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I received an offer pending a good background check. In my employment application for the job, which was done online, it asked whether or not they can contact all the previous employers I listed, and I said NO to all of them, particularly my current one. It really has nothing to do with performance, but I have a long work history and I just don't want them contacting my current employer and I just answered the same consistently for past employers, to not contact them. Will this delay the background check? I electronically signed a consent that they can look into my background through any means, just my application stated that my previous employers cannot be directly contacted as I don't want my current employer to know, and in my old jobs many of the people including my old bosses left or retired. It's my understanding that they only check for work history, criminal record, and maybe check credit, but they can do all that through other means than go directly to the past employers right? I'm just concerned about any delay if I answered NO to contacting my past employers in my application, as I want to put in my notice soon to give my current employer at least two weeks.
This is not uncommon. I assume when people check that NO box they don't want their current employer to know. Checks of NO for before that...meh. Probably I don't care.
Background check is to make sure you're not on the run, or other reasons why you cannot work here in particular (for instance, you have to be a US citizen to work here - not everywhere - and you have to be able to get a passport).
If it were relevant, I might