Many employers use background checks as part of their screening process. Background checks help employers determine which job candidates are suitable for the business and the position that they are applying for. If you are job hunting, take the time to prepare for a pre-employment screening using the following techniques:
- Order a background check on yourself. This will give you access to the information potential employers will see. Sometimes court, credit, and driving records are not changed properly, and if you spot erroneous information, you can take action to correct it
- If you have been convicted of a crime, contact the county where the crime was committed and make sure court records are up to date. Many times, courts neglect to change felony convictions to misdemeanors when a person believes that this has already happened. This can be due to several factors, including a court employee forgetting to obtain a necessary signature, for example. You may have to travel to the county and look up the records yourself in order to ensure that they are correct.
- Run a credit report on yourself. Many employers consider credit as well as criminal history. Some black marks on your credit record can be dealt with by paying off debts, or by contacting creditors and working out a payment plan. This can also inform you if there are errors in your credit history or if you’ve had your identity stolen.
- Particularly for driving jobs, obtain your driving record from the DMV. Make sure that any traffic infractions you have are, in fact, traffic infractions and not more serious offenses (for example, a DUI qualifies as a misdemeanor in most places.)
- Run an internet search on yourself. Many employers look at Facebook, MySpace, and other social networking sites, as well as blogs, and unsavory information or pictures could cause them to reconsider you for employment. To the extent that you can, edit out any information you would not want an employer to see.
- Let your friends and family know that you are having a background check run. This will alert them, since some companies will contact people close to you, and allows them to speak to investigators with your permission.
By looking out for potential problems and dealing with them proactively, you can have your background check and credit report work for you instead of against you. Changing your background check information can be a huge step forward to your future.