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Background Checks

Background Checks. If you apply for a job, chances are you will be asked to sign a consent form for a background check.

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Background Checks

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  1. Background Checks Jobs for Montana's Graduates B12L2PP1

  2. If you apply for a job, chances are you will be asked to sign a consent form for a background check. Employers, prompted by the widespread availability of information on the internet as well as security issues highlighted by the 9/11 attacks, are intent on scrutinizing potential employees to avoid potential risks. Jobs for Montana's Graduates B12L2PP1

  3. What are they looking for? • The days when employers just verified resumes and education history are long gone. • When you sign that consent form, you open your past to a potential employer. • Your credit history, driving records, medical records, military records and court records are an open book. • Some potential employers may even interview your neighbors and former co-workers in the course of a background check. Jobs for Montana's Graduates B12L2PP1

  4. Unfortunately, there is a lot of information out there. Just like the mistakes that may pop up on your credit report, bad data can turn up in the course of a background check. And this information could cost you a job. Jobs for Montana's Graduates B12L2PP1

  5. Lack of Privacy What consumers don't realize is that there is a tremendous lack of privacy in our society. Information is gathered and circulated about all of us, and the accuracy rates are very poor. Institutions are built for keeping tabs on people, but there are no checks and balances to ensure that people are treated fairly when the information is wrong. You do have some rights under the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, which can help in some cases if you are denied employment as a result of information uncovered in the course of a background check. However, there are major loopholes in the law. Jobs for Montana's Graduates B12L2PP1

  6. The skinny on background checks • An employer must ask your permission to conduct a background check on a form separate from an application or other paperwork. • If a potential employer wants to talk to your friends, associates or neighbors, they must get a separate consent for what is known as an investigative consumer report. • In addition, if an employer wants to see your medical records, you must give specific consent. Jobs for Montana's Graduates B12L2PP1

  7. Areas of inquiry can include: Neighbor interviews Medical records Property ownership Military records State licensing records Drug test records Past employers Personal references Incarceration records Sex offender lists • Driving records • Vehicle registration • Credit records • Criminal records • Social Security Number • Education records • Court records • Workers' compensation • Bankruptcy • Character references Jobs for Montana's Graduates B12L2PP1

  8. What they can't include The Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act put national standards in place for background checks. However, these standards only apply to companies that hire a consumer-reporting agency to do the background check. If a company does the background check in house, it is exempt from the provisions of this act. Jobs for Montana's Graduates B12L2PP1

  9. How employers gather data Employers can either find this information out on their own or hire a third party to gather the data and provide a report to them. Such third parties are companies known as consumer reporting agencies. Many have been established for a number of years, while others have sprung up as more information has become available on the Internet. Jobs for Montana's Graduates B12L2PP1

  10. Why employers want to know An employer's need to know about potential employees is driven by a number of factors, according to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. These include: • False or misleading information given by job applicants, estimated by some sources at 30 to 40 percent of all information given on resumes and job applications. • Federal and state legal requirements for certain jobs, including those that involve contact with children, the elderly or disabled, as well as some government jobs. • Fallout from corporate scandals such as Enron and WorldCom, • the 9/11 attacks, and negligent hiring lawsuits, where a company is sued because an employee caused harm to someone else. Jobs for Montana's Graduates B12L2PP1

  11. Honesty is essential Most employer background checks focus on employment history, educational background, credit history, motor vehicle history and criminal background. Employment and educational background checks verify information that employees have provided in resumes and on job applications, so it's important to be honest on your resume and when filling out a job application. Jobs for Montana's Graduates B12L2PP1

  12. Just remember… The information that is gathered and disseminated doesn't have to apply to the specific job. Jobs for Montana's Graduates B12L2PP1

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