What does a "background check" mean? ...

[Andrew Leo]

Hi, there:

I went for an interview with a R&D center of an american company.
One week after the interview the interviewer sent me a letter asking me
to sign a paper for background check..What does that mean? AFAIK
this is not customery in my country...Under what circumstance do they
ask for background check? How do I know whether they abuse my
rights? What kind of information may they check and what not? Is it
compulsory for an american co to perform this check?

Best Regards,
Leo

 

[Peter Alfke]

The simplest form of background check is to verify your education background
( did you get that PhD at xyt university in 1999?) and also your employment
times (did you work there from x to y?).
Deeper probing is unusual and might be illegal.
There are strict rules in the US: The future employer may NOT ask about
race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, and not even for your age and
gender (!).
Now, if the job requires a government security clearance, that's a different
matter...

Peter Alfke
===========================

From: "Andrew Leo" <asdf@aef.com
Organization: Singapore Telecommunications Ltd
Newsgroups: comp.arch.fpga
Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2004 21:08:54 +0800
Subject: What does a "background check" mean? ...

Hi, there:

I went for an interview with a R&D center of an american company.
One week after the interview the interviewer sent me a letter asking me
to sign a paper for background check..What does that mean? AFAIK
this is not customery in my country...Under what circumstance do they
ask for background check? How do I know whether they abuse my
rights? What kind of information may they check and what not? Is it
compulsory for an american co to perform this check?

Best Regards,
Leo

 

[rickman]

Andrew Leo wrote:

Hi, there:

I went for an interview with a R&D center of an american company.
One week after the interview the interviewer sent me a letter asking me
to sign a paper for background check..What does that mean? AFAIK
this is not customery in my country...Under what circumstance do they
ask for background check? How do I know whether they abuse my
rights? What kind of information may they check and what not? Is it
compulsory for an american co to perform this check?

Some employers are now asking for information about the potential
employee that would have been considered an invasion of privacy just 10
years ago. One notable company is Tellabs. A few years ago they
invited me to interview with them and sent me a package of papers to
sign prior to the interview. In the package were four different forms
asking permission to investigate aspects of my private life. One was a
financial form for them to look into my credit and financial accounts.
Another was a background investigation for them to look up my
personal/criminal history. A third was permission to give me a drug
test. But the one that really got me was the permission to look into my
medical records!!! I told them that this was not acceptable. I should
have simply not interviewed at all, but they compromised to let me
interview without signing the forms with the understanding that I would
have to sign before they would hire me.

The interview was equally strange. They had a "hiring" lobby with very
small interview rooms at one end. It was clear that this entire area
was a "poor stepchild" with broken tables and no decorations; just the
opposite of how most companies present themselves to prospective
employees.

In the end they did not follow through with a follow up interview or an
offer. But I am sure at least part of this was due to my balking at
signing the permission forms. The entire hiring process requires a
certain amount of trust on the part of both parties. That is why hiring
is not permanent. I don't see how offering a job is such a momentous
financial commitment that it requires giving up personal privacy that
would otherwise be illegal. You don't have to release medical records
even for a security clearance.

To answer your question, a background check can include anything about
your past that they care to investigate. It will clearly include a
criminal history check and employment verification. I can also include
interviews with family, friends and those or may not be so friendly.
When the government does this, you are guaranteed an opportunity to
respond to any negative comments. But with an employeer, you have no
rights if they don't like what they hear. In fact, you will likely
never be told what was even said that they didn't like.

My suggestion is to walk away from this employer and to explain to them
why. Their attitude is likely that if you don't want to allow a check,
you must have something to hide. But if enough potential employees take
the high road, they will eventually realize that their policy is hurting
them more than it is helping.

--

Rick "rickman" Collins

rick.collins@XYarius.com
Ignore the reply address. To email me use the above address with the XY
removed.

