Why you should do a background check on yourself

With background checks being a significant part of the employment process these days, it could be argued that you should prepare for that as you do for any other part of the application – such as the writing of your resume or getting ready for an interview. Most people would never do a background check on themselves as they assume they know what, if anything, would come up. But you can never be 100% sure, and a doing a background check on yourself can ensure that there are no surprises further down the line. By performing a background check on yourself, you are mainly just covering all your bases. It may well be the case that everything checks out, your background check provides no surprises and you can move forward with the application process safe in the knowledge that you have nothing to be worried about. However, as has been the case several times before, sometimes background checks may provide very unexpected information. By having done a background check on yourself, you are in a position to be able to take action on any inconsistencies, inaccuracies or false information before it falls into the hands of potential employers. A primary example would be if the background check reveals criminal convictions that are unknown to you. If the employer were to see this before you, then even if the convictions are untrue, you are at a massive disadvantage to other candidates. If you are able to correct such a mistake prior to the employer performing a check on you, such a disadvantage can be prevented. Why would such a mistake occur? There are many reasons – mistaken identity, human error and identity theft are just a few examples. Ultimately, mistakes happen, and while they are unlikely and you would certainly be unlucky to be on the receiving end of one of these errors, as I said at the start of this post – it is better to cover your bases with a background check on yourself than to face a surprise if employers come across such an error first. So don’t wait until it’s too late, think about performing a background check on yourself now and get in touch with Mind Your Business to find out how.]]>