Do a Background Check on Yourself Before Looking for a Job

The digital world has made finding a job just a bit more complicated than it was before. The smart clothes, the impressive resume and the confident mastery of interview procedures are still required, but they may just be the tip of the iceberg. Every candidate these days has a digital footprint. It goes beyond the occasional geeky picture on Facebook or ill-advised Twitter post.

Use a professional to do a complete background check on yourself

Youthful indiscretions, arrests and convictions will be lurking on some database somewhere, ready to be accessed with a few keystrokes by a potential employer or their own private investigation firm. These days it pays to be fully aware of what is out there that could endanger your employment prospects. It pays to run a complete background check on yourself because you know that is exactly what employers will be doing.

The tell-tale database; What does a complete background check say about you?

A recent article in Business Insider highlighted the logic of preempting a potential employer's background check by pursuing your own inquiries. This will not only reveal whether facts that you know about are still on record, but will also indicate whether there is mistaken or misleading information on some databases. It is much better for you to clean up mistakes before they are viewed by prospective employers, than after they are already noted and you are automatically suspect.

There is no central registry of criminal convictions, for example. Employers are unlikely to be able to access FBI records except in extraordinary circumstances. Instead they will rely on private databases compiled from local court reports and police arrest records. These are prone to human error and inaccuracy. A record may be incomplete, for instance failing to point out that you were cleared of all charges or that a case was dropped.

In addition, identity theft has become an increasing phenomenon. A stolen name or even a coincidentally identical name can burden a blameless person with a criminal record. This is where it becomes even more important to background check yourself, so you can identify and rectify these kinds of errors before a misleading digital record becomes a permanent obstacle to employment.

Checks and balances

A skilled California private investigator can deploy the same background-checking techniques that the employers will use. After all, who do you think the employers contract for their background checks? That's right. PIs. Scanning court records, private databases and other sources, a licensed private investigator will be able to produce a report on what is known about you and can advise on ways to get records corrected, amended or deleted.

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Hire a Los Angeles Private Investigator for Expert help

Mike Garroutte, owner of Linked Investigations has been conducting background checks for clients for over 30 years. A free consultation will advise as to how they can help you background check yourself, uncover any discrepancies, or work to clear your record.