234
As a European, I don't think you overreacted in the slightest!
When they say "it is never abused", my reaction is "they would say that, wouldn't they?". Further, they may not abuse it now, but what about later when they have been taken over by a less benevolent organization.
Given that you don't need the job, I think walking away was the right thing to do....
answered Mar 18 at 11:53
Martin Bonner supports Monica
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174
If you really full fledged lied, you're probably hosed. If you just listed as having attended the university, you might be okay. The whole purpose of a background check is to verify that "this person did what they said they did". If the initial honesty check fails outright or raises any red flags, it is a bad sign for you in that the employer will be very ...
161
You should definitely let your friends know, less out of courtesy, rather to prepare them so that they know it is a legitimate request that you have initiated.
If someone called me out of the blue claiming to be conducting a background check on my friend and he hadn't forewarned me, I'd assume it was a social engineering attack, identity theft, or some such ...
149
The first rule of selling yourself in these cases is Tell A Compelling Story. You cannot change the negative information that the potential employer will receive. They will search you out, and they will find it. They will then form that information together in their minds into a narrative of who you are as a potential employee, and it is that narrative ...
118
Perhaps you should consider telling them of your prior convictions when they ask for a background check.
Hear me out.
The essence of a background check is for the company to know what type of character you are. In this case, you have a history, albeit one that is not necessarily the best when it comes to being a candidate for a position.
The key detail ...
111
I admire you for following you conscience, and it is people like you that stop the gradual oppression of the working class by increasingly overbearing corporate America. OK, maybe I've gone a bit far. Anyway...
Yes, I would classify this as strange, given the industry and role, though I'm not from the US.
it is the company's policy but that it is never ...
93
Of course they can ! If the job requires UK nationality (or more specifically UK passport) then that is exactly what they want and that is exactly what they are doing.
(Most government projects in most countries require that)
81
is there a polite and non-suspicious way to decline a background check if
they ask me to do one?
You can always decline a background check in a polite way ("I politely decline to give my permission for a background check"). Folks still may become suspicious.
Unfortunately, every company I know of that actually spends the time and money to perform ...
78
To be honest I'd suggest going with the name change to something fairly common (eg "Joseph Smith") and informing your references that you have changed your name to that.
It may be worthwhile asking former employers about their employment verification processes. If those processes are to provide limited information that is specifically requested then it ...
70
Yes so they are prepared and you don't scare them. I was going for a security clearance and a federal officer interviewed several of my neighbors at their house. They thought I was being investigated for a federal crime.
My favorite question was have you ever conspired to overthrow the federal government with yes no check boxes. Below was if you selected ...
61
This is indeed a bizarre request. Unless the job you will be doing requires some sort of health-related qualification (such as lifting 75-pound boxes or being free of tuberculosis) they don't have any need for your medical records.
They might also need access to your records if you will be working in a remote location (an offshore drilling rig or ...
60
There's good news and bad news..
The Bad News
A caution will remain part of your criminal record for life (well until you turn 100 anyway, see point 30 - it's not a conviction though) and will show up on all Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) (formerly Criminal Records Bureau (CRB)) checks (basic, standard and enhanced). If your planned career would ...
53
I had multiple DUIs that happened 12 years ago all within the same
time period. I am going to an interview where the job requires a
background check. It is for an estate attorney's office.
Even if I'm not asked, do I disclose this information during the
interview, being that it will probably be the only chance I have to
defend my past?
Since ...
50
Unfortunately if being upfront does not work I can only recommend:
Leave the USA.
Many countries in Europe and elsewhere have much stricter privacy laws (In
fact, the USA is one of the worst offenders considering privacy, right
on par with Russia and China with endemic surveillance).
In Germany e.g. you do not need to mention your police record in the CV ...
42
One thought is perhaps doing some voluntary work for a drug charity: helping those recovering, warning children of the dangers etc. (I say this because I know someone who got convicted of a similar offense who does just this.) I think on a resume and at interview that would be a good thing to see. It shows contrition/regret and wanting to pay society back ...
