What does a "background check" mean? ...

Hi, there:

I went for an interview with a R&D center of an american company. One week after the interview the interviewer sent me a letter asking me to sign a paper for background check..What does that mean? AFAIK this is not customery in my country...Under what circumstance do they ask for background check? How do I know whether they abuse my rights? What kind of information may they check and what not? Is it compulsory for an american co to perform this check?

Best Regards, Leo

Reply to
Andrew Leo
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The simplest form of background check is to verify your education background ( did you get that PhD at xyt university in 1999?) and also your employment times (did you work there from x to y?). Deeper probing is unusual and might be illegal. There are strict rules in the US: The future employer may NOT ask about race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, and not even for your age and gender (!). Now, if the job requires a government security clearance, that's a different matter...

Peter Alfke ===========================

Reply to
Peter Alfke

Some employers are now asking for information about the potential employee that would have been considered an invasion of privacy just 10 years ago. One notable company is Tellabs. A few years ago they invited me to interview with them and sent me a package of papers to sign prior to the interview. In the package were four different forms asking permission to investigate aspects of my private life. One was a financial form for them to look into my credit and financial accounts. Another was a background investigation for them to look up my personal/criminal history. A third was permission to give me a drug test. But the one that really got me was the permission to look into my medical records!!! I told them that this was not acceptable. I should have simply not interviewed at all, but they compromised to let me interview without signing the forms with the understanding that I would have to sign before they would hire me.

The interview was equally strange. They had a "hiring" lobby with very small interview rooms at one end. It was clear that this entire area was a "poor stepchild" with broken tables and no decorations; just the opposite of how most companies present themselves to prospective employees.

In the end they did not follow through with a follow up interview or an offer. But I am sure at least part of this was due to my balking at signing the permission forms. The entire hiring process requires a certain amount of trust on the part of both parties. That is why hiring is not permanent. I don't see how offering a job is such a momentous financial commitment that it requires giving up personal privacy that would otherwise be illegal. You don't have to release medical records even for a security clearance.

To answer your question, a background check can include anything about your past that they care to investigate. It will clearly include a criminal history check and employment verification. I can also include interviews with family, friends and those or may not be so friendly. When the government does this, you are guaranteed an opportunity to respond to any negative comments. But with an employeer, you have no rights if they don't like what they hear. In fact, you will likely never be told what was even said that they didn't like.

My suggestion is to walk away from this employer and to explain to them why. Their attitude is likely that if you don't want to allow a check, you must have something to hide. But if enough potential employees take the high road, they will eventually realize that their policy is hurting them more than it is helping.

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Rick "rickman" Collins

rick.collins@XYarius.com
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Reply to
rickman

Most often the background check will be with former employers. However, depending on the type of work you are interviewing for, you may find that the employer will need more in-depth details of your background.

Whatever they want they should make it clear what checks they are conducting. The only exception may be a government company when they will really run you through the mill. When they do it can be quite daunting for you, your family and your friends.

My current clients, like another respondent, also asked permission to obtain my medical history. All with nothing but the best of intentions of course as I am a classified radiation worker in my current position. In addition to the gaining of the medical history they also put me through a very thorough medical each and every year.

The best advice is:- * ensure that they make the reasons for asking for the background check very clear to you. The final appointment may depend on you being trustworthy enough for the position (especially if there is an element of responsibility for money).

  • be honest with them, even if your past is not quite so squeaky clean.
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Paul E. Bennett ....................
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Reply to
Paul E. Bennett

Andrew,

OK, off-topic, but a valuable question nonetheless... My experiences are in the US:

  1. As others have noted, permissions requested for background checking have increased in the last several years (IIRC well before 9/11). They can ask permission to check things like medical and credit history besides educational and professional references.
  1. My opinion is that most bigger companies ask for the background check because the lawyers have said that the HR (Human Resources, aka Personnel) department should do so. I would guess they do it as a matter of routine for all applicants.

You don't.

They may check any information you give them permission to check. Note that there probably will be some information they can check even without your permission.

No it is not.

My practice has been to read carefully what they are asking me permission for and cross out anything I don't wish to give sign. I usually explain to whoever has given me the form (since this is bigger companies it is usually HR department) that I don't believe some of the requests are reasonable, but to please let me know if this prevents them from offering me a job, so we can try to work it out. As best I recall, I have gotten offers from every company where this situation has occurred, definitely 3 and perhaps as high as 4 or 5.

Of course this is easier to do if you have other options and can afford to walk away from the job.

I suspect that many companies only require that the form be signed, the background check may or may not occur. They cannot appear to discriminate in who they ask to check backgrounds of, but they don't need to actually check everyone who gives permission.

Be watchful for the following: are you being asked to sign some permission that lasts forever, including during the tenure of your employment ? Does the permission last forever even if they don't hire you or you turn down the offer ? The lawyers who dream up these agreements only care about the company's interests, and have also been known to be sloppy. What happens to the information they collect ? Will they destroy it, turn it over to you, or are you giving them permission to do whatever they want (ie publish or resell) with your information. Not that they will, but why should they have permission to ?

It is a sad day when we need to have the services of a lawyer merely to apply for a job.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out,

-rajeev-

Reply to
Rajeev

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