Jobseekers hoping that a new year – and a new decade – will bring better luck in finding work can finally celebrate some potentially good news regarding future employment trends.

According to the study “2010 Job Forecast” by online jobs website CareerBuilder.com, more employers expect to hire new workers in 2010 than in 2009. The survey of more than 2,700 hiring managers and human resource professionals in November found that 20 percent – one in five – said they would hire full-time, permanent workers in 2010 compared to 14 percent of employers who said they planned to do the same in 2009.

In addition, the study revealed only 9 percent of employers said they intended to cut jobs next year, compared to 16 percent who said they would fire workers in 2009. A majority of respondents, 61 percent, predicted staffing levels would remain the same.

Regionally, the study found employers in the West planned to increase hiring more in 2010 than the other regions of the country, as nearly one-quarter – 24 percent – intended to add full-time workers compared to 21 percent in the Northeast, 20 percent in the South, and 16 percent in the Midwest.

With regard to hiring by industries, the study showed 32 percent of information technology (IT), 27 percent of manufacturing, and 23 percent of financial services employers plan to add full-time, permanent employees in 2010, followed by employers in professional and business services (22 percent), sales (21 percent), healthcare (21 percent), transportation (18 percent), and retail (15 percent).

As for which job types employers planned to hire for in 2010, one-third (33 percent) of those surveyed answered technology, followed by customer service (28 percent), sales people (23 percent), research/development (18 percent), business development (17 percent), accounting/finance (15 percent), and marketing (14 percent).

No matter what region, industry, or job type, most jobseekers will have to undergo a pre-employment background check. According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 80 percent of employers perform some type of pre-employment background check on prospective employees. In order to make sure that the information contained in their background checks is current, accurate, and secure, many jobseekers are performing “personal” background checks on themselves so they won’t lose out on any job opportunity because of mistakes and inaccuracies in their personal information.

MyBackgroundCheck.com – the nation’s leading supplier of applicant-supplied background checks – offers “personal” background check services to individuals to use as jobseekers to gain employment in a tough economy. For more information on how personal background checks can help jobseekers find work, please visit www.mybackgroundcheck.com, email info@mybackgroundcheck.com, or call 800-300-1821.

Follow MyBackgroundCheck.com on www.twitter.com/MyBackgroundChk.

pr@mybackgroundcheck.com

For most jobseekers currently looking for work, the more exposure they get through resumes, applications, and networking – both online and off – the better their chances are of finding work.

Unfortunately, according to an article in the Contra Costa (CA) Times, exposing personally identifiable information (PII) such as names, addresses, dates of birth, social security numbers (SSNs) and driver’s license numbers also increases the chances of jobseekers suffering from identity theft.

The Contra Costa Times reports that the World Privacy Forum – a nonprofit, public interest research group – receives many phone calls each week from jobseekers who have been victimized by identity theft while searching for work, a problem that should only get worse in a bad economy.

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), over 50,000 Californians reported being victimized by identity theft in 2008 – the second highest rate in the nation – and employment-related identity theft beat out credit-card fraud and accounting to rank first with 20 percent of all identity theft complaints to the FTC from the state. Overall, the damage caused by identity theft in 2008 was nearly $50 billion.
 
In the article, the World Privacy Forum offers several tips for jobseekers on preventing identity theft, including:

• Avoid vaguely worded job offers;
• Choose job search sites and resume databases with good privacy practices;
• Never put a SSN on your resume (federal or state jobs are exceptions) but provide it when at an interview or when asked permission for a background check;
• Don’t scan IDs or driver's licenses for a job offer, and;
• Post a resume directly on the Web site of the employer or company you wish to work for.

Another way for jobseekers to protect sensitive personal information from identity theft is by performing “personal” background checks on themselves to ensure their employment data is current, secure, and accurate. Besides protecting against identity theft, these background checks can also be used by jobseekers for employment purposes, since most employers these days – 80 percent according to the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) – require job applicants to undergo some type of pre-employment background check before hiring.

