What will come up in your background check?

Various jobs throughout my career required background checks as a condition of employment. I never thought much about those checks. I’d sign a consent form and move on with the process. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple for many job seekers.

My first experience with the complexities of background checks came during college when I was interviewed by the U.S. military. They asked a few questions about a friend before he moved up in the ranks. When I was training to be an investigative journalist, I also learned how some institutions dig into high-profile people’s backgrounds. More recently, I hear from friends who need to dig up years of financial records (often from other countries) for new jobs.

You’ll likely encounter a background check before accepting your next job. The latest survey from the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) and HR.com found that 96% of employers conducted some sort of background check. Most said they check applicants for both part-time and full-time positions. 

To get a better understanding of the background checks you may face during your job search, I talked with Danielle Korins, who is the chief people officer at Sterling, which performs background checks and other services for employers. Due to her position, Korins knows about background checks from the side of the employer and the company digging into a person’s history.

Why you get checked

Companies perform background checks for several reasons, Korins told me. The company may want to make sure the person is the right cultural fit for the role, for example. They may also believe eliminating people with criminal records from consideration will keep their current employees safe. In some cases, background checks may also be required by law. 

“There is an onus on us to know what we’re buying — so to speak — when we hire someone,” she said.

Some important points for you to know about background checks is that you won’t face one until you’ve received an offer letter and provided your consent. You also have the right to see the results of the background check. 

What you might encounter earlier on in the hiring process is identity verification, said Korins. Aan increasing number of companies want to make sure the person they are talking to is the same as the person listed on the application.

What gets checked

The reason employers often hire a company like Sterling to perform background checks is that the process is much more complex than just Googling a person or getting their criminal records. Employers need to make sure their background checks are performed within legal boundaries. Hiring a company to do the check limits their liability.

“There are a lot of protections for candidates in this process,” Korins told me. “We can’t do whatever we want. It’s highly regulated.”

Typically, she said criminal records will be checked from the past seven years. They’ll also look at a person’s education, job history and — depending on the company — may ask for their fingerprints and a drug test. Some candidates may also have their social media and other histories checked. Ultimately, it depends on the individual company’s request and what the law allows.

The NAPBS and HR.com survey that I mentioned above found that between 80% and 90% of employers check criminal records of all applicants, 13% check their credit, 24% verify education, 37% check driving records and 6% check social media.

What the company sees

Background checks come back clean most of the time, Korins told me. In the cases when something concerning does pop up, the employer is told to review the person’s information. The employer is responsible for following up with the candidate and ultimately deciding whether to hire the person.

Of course, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with the specific laws in your area regarding background questions and checks. Many states have been implementing new laws and regulations that dictate when employers can ask and check different parts of a person’s history.

The National Employment Law Project says 35 states have adopted “Ban the Box” laws, for example. Those laws generally restrict an employer from asking about an applicant’s criminal record during the early stages of the hiring process. The goal is to make employers judge applicants based on their qualifications — not their past offenses. Those laws typically don’t affect background checks later on in the process, however.

What has been your experience with employment background checks? Join the conversation.

? Top Voices 2019 in job search & careers:

We unveiled LinkedIn’s Top Voices in job search & careers last week, featuring professionals who are building communities and starting thoughtful conversations through their articles, posts, videos and comments. They’re working on the front lines with job seekers and people looking to level-up their careers. See the list, its methodology and what people are saying about the Top Voices.

? The follow-up:

Two of the authors involved in Simon & Schuster’s “Masters at Work” books offered their take in the last edition of #GetHired on how people become successful in various professions. Gary Rivlin and Kate Bolick said they learned from their research for the series that no two paths to success are the same. Yet, they said some traits are common among successful professionals, such as diligence and determination. Also, those people are always hungry for knowledge about their professions. Here’s what people are saying about the advice.

? Other news to help you #GetHired:

The jobless rate in the U.S. is lower than it has been in about 50 years. Employers added 266,000 jobs in November, according to the Labor Department. The report beat expectations and pushed the country’s unemployment rate down to 3.5%. Hiring was strongest in the health care, restaurant and transportation industries. The New York Times reports that the numbers were likely helped by tens of thousands of striking employees returning to work after General Motors reached an agreement with the autoworkers’ union. Here’s what people are saying about the news.

The jobs news is not so good in Canada, though. The country saw roughly 71,000 jobs eliminated in November, according to Statistics Canada. The news took experts by surprise since they expected about 10,000 jobs to be created during the month, reports The Globe and Mail. The stat represents the worst monthly job loss in more than a decade. The cuts sent Canada’s unemployment rate to 5.9%, up from 5.5% in October. While Ontario did see healthy job creation, that was overshadowed by sizable losses in Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec. Here’s what people are saying about Canada’s rising unemployment.

Where have all the secretaries gone? Office administration jobs have eroded in the U.S. over the past few decades, with more than 2 million of them being eliminated since 2000. In addition to cutting off a potential pathway into companies for job seekers, the disappearing jobs threaten what has historically been a reliable entry into the middle class for women without college degrees, reports The Washington Post. Outsourcing and automation are partially to blame for the jobs drying up, but many companies are also requiring office administration roles to have advanced degrees — a relatively new requirement. Here’s what people are saying about the trend.

? Up next:

The holidays are here, meaning that you’ll likely find yourself with some downtime toward the end of the year. As job seekers, it’s important not only to be able to sell what you know but also try to address what you don’t. Downtime is a great way to fill in your skills gap. In the next edition of #GetHired, we’ll talk about finding your skills gap and the resources to fill it. We’ll also discuss some evidence to show that learning new skills really does help you move up in your career. Until then, let me know what you think about your skills gap and how you’ve addressed it or fallen victim to it.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to reach out to me if you have ideas on topics or questions I should address in future editions of #GetHired. You can also email me at GetHired[at]LinkedIn.com.