posted by lawyersofmelbourne.com.au admin on Jan 15
For most people who apply for a position, background screening is a common practice. The screening may be in depth or a superficial screening depending on the type of position for which one is applying. When the Drug Testing is complete, a person may not get a job based on what the information received has revealed.
In most cases a screening will include a check of a person’s education, references, credit history, driving history, and criminal record. The depth of the screening usually depends on the type of position a person is applying for. In some cases a company has a general policy to do a complete background screening on all potential employees.
When an application is completed, signing the bottom of the form states that the applicant is telling the truth about what they have put in the application. It also states that if any of the information is false, the person can be terminated if they are hired. This is important to know when filling out an application. Many people have a tendency to fudge on their application in some areas. This, however, is not a good place to misrepresent information.
When information is unknown, a person can leave a box blank. When completing an on-line application you may have to put zeros in boxes for dates for the application to move through the system. When you are interviewed you can tell the interviewer that you are not sure about the dates and let them decide to use the information. Unless you are asked to sign a waiver, a resume may not be used as a part of the background check. This becomes a privacy issue and you must give specific permission for a check of your resume to occur.
Most companies use a standard form for all potential employees. The form lists all of the background screening techniques and methods that may be used. You will be asked to approve each screening with an initial. Unless you are dealing with money, bookkeeping, etc., you do not need to approve a credit history check.
When a request for a credit history is made it can affect your credit score. If the company is going to commit to providing you with a loan at some point then you may want them to check your credit now. However, in most cases, the credit check is just a standard part of the process and the companies doing this do not consider that it is not relevant to the position and can impact your credit score.
When you know that an item is going to show up in the Employment Background Checks, it is important to talk about it. Discussing the issue with the interviewer will save time. It will also keep the company from being surprised by the information that they receive. Being candid with the interviewer shows you are earnest in your desire to attain a position within the company.
The amount of information you want to allow a company to collect on you is a personal decision. You need to be aware that this information is kept in some files for up to seven years on average. You should always be aware of your rights when a Background Screening Services is going to be conducted. There are serious rights issues involved in many of the background screening processes that can have a negative impact on you in the future.