Arius - A Signal Processing Solutions Company
Specializing in DSP and FPGA design URL http://www.arius.com
4 King Ave 301-682-7772 Voice
Frederick, MD 21701-3110 301-682-7666 FAX

 

[Paul E. Bennett]

In article <c635ne$sjp$1@reader01.singnet.com.sg>
asdf@aef.com "Andrew Leo" writes:

Hi, there:

I went for an interview with a R&D center of an american company.
One week after the interview the interviewer sent me a letter asking me
to sign a paper for background check..What does that mean? AFAIK
this is not customery in my country...Under what circumstance do they
ask for background check? How do I know whether they abuse my
rights? What kind of information may they check and what not? Is it
compulsory for an american co to perform this check?

Most often the background check will be with former employers. However,
depending on the type of work you are interviewing for, you may find
that the employer will need more in-depth details of your background.

Whatever they want they should make it clear what checks they are
conducting. The only exception may be a government company when
they will really run you through the mill. When they do it can be
quite daunting for you, your family and your friends.

My current clients, like another respondent, also asked permission
to obtain my medical history. All with nothing but the best of
intentions of course as I am a classified radiation worker in my
current position. In addition to the gaining of the medical history
they also put me through a very thorough medical each and every year.

The best advice is:-
* ensure that they make the reasons for asking for the background
check very clear to you. The final appointment may depend on you
being trustworthy enough for the position (especially if there
is an element of responsibility for money).

* be honest with them, even if your past is not quite so squeaky
clean.

--
********************************************************************
Paul E. Bennett ....................<email://peb@amleth.demon.co.uk>
Forth based HIDECS Consultancy .....<http://www.amleth.demon.co.uk/>
Mob: +44 (0)7811-639972 .........NOW AVAILABLE:- HIDECS COURSE......
Tel: +44 (0)1235-811095 .... see http://www.feabhas.com for details.
Going Forth Safely ..... EBA. www.electric-boat-association.org.uk..
********************************************************************

 

[Rajeev]

Andrew,

OK, off-topic, but a valuable question nonetheless...
My experiences are in the US:

"Andrew Leo" <asdf@aef.com> wrote in message news:<c635ne$sjp$1@reader01.singnet.com.sg>...

Hi, there:

I went for an interview with a R&D center of an american company.
One week after the interview the interviewer sent me a letter asking me
to sign a paper for background check..What does that mean? AFAIK

1. As others have noted, permissions requested for background checking
have increased in the last several years (IIRC well before 9/11).
They
can ask permission to check things like medical and credit history
besides
educational and professional references.

this is not customery in my country...Under what circumstance do they
ask for background check?

2. My opinion is that most bigger companies ask for the background
check
because the lawyers have said that the HR (Human Resources, aka
Personnel) department should do so. I would guess they do it as a
matter of routine
for all applicants.

How do I know whether they abuse my
rights?

You don't.

What kind of information may they check and what not?

They may check any information you give them permission to check.
Note
that there probably will be some information they can check even
without
your permission.

Is it compulsory for an american co to perform this check?

No it is not.

Best Regards,
Leo

My practice has been to read carefully what they are asking me
permission for and cross out anything I don't wish to give sign.
I usually explain to whoever has given me the form (since this is
bigger companies it is usually HR department) that I don't believe
some of the requests are reasonable, but to please let me know if
this prevents them from offering me a job, so we can try to work it
out. As best I recall, I have gotten offers from every company
where this situation has occurred, definitely 3 and perhaps as high
as 4 or 5.

Of course this is easier to do if you have other options and can
afford to walk away from the job.

I suspect that many companies only require that the form be signed,
the background check may or may not occur. They cannot appear to
discriminate in who they ask to check backgrounds of, but they
don't need to actually check everyone who gives permission.

Be watchful for the following: are you being asked to sign some
permission that lasts forever, including during the tenure of your
employment ? Does the permission last forever even if they don't
hire you or you turn down the offer ? The lawyers who dream up
these agreements only care about the company's interests, and have
also been known to be sloppy. What happens to the information they
collect ? Will they destroy it, turn it over to you, or are you
giving them permission to do whatever they want (ie publish or resell)
with your information. Not that they will, but why should they
have permission to ?

It is a sad day when we need to have the services of a lawyer merely
to apply for a job.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out,
-rajeev-