38
Judgments aside, I suggest coming clean. Waiting to come clean will not change their response when you come clean, and if you wait until they find out on their own then I think you know what'll happen: you will almost certainly lose the job.
You didn't mention a field, but if you are skilled then companies may accept you before you have the degree. Not ...
35
Having read the comments on your question it might be possible that this needs to be tackled from a different angle.
From what I've gathered it is possible that the interviewers aren't getting hung up on the investigation, the court case, nor the dropped charges but rather the actions that led into all of this.
When an employer is looking to hire a person, ...
34
Answer: Yes, they can!
I believe you are confusing a background check with obtaining security clearance.
A background check is simply verifying you have no criminal record.
Security clearance is usually required for government contracts and has much stricter requirements.
33
If you look on the website of the company that you indicated is doing the background check (http://hireright.com/Background-Checks.aspx?apsi=0) you will see that they include criminal record searches as part of their process. Thus, they have a pretty good chance of detecting this part of your background.
So, it makes sense to me to get out in front of this, ...
29
Consider the statement
it is the company's policy but that it is never abused
While "They would say that, wouldn't they?" is a perfectly reasonable (although somewhat cynical) response, it's not necessary to go that far. While the moment has passed, a perfectly logical response would have been
What part of company policy establishes the definition of "...
28
It very much depends on the company. For most IT positions, no one is likely to care about driving history as long as nothing rises to the level of a misdemeanor. Driving infractions would be much more important if you were applying for a position where you were regularly driving a company car out to a client site (say, a Geek Squad-type operation).
...
28
Even if I'm not asked, do I disclose this information during the interview, being that it will probably be the only chance I have to defend my past?
If you are not asked I don't see why you have to bring it up.
If they bring it up, answer honestly and defend it as you have planned by now.
27
The ceremony of graduation is less important. I assume that even a stray cat might be able to walk it :D
Getting serious again, it is of highest importance for you to clarify your graduation situation. Get in contact with your university and ask for clarifications:
about the papers / diplomas;
about the graduation status;
about the information in the ...
27
This is a terrible letter to send. Don't do it. It reads as deeply emotional, overdramatic, crying out for sympathy, while downplaying your own fault in vague terms. If I got a letter like that from someone I'd considered a new hire after HR had put a block on it, I would be thankful that I had dodged a bullet, because I'd assume that they would have ...
25
Yes. Tell them.
This is a pretty simple clerical error - you didn't do this maliciously. It was an honest mistake. Write to your contact (probably an HR representative or recruiter) and mention that you made an error. Send them an updated resume and ask if they need you to fill out any other paperwork.
Chances are good that this won't be a problem. In ...
25
Since you are scheduling interviews you are being contacted to setup a time, right?
This could be the opportune time to disclose that you do have a negative reputation online due to an incident in the past. In response to accepting the interview, maybe include a statement along these lines:
I do want to be completely transparent and upfront about one ...
24
The employer is not rejecting your application because you do not have a passport, they are rejecting you because the job you are applying to requires a security clearance and they cannot perform a security clearance. Therefore, without the security clearance, you do not have the credentials required to perform the job, so you cannot take the job if you don'...
23
Two already good answers. but I think there something vital still missing.
If I were a hiring manager and you told me this story, my first thought would be not about the degree itself but: "This person must be either extremely incompetent or sloppy. How the blazes do you NOT KNOW whether you have a degree or not".
Sorry to be blunt: you screwed up big time:...
22
As an employer, I routinely search for names of candidates as part of the pre-screening process. In addition, if the candidate's resume mentions a blog, twitter account, linked in account, or public Facebook page, I check those. I don't use any "back door" methods (and doubt they exist) but I will do things like "hm, the blog domain is codebunny [I just made ...
22
Like others have said, your records can be expunged. This would prevent a normal background check from even seeing these past offenses, and you would not be forced to declare them. (A Security Clearance will though, but that's a whole other can of worms.)
My advice is to declare loudly what occurred. This is what I did for my felony.
When asked, provide ...
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