Background checks are becoming much more widespread and publicly available. These online checking tools are brilliant resources for companies looking to hire new staff. They also have a lot of use in hiring someone to look after your children or in vetting a potential date. Although background checks are mostly used by employers, candidates themselves can also put them to good use.
The job-hunting process is often a stressful and arduous one. Sometimes finding your dream job can seem like just a pipe dream. There are plenty of jobs out there. But sometimes it seems as though they all want candidates with loads of experience and qualifications. On top of that, most job postings get hundreds of people applying to them. As a result, applying for a job can feel quite robotic as you need to fill out lots of different forms. This all helps to make things easier for hiring managers but often makes things more difficult for candidates.
Many companies now use background checking services, such as UnMask.com. Because of this, candidates can gain an advantage if they perform a search on themselves before applying. In this guide, we’ll be giving you tips on how to run a background check and why they can make your job hunt so much easier.
How to Run a Background Check on Yourself
Background checks have become even easier than ever to use. These days, you can quickly head to a background checking site and perform a quick search in a matter of minutes. If you want more detailed information, it could take a bit longer.
Background checking tools will usually perform an online check first. This looks at any details regarding your online presence, including social media, personal blogs, and news stories. If there’s anything at all available on your name, the search will reveal it.
If you run a more extensive search, you’ll also find details on your employment, education, and criminal record. This will tell you your most recent jobs and how long you worked there. It should also show where you went to school, including the dates of your enrolment and graduation.
Some companies may even request a credit check as part of the background check. Normally, these aren’t available on all services, but having a good credit history is important for some jobs.
Finally, the criminal record check will reveal details about any arrests or charges against you. Normally, this record only goes back for a few years, but this will depend on which state you live in.
The Advantages of Running a Background Check on Yourself
With these checks, you’re able to verify all the information on your CV and make any necessary changes. Perhaps you’ve mixed up the exact dates of a previous job or have a slight error in the details. Being able to see these errors before your potential employer does is a big benefit. If the hiring manager sees that there are discrepancies between your CV and the details shown by the search, they could bring it up in the interview. They may even just throw out your application altogether.
It will also show you what kind of criminal record details future employers can see. If you have a criminal record and worry about whether it will show up on a search, now you can check it for yourself. In a lot of cases, your record may have already expired unless the charges were recent. You may even find some details about things you’d completely forgotten about. It’s a good idea to be as prepared as possible in case you’re asked to explain it in the interview.
These searches will also bring up any old posts you may have made on social media or on a personal blog. A lot of the time, employers can have a negative opinion of social media posts that may damage the company’s reputation. For that reason, if you find any old social media accounts, it’s a good idea to set them to private or delete them. Social media privacy is very important if you want to stay safe online.
You want to stand out over all other candidates, so it’s important to make sure that your CV doesn’t have any errors and that your record is as clean as possible. Depending on where you’re applying to work, some inaccuracies are more serious than others. Make sure all of the details you give the company are correct and that your references are up to date.