Things we do can come back to haunt us. There are things we have done, that we wish we hadn’t. We live with regrets for past indiscretions. Anything from lurid or criminal actions to an imprudent judgment in posting material on social networks. There is that DUI case you wish you didn’t have. Patting that person on his or her fanny during the Christmas Party is turning out to be less in the spirit of the season as you might have though.
Marketing Ladders has posted an excellent article by Kevin Fogarty about how background checks can make for tough sledding in the job interview process. The article is entitled, When a Background Check Makes for Tough Interview Questions. Appropriate enough.
There is invaluable information in the article, and insights from staffing people and people from background checking services. But there are some issues that need to be upgraded to remain current with the conditions of the current economy and its incumbent economy. While some maintain that criminal records, unless relevant to your potential job are not significant, I believe it is much to the contrary. For higher level positions in the financial sector, for example more and more employers will conduct background check inclusive of county civil records searches as well as federal criminal records and federal civil records searches. With all the financial fraud and white collar crime, employers are increasingly exposed to liability issues. They are sensitive to public embarrassment. Nobody wants to the hire Bernard Madoff, even if he or she is of the minor league variety.
But there is much truth in the article’s contention that being forewarned is forearmed. Employment candidates should be aware of what is in their background records so that the interviewing sessions do not turn into squirming sessions. Nothing can be more uncomfortable about being reminded of your past indiscretions when there is a job on the line. Except for whne you have forgotten about those past indiscretions and now they are popping up as questions in a job interview.
There are more than a few worried employment candidates who contact Corra Group to ascertain whether their potential employer may turn up past criminal records or other unsavory aspects of the candidate’s personal history. They worry, whistle past the graveyard and hope that it will either be missed or will simply go away. Sometimes it will not show up because it is long in the past. But be prepared. And be honest.
Remember, employers will check them out before they hire.
