How much would you spend for a background check? How much should you spend? In certain cases – such as being a Vice-Presidential candidate potentially “a heartbeat away from being President” – the cost would, and should, be higher.

But $50,000?

An article in the Los Angeles Times reports that – according to her new memoir, "Going Rogue" – Sarah Palin claims the Presidential campaign of Senator John McCain had her cover $50,000 of the cost of the background check that vetted her as the Vice-Presidential candidate for the Republican ticket after she and McCain lost the 2008 Presidential election, a charge disputed by a former campaign aide.

The Times reports that in her book Palin said that no one had informed her she would have to take care of any expenses related to the background check process, and she writes that when she asked the McCain campaign if they would help her financially, she was told that the bills for the background check would have been paid if the McCain had won the presidency, but since he had lost, the bills for the background check were her responsibility.

While the idea of making someone pay $50,000 for a background check seems hard to believe, the idea of job applicants paying for their own, albeit less expensive, background checks is not so strange. According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 80% of U.S. businesses perform some form of background checks before hiring job applicants. In the current down economy, and since they would most likely have to undergo a background check anyway to find work, many jobseekers are taking the initiative and performing “personal” background checks on themselves in order gain an edge on their competition and show prospective employers they have nothing to hide.

While most background check firms only service employers, MyBackgroundCheck.com provides consumer requested background checks for job applicants to show employers or to use in current jobs as teachers, healthcare providers, volunteers, or other employment that deals with vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, and those with special needs. Personal background checks also allow individuals make sure their personal information is up-to-date, accurate, and secure from identity theft and fraud.

And these background checks will cost A LOT less than $50,000.

For more information on personal background checks, please 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