal anything on file for the last seven years, and up to ten years if you've filed for bankruptcy. A criminal history check would probably check any criminal convictions within the last 7 years, but it could go back further than that depending on the offense and the jurisdiction. One important note to make: a lot of states prohibit employee screening firms from releasing information to a third party unless an arrest leads to a criminal conviction. Employers may be able to get around this by contacting a specific jurisdiction and obtaining records of arrests, but it is not necessarily a standard procedure.

 

I will depart a little from what Tony said. It is true that a previous conviction for something looks bad, but perhaps in some situations, it can be explained; it's just a matter of how you do it. There are a lot of people who've been arrested before who have gone on to become success stories. How negative a prior arrest and/or conviction may be depends on how long ago it was and how upfront you are about it now.

 

Do they pick out discrepancies for residences and past jobs?

 

Yes - this is one area where discrepancies might start to arouse suspicion. Past residences are public record. Past jobs are not, but as you know, employers will want gaps between jobs explained in detail, and they will want details about any previously disclosed employment. Make sure you provide accurate information here, because even an unintentional slip could hurt your application if it's revealed later to be false.

 

Do they include credit info?

 

Yes, it's one of the most common things they check.

 

Does anyone have any experience on them from an employer point of view and also an employee or prospective hire?

 

Both.

 

As an employee, I've been fortunate enough not to have anything too negative added to my file. I was once "let go" from a job after about 3 months. I initially didn't talk about it in interviews - whether it ever was revealed in subsequent interviews I will never know. But I finally cut through the crap and just admitted it in one of my interviews a few months later. The interviewer appreciated my honesty and I learned something from it: it's okay to admit to someone you're human. Just do it in a way that reassures the interviewer that, despite this disappointment, you're still the right person for the job.

 

Having been an employer, I know that I, too, can accept a past mistake or a job that didn't work out; it happens. What matters is what I sense about the person sitting in front of me right now. Is he who he says he is, or just a resume?

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love necessity

I don't have bad credit or anything, but why in the world would an employer need to know the financial background of a potential employee?? I never did understand this one.

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I don't have bad credit or anything, but why in the world would an employer need to know the financial background of a potential employee?? I never did understand this one.

 

Well, the thinking is that someone who has bad credit is probably not good at handling money, and they're also more likely to be desperate enough to embezzle, or they might quit once they find a job that pays more.

 

I can understand why an employer would want to know that kind of information, especially if that person is responsible for managing a large budget. I do not, however, think that a credit report alone should be the final word on anything. I think it's only fair and judicious to get some more details about why someone's having financial problems. It could be that they're like a friend of mine who's been spending the last 6 months trying to recover from broken vertebrae in his back. Then again, it could be that they just don't know much about personal finance and you really wouldn't want that person in charge of a large budget.

 

Best advice is, if you do have something bad on your credit report, let the interviewer know that before you consent to the screening. Explain the circumstances. If it's just bad luck, that can be explained and excused in a lot of cases. If you don't give them a heads-up, they'll assume you're trying to hide something.

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love necessity

If I've been fired from 80% of my jobs, will that look bad on my record? I will make a list of all the jobs I had.

 

15.5--BK-when I was, got fired three weeks later for mouthing off to an ignorant manager

16--some family owned small grocery store--fired b/c the owner harassed me so I got my two sense in..lol

16--payless--up and left to another city so probably terminated

16--not included b/c under the table job--deli

17--The Pharm deep discount drug store, got fired for calling off too much

17--hole in the wall telemarketer--got fired for not making quota

18--university--didn't get fired, student worker, loved that job

18-20--babysat--undertable--fun--but hard as heck!

19--telemarketer for basement finishing company--quite--didn't like

19--Walgreen--walked out b/c manager made me mad...Opps.

20--group home

21--same group home

21--university secretary

 

Right now, I have a fairly stable job. I am in school for nursing. I start my nrs courses in the spring of 08', and so excited. Will these look bad once I look for a "real" job??

 

Please let me know! thanks

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love necessity
If I've been fired from 80% of my jobs, will that look bad on my record? I will make a list of all the jobs I had.

 

15.5--BK-when I was, got fired three weeks later for mouthing off to an ignorant manager

16--some family owned small grocery store--fired b/c the owner harassed me so I got my two sense in..lol

16--payless--up and left to another city so probably terminated

16--not included b/c under the table job--deli

17--The Pharm deep discount drug store, got fired for calling off too much

17--hole in the wall telemarketer--got fired for not making quota

18--university--didn't get fired, student worker, loved that job

18-20--babysat--undertable--fun--but hard as heck!

19--telemarketer for basement finishing company--quite--didn't like

19--Walgreen--walked out b/c manager made me mad...Opps.

20--group home

21--same group home

21--university secretary

 

Right now, I have a fairly stable job. I am in school for nursing. I start my nrs courses in the spring of 08', and so excited. Will these look bad once I look for a "real" job??

