Finding a job in the current economic environment is challenging. Competition is fierce and openings are few. It’s essential that you properly prepare for a job search and that preparation includes getting ready for a background check.
Companies spend over two billion dollars a year making sure that applicants are honest and qualified. A thorough background check will give them that information, and over 80% of companies now use pre-employment screening to weed out the winners from the losers.
Remember: No matter how qualified you are, you won’t get hired if you don’t pass the background check.
Before you start your next job search, here are five important things you need to know about background checks:
1. Hiring companies use the information you provide on your job application, not the information on your resume, to run your background check. Filling out a job application is more than simply transferring information from a resume. In fact, a job application requires much more detailed information than is usually found on a resume.
How you fill out that application can determine whether or not you get the job. Over 85% of companies say that discrepancies, unexplained gaps in employment history, or false statements on a job application can take you out of consideration.
Filling out a job application correctly can be tricky. About half of all background checks find inaccuracies in the information provided by applicants. Make sure you have a complete list of all pertinent information before filling out any job application.
2. Even though you may check a box on your job application stating that you do not want your current employer contacted, many hiring companies want to be sure you are really employed, that your title is accurate, and that your salary is not exaggerated. They simply call your current employer and say that you are applying for a loan. The bottom line: If it’s not true, don’t put it on your application.
3. Think your former employer can’t say bad things about you? A recent study showed that over 40% of previous employers revealed more than what was required by law. If there’s bad news out there, you want to give your version before the hiring company hears it from someone else.
4. Although most hiring companies do call references, they don’t always call the ones supplied by the applicant. If a former manager or co-worker holds a grudge against you, make certain that the hiring company knows that these people’s feelings might color their remarks.
5. Although it runs counter to many federal and state laws, most companies don’t give you a chance to review and correct negative information that appears on your background report. You may get turned down for a job because your report includes negative information about an individual whose name is similar to yours. If you don’t see the report, you can’t correct it.
Companies simply move on to another candidate, leaving you to wonder why you didn’t get the job. Make sure your application contains complete identification information and always ask for a copy of your background report.
While an impressive resume will get you in the door, and a solid interview will help you make the final cut, you won’t get hired if you don’t pass the background check. Being prepared is the best way to insure that you will pass that background check. Take the time to pull together all of your required information before you start your job search.
Jan Maxwell is the author of “A Job Hunter’s Secret Weapon: How to Survive a Background Check and Get the Job You Really Want” (http://www.jobhunterssecretweapon.com). It’s the first book that takes job applicants inside a real background check, explains how information gets verified, and shows them how to fill out a job application that will pass a background check.