Where can jobseekers find "personal" background checks? While most background check firms only service employers, MyBackgroundCheck.com – the nation’s leading provider of applicant-supplied background checks – helps both jobseekers and potential employers keep personal information safe from identity theft during the pre-employment background check process.

For more information on how personal background checks can help protect jobseeker data from identity theft, visit www.mybackgroundcheck.com, email info@mybackgroundcheck.com, or call 1-800-503-2364. Follow MybackgroundCheck.com on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MyBackgroundChk.

pr@mybackgroundcheck.com

An article in The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) – “More Job Seekers Scramble To Erase Their Criminal Past” – reveals that many jobseekers looking for work in a tight job market are rushing to legally clear criminal records that would appear on pre-employment background checks that delve deeply into their sometimes checkered pasts.

According to statistics cited in the WSJ article, millions of American jobseekers fear their criminal pasts will show up on background checks. While over 50% of American men had been arrested in 1967, that figure is now an estimated 60% due to arrests made in connection with domestic violence and illegal drugs, with the annual number of arrests for possession of marijuana more than tripling to 1.8 million from 1980 to 2007, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

At the same time, the WSJ article notes that background checks have become more affordable and commonplace since the September 11 terrorist attacks, and more than 80% of companies performed background checks in 2006 compared with fewer than 50% in 1998, according to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). In addition, the article asserts that background checks can help lessen employer liability from workplace theft – which cost retailers over $15 billion last year according to the National Retail Federation – and workplace violence that costs billions more in legal costs and lost work hours.

In the WSJ article, two men – both veterans – were used as examples of jobseekers with criminal pasts affecting current employment opportunities:

• An Air Force veteran was refused temporary employment because a background check by the temp agency turned up a 1986 conviction for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (when threatened, he once pretended a silver brush was a knife). More than 20 years after a "no judgment" finding by the judge and a $60 fine, the man is still fighting to erase the arrest from criminal records and background checks.
• A veteran turned jobseeker back from Afghanistan after serving in the Army for 15 months was unable find work with the New York City Police Department because of a 2002 conviction of illegal possession of a gun found on a background check, this despite scoring in the 98th percentile on his civil-service exam. The man is now serving another overseas tour.

With unemployment is currently above 10% and potential employers choosing from the largest talent pool in decades, the WSJ article clearly shows that a growing number of American jobseekers hope to boost their odds in a tough job market with “clean” background checks by clearing their criminal records of minor crimes through legal means, a process known as “expungement” in which official records of minor crimes may be shredded, erased, sealed, or blocked from view.

Along with expungement, jobseekers can make sure that their information on their criminal records is current and accurate by running “personal” background checks on themselves to see what potential employers will see. By purchasing their own background checks, jobseekers take a pro-active step in their search for employment, stand out from the crowded field of applicants, and show potential employers that they have nothing to hide. While most background check companies focus only on employers, MyBackgroundCheck.com – a pioneer in consumer requested and applicant supplied background checks – offers jobseekers the opportunity to perform “personal” background checks on themselves to help them find employment in a tight job market.

To learn how personal background checks help jobseekers find work, visit www.mybackgroundcheck.com, email info@mybackgroundcheck.com, or call 1-800-503-2364. To follow MyBackgroundCheck.com on Twitter, visit www.twitter.com/MyBackgroundChk.

tahearn@mybackgroundcheck.com  

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning jobseekers to be cautious during their search for employment and to watch out for background check scams, phishing attacks, and identity theft. 

According to the BBB, with the national unemployment rate close to 10 percent, and 13 states experiencing unemployment rates in the double-digits, the threat of identity theft, phishing, and background check scams targeting job seekers is rising with unemployment rates because scammers are out to take advantage of the unemployed.

In a press release, the BBB warns jobseekers to beware of three scams in particular that could lead to lost money, missed opportunities, and identity theft.