 

Please let me know! thanks

 

the numbers stand for my age..

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the numbers stand for my age..

 

It will look bad, but it seems as though the last few jobs have worked out. You could just be upfront about it and tell them that you were a bit younger and immature then, but that you've 'grown up' now. They would probably believe it - a lot of teenagers get tossed from jobs for similar reasons. It's when you're 25 and 30 and you're still getting fired that it becomes a problem.

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love necessity
It will look bad, but it seems as though the last few jobs have worked out. You could just be upfront about it and tell them that you were a bit younger and immature then, but that you've 'grown up' now. They would probably believe it - a lot of teenagers get tossed from jobs for similar reasons. It's when you're 25 and 30 and you're still getting fired that it becomes a problem.

 

Do employers actually see this mess when they perform my background check?? I was just curious??

 

Would anyone happen to know?

 

If you were a manager somewhere and had to run checks would you see ALL my jobs??

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Tsuki no Michi
Do employers actually see this mess when they perform my background check?? I was just curious??

 

Would anyone happen to know?

 

If you were a manager somewhere and had to run checks would you see ALL my jobs??

 

I can only speak from government experience, but if you are being considered for a national security position they will go back 15 years and yes, they will more than likely find all jobs you had, even if you didn't list them. About the only ones they won't are your "under the table" jobs where everything was done cash for services. *Any* position where you were officially paid by an employer will show up since they have to pay into SS on your behalf.

 

In this situation they will also go out and interview everyone you list as references on your security clearance paperwork. I just did one for a friend of mine three days ago. They will also interview your parents, friends, other relatives, or anyone else who knows you as they see fit. The investigations can be pushed through, but the whole process takes roughly 6-12 months (mine took longer when it was first done because my then spouse was a non-US citizen).

 

For myself, thankfully I am out of that environment now. The little checks employers do in the civilian world are pale by comparison :).

 

TNM

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I can only speak from government experience, but if you are being considered for a national security position they will go back 15 years and yes, they will more than likely find all jobs you had, even if you didn't list them. About the only ones they won't are your "under the table" jobs where everything was done cash for services. *Any* position where you were officially paid by an employer will show up since they have to pay into SS on your behalf.

 

In this situation they will also go out and interview everyone you list as references on your security clearance paperwork. I just did one for a friend of mine three days ago. They will also interview your parents, friends, other relatives, or anyone else who knows you as they see fit. The investigations can be pushed through, but the whole process takes roughly 6-12 months (mine took longer when it was first done because my then spouse was a non-US citizen).

 

For myself, thankfully I am out of that environment now. The little checks employers do in the civilian world are pale by comparison :).

 

TNM

 

You also get polygraphed, but all of that is national security clearance procedure. That applies only if you're working with the government or as a government contractor.

 

In the private sector, you will probably get a credit and criminal history screening, and you'd only have a problem if there are obvious discrepancies in your record, such as moving out of state for a few months to work at another location but failing to include that on your application (a credit check would reveal all of your previous addresses).

 

As for past employers, most major companies have a policy of saying nothing. Most will simply indicate how long an employee has worked at a particular job, the title, and in some cases, may confirm or fail to confirm the previous employee's salary. It is not necessarily illegal for an employer to make negative comments about a past employee, but those comments can invite legal challenges, which is why most employers take the easy way out and say as little as possible.

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Being late on your bills reflects how reliable you will be at other reponsibilties such as SHOWING UP for work , and your credit is a direct indicator that you care enough to do responsible things like being punctual , and handling your finances . Its all related to being a responsible adult....

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I would not list anythign before 18 other than say various jobs babysitting ,fast food, etc.

List the telemarketing and say it wasnot your bag

wallgreens and say there was a personality conflict

the others look fine

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I work in the public sector - in IT - at a university. I don't know if they do credit checks at universities. Does anyone know?

 

I got hired really fast, but you have a 6-month probation where you can be let go without explanation, so I'm assuming they could take their sweet time with background checks during that time.

 

They did not do drug screening, but at a state hospital where I worked - they did. They also ask you to list felonies. I have a friend who committed a felony in his early 20's.. he can't get a job anywhere. Occasionally he gets an interview, then he just gets a rejection letter. He has a psych. degree, kinda sucks for him.

 

I have another friend who has a DWI, not a felony, but now that he is out of school and trying to work as a teacher in high school, he is having trouble getting hired because of it. Doesn't that ever go away? Isn't there a way around it? The school really liked my second friend, and told him they wanted to find a way to get him on. It sounded more like they couldn't than didn't hire him.

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Depends on how old your friend is on the felony. If he is 25 then that does suck. If he is 50 I am going to suggest that it might not show up on a standard check (unless they do the FBI check) and even if it did, he should be able to explain it away that he is a good boy now and so forth.

 

The DUI does suck.

 

If I were runnning into those, I woudl be inclined to not disclose and see what happens.

 

I know our application asks about felonies in the past 7 years.

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