I share actionable content about your job search, including advice designed to help you increase your odds of being selected to interview for the jobs you want.
The Inside Scoop on Background Checks
WELCOME to my newsletter, Reader! I've dubbed it From My Keyboard to Your Screen. That's FMKTYS for short. Catchy, isn't it? I send it out weekly to share info about resume writing, job searching, careers, cover letters, LinkedIn, and the like, usually with a link to my blog or other resources for additional reading. Let's get into it...
Story Time! I once helped a hiring manager recruit a guy who came highly recommended from a director in the same department. He interviewed great and had solid work experience that made him a good candidate for the opening. However, upon checking his background, I wasn't able to verify that he actually received the degree he listed on his application and resume.
When I asked him about it, he said, well, I just had this one foreign language class that I never finished, so I actually don’t have the degree, but I did complete all the courses in my major - good enough? Our head of HR insisted that because he represented that he had a degree, we could not move forward. The candidate pushed back and said, but the job doesn’t require one, so does it matter? But because he lied about having one, we would not hire him. A tough way to learn a lesson; we would have hired him if he had been straight up about the degree.
The moral is clear: You're better off telling the truth up front than trying to get away with a lie.
It's stories like this that scare people into sweating it out while a prospective employer is running their background check. But if you understand the process and are as prepared as possible, you'll make it easier for your background check to be completed efficiently - a benefit to the employer who is as excited to offer you a job as you are to accept that offer.
In today's blog post, I pull back the curtain on the background check process. And watch this space, because my next post will be on a related topic: pre-employment reference checks.
Got questions about the process? Reply to this message! I'm happy to help.
Till next time-
My very best,
Meg McCormick Martin, SHRM-SCP, NCOPE
Member, National Resume Writers' Association
Voice/Text | 301.578.6550
Want to schedule a conversation? click here!
Hi! I'm HRMeg. I write resumes that get noticed.
I share actionable content about your job search, including advice designed to help you increase your odds of being selected to interview for the jobs you want.
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