Comments on: What Does HR Find out in a Background Check?

By: Arpita Gulyani

Arpita Gulyani — Tue, 28 Sep 2021 11:49:12 +0000

Hey,

What an insightful post! 🙂

HR’s typically read and talk about a lot of material when it comes to employee background checks but what it actually entails and the process how it’s carried out.. ACTUALLY is quite different than what one can imagine.

By: Capri

Capri — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 22:19:50 +0000

You are so nice! How amazingly kind of you to ease her pain and look into her concerns. I wish every HR person I met was as empathetic and caring as you. It is usually the opposite.

By: Elizabeth West

Elizabeth West — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 17:09:15 +0000

In reply to Danielle V.

I agree; it’s not likely to be the lawsuit, especially if OP is getting interviews. I would definitely make sure interview skills are as sharp as they can be.

The last time I was in college, a woman in her early fifties I’ll call Jane was assigned to a class project with me and another student I’ll call Sue. Jane had a work comp lawsuit against her former employer. She thought it was maybe one reason she wasn’t finding a job (along with age discrimination, unfairness, blah blah blah). After spending an inordinate amount of time trying to do anything with her and failing, I figured it was probably her attitude, which was extraordinarily bad. In fact, she was so recalcitrant and hard to work with that Sue and I had to abandon the group part of the project and the instructor graded us separately. I imagine Jane got a zero. I also imagine her frustration and drama came across quite strongly in any interviews she had.

I’m in a long-term period of unemployment myself and I know it’s tough. It’s hard not to let that bleed into cover letters and interviews. I’m not saying that’s your issue, OP. Just be careful that you are as positive as possible when interacting with potential employers. Focus on the job and why your skills would be a good fit. And good luck.

By: MariaRose

MariaRose — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 14:32:27 +0000

This was unique situation but it does boil down to presence on social media which is a big factor involved in disclosing activity and viewpoints of an individual that doesn’t show up in an interview or resume or employment check. The former employer didn’t post that Google information but the antics(however the issue) of the individual forced the issue into public view, which happens even if this was a whistleblower situation, This individual must be prepared to be prepared to give a reasonable explanation if directly asked and may have to voluntarily disclose the occurrence to allow the potential employer to understand the why. I highly doubt that when given fuller facts than a Google notation, they would automatically reject the individual, because we all know that most information on the internet is not necessarily the entire story. It will allow a better conversation to occur about the job expectations and the potential individual fitting in to the role.
Now no job is a perfect fit but both sides should feel comfortable enough to blend together, plus the potential employer wants to know that the potential employee is comfortable with the method of communication within the company for a problem issue and won’t skip the process by suing the company instead. I feel this is the problem upfront—and it is up to this individual to persuade potential employers that they are not looking to find a reason to sue but to find a place to work. They created their persona by whatever issue they sued for, so now they have to include that information as a positive.

By: Danielle V

Danielle V — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 14:28:19 +0000

I’d like to add to your suggestion that “interview skills” might be a factor for this person’s struggles to be hired. I’ve found that, plenty of times, an applicant I’m interviewing misreads my warmth & friendliness as being someone who will be sympathetic to his/her perceived injustices from former employers. If I even hear a single sentence of sour grapes from the interviewee, like “poor me” or “i wasn’t treated fairly” or anything else that sounds like drama or whining, I’ll nod empathetically but then send a rejection letter the next day. (Short of the interviewee telling me a story of truly horrible and/or illegal behavior by their former employer, of course.)