A background check typically reveals a lot of important information about a person, including their employment history, criminal record, credit history, and even education. There are many reasons why an employer would want to run a background check on someone.
Sometimes, it’s because the job involves handling sensitive information, and the employer wants to make sure they can trust the person they are hiring. Other times, it’s simply to see how accurate the information provided by the potential employee is.
In this article, we are going to explain how a background check shows employment history.
How Can an Employer Find Out About My Employment History?
The first thing they’re going to check is your CV. If you choose to omit anything from it, then there’s a very good chance they can still find it some other way. Keep in mind, though, that it partly depends on what sort of company you’re applying to.
For example, if you’re applying to a startup that doesn’t have enough resources to conduct a proper background check, then they may not be able to find out about 80% of the things you left out from your resume.
If, however, it’s a big company that has enough money and connections to hire a professional background check service, then they will probably be able to find out much more than just your employment history.
Most employers use a professional background check service to verify your employment history and other things, such as any criminal records, certifications, and college degrees.
However, because these services tend to be expensive, they also do their own verifications by going through your social media profiles, talking to any past employers you’ve mentioned on your resume, and reaching out to the references you’ve provided.
Nowadays, there are online tools that allow companies to search people free of cost. They can use these tools to look up anyone just by typing their name in the search engine. It then gives them tons of free information about the person, including things like employment history, criminal record, certifications, marriage and divorce records, birth record, and contact information like phone number and email.
Is It Legal to Use Such Tools?
Yes, it is legal to use free people lookup tools, but employers can’t use the information obtained from them to make hiring decisions because these types of checks are usually done without your consent.
For an employer to run a proper background check, they must obtain your consent and there are legal and data protection requirements that they have to adhere to.
If they fail to adhere to these requirements, then they run the risk of facing legal consequences for discriminatory hiring practices.
A free people lookup tool simply pulls data from public records so there’s nothing illegal about it. Anyone can go on the Internet and search for information about you. A free lookup tool will just make the process easier and less time consuming.
What Information Do These Tools Have Access To?
Depending on how much information about you is available on the Internet, these free lookup tools could reveal a lot of details about your employment history.
For example, they may include details about previous positions you’ve held, why you left them, contact details of your previous employers, and their office addresses.
Can I Get Into Trouble for Lying on My Resume?
If an employer uses a free people lookup tool to pry into your employment history before making any offer, then there is a possibility that they may not consider you for the position.
Think about it. If you were an employer hiring for your company and found out that a potential employee had lied on their resume, would you still consider hiring them? Probably not.
Many employers today know and acknowledge that over employment is a common thing (there’s an entire subreddit about it!), so they might be more understanding if you’re hiding your employment details because you’re looking to take on extra work.
Nevertheless, you won’t get into any legal trouble for lying on your resume.
Protect Your Online Information
Anyone can go online and use a free lookup tool to find information about you because it’s publicly available. Even without such a tool, people can get their hands on your employment history if it’s part of public records.
If you don’t want information about your employment or other personal details to be easily accessible to people, then you’ll have to be careful about what you share online and keep your social media accounts private.