1. Job Offers Requiring Upfront Fees: Recently, job ads from a company in Florida claiming it needed 2,500 employees for their new headquarters asked applicants had to submit $24 to pay for a background check, money that was later discovered only went to the company’s owner. Similar schemes are appearing across the country.
2. Job Placement Companies Making Promises They Can’t Deliver: Job placement companies, or headhunter firms, usually do NOT charge the job seekers but are paid by companies that need help filling positions. However, one Maryland company charged $195 and guaranteed it could find jobseekers work, but the jobseekers didn’t receive call backs, jobs, or refunds.
3. Phishing Attacks By Fake Businesses To Commit Identity Theft: "Phishing" involves spam e-mails with job offers directing jobseekers to websites designed to solicit financial information for identity theft. The jobseekers may also find out they have been hired and immediately be asked for bank account or Social Security numbers.

In order to avoid identity theft or background check scams, the BBB advises jobseekers to be cautious when responding to unsolicited e-mails from supposed employers, fully research job placement companies, and not pay money to employers up front for services such as background checks without vetting the companies first.

To avoid background check scams and protect against identity theft, jobseekers may also want to perform "personal" background checks on themselves to make sure their personal information is current, accurate, and secure. While many background check firms only service employers, companies like MyBackgroundCheck.com – a pioneer in consumer requested background checks – offers "personal" background checks for individuals to use as jobseekers and consumers to use to protect against identity theft. Over one million individuals have purchased background checks through MyBackgroundCheck.com in the past year.

For more information about how jobseekers can use personal background checks to help prevent identity theft, visit www.mybackgroundcheck.com, email info@mybackgroundcheck.com, call 1-800-503-2364, and follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MyBackgroundChk.

tahearn@mybackgroundcheck.com

The old expression "If you want a job done right, do it yourself" could easily apply to many of the nearly 15 million currently unemployed workers who are considering some form of self-employment. However, for those jobseekers who want to work for someone else and get paid for it, “If you want a background check on yourself done right, do it yourself” may be a more suitable expression.

According to the Employment Situation - August 2009 from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the unemployment rate rose to 9.7 percent in August and the number of unemployed people rose to 14.9 million. With nearly one of ten people unemployed – and another 9.1 million more working part-time because their hours were cut back or they could not find a full-time job – competition for what few available jobs remain is understandably fierce.

With 24 million jobseekers looking for full-time work, employers can and will be very picky when it comes to which applicants they choose out of the deep and talented pool of prospective employees. One popular method employers have of choosing prospective employees is the pre-employment background check. According to 2006 Weapons in the Workplace, a study by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 85% of respondents to a survey reported that their organizations conducted pre-employment background checks on potential employees, and nearly all (96%) of those same companies reported using criminal background checks when doing so.

With so much at stake, a simple mistake on a background check can turn the chance of landing a dream job into a nightmare, as it did for one jobseeker who shared the same name, birth date, and social security number with a person whose extensive criminal record would continue to appear during the jobseeker's pre-employment background checks.

Can a background check mistake cost a jobseeker a job? The answer, as in the case of the jobseeker who shared a name and birth date with a criminal, is yes. Jobseekers need to find any and all errors that can appear on background checks, which can include mistaken identities, wrong Social Security numbers (SSNs), identity theft and fraud, and incomplete or illegal information.

One way jobseekers can make sure that their personal background information is accurate is by running a “personal” background check on themselves. Since people are what their personal information says they are in today’s world, prospective employees who will almost surely have to consent to a pre-employment background check would be wise to find out what information will be uncovered beforehand and see that data before their potential employers do. In addition, by performing a “personal” background check on themselves, jobseekers take a pro-active step in their search for employment, stand out from the crowd, and show potential employers they have nothing to hide.

While most background check companies focus only on employers, MyBackgroundCheck.com – a pioneer in web-based consumer‐requested and applicant supplied background check services – offers jobseekers a way to improve their chances of getting hired through “personal” background checks that gives individuals control over their personal information and the ability to share that information with whomever they choose.

For more information on personal background checks, visit www.mybackgroundcheck.com, email info@mybackgroundcheck.com, or call 1‐800‐503‐2364. To follow us on Twitter, visit www.twitter.com/MyBackgroundChk.

tahearn@mybackgroundcheck.com