Employment Background Checks: Minimize Skeletons that Employers Might Find. Parts 2

 Jobs Employment, Career Job, Employment Job

by Katharine Hansen, Ph.D.

Eliminate any issues you can. "For a no-surprise background check, the executive should resolve any outstanding disputes or pending items," Craig suggests, noting that reviewing credit reports for discrepancies and ensuring that any legal actions are settled are solid steps toward eliminating troublesome skeletons.

Be scrupulously honest in any paperwork you submit during the interview process. While some executives may feel that completing an employment application is beneath them, many employers require applications for legal reasons. Every background-check expert interviewed for this article emphasized honesty in applications or any other paperwork you are asked to submit as part of the hiring procedure. Mack recalls having to terminate "a really good guy because he lied about something in his background." Mack explains that the issue came up in the background check a few months into his employment (because background checks took longer at that time). Mack says her company would have hired him even if they knew about it, "but we terminated him because he lied on his employment application."

Understand the value of pre-emptive disclosure, recommends Craig. "If there is a 'red flag,' then it is better to disclose it during the interview process, where the issue can be put into context," Craig advises. "Discovering it by surprise in a background check will usually lead to a disqualification."

On the flip side, "many employers will not have an issue with a [problem disclosed during the check] as long as they feel it has no impact on the position," Fabrycki notes. "I would advise candidates to tell the employer prior to the first on-site interview; no sense wasting anyone's time if that employer will have a problem," Fabrycki says.

"Take your chances with the truth," Mack advises. "If they are checking your background, they already want you as a candidate and will probably work with you," she says. "But if you are hiding info, and they find out, you're toast." Barb Poole of Hire Imaging, LLC, points out that this proactive approach can differentiate you from other candidates. "It can also give the recruiter or hiring manager a higher comfort level with you as a candidate, because they know that a reputable company has been retained to certify your credentials and information up front — a potential big leap in gaining an air of integrity and credibility," Poole says.

Know your rights and protect your security. "The first thing to know is that an employer must obtain your consent before performing a background check," Fishman says, noting that the employer also must divulge what the background check consists of. "If an employer chooses not to extend an offer based on the outcome of the search," Fishman explains "it must notify the candidate of this decision, provide him or her with a copy of the report, and allow him or her the opportunity to dispute the findings." Fishman also cautions applicants to be wary when employers ask for the candidate to pay for the background check, particularly over the Internet. "There have been a number of recent scams in this regard," Fishman says.

Meschke advises candidates to ask how the information is transmitted from party to party vendor to employer. "Assure that the information is encrypted and that Social Security numbers are blacked out in the event the data ends up in the wrong hands," Meschke cautions.

Watch for inaccuracies. A particular value in ordering your own background search is that you may uncover and correct information that is inaccurately reported. "Reporting jurisdictions, municipalities, and credit bureaus are not infallible," Meschke notes. "Mistakes are made. Incorrect information may end up in a person's report due to transposing numbers or using a wrong middle initial in a name search."

"The information found in a search is only as good as the person who entered it," agrees Sandy Glover, president of Gold Shield Legal Investigations, Inc., Ormond Beach, FL. Glover personally contacts the clerk of the court or makes other personal inquiries if the accuracy of a report is questioned.

Final Thoughts
Remain calm and relaxed during the process, advises Certified Protection Professional Philip Farina, CEO of Farina and Associates, Ltd., San Antonio, TX. "Whatever comes up from a pre-employment screening, focus the selection committee toward the positive attributes that you bring to the table. All things being equal, the employment candidate who checks out quickly and accurately may get the position," Farina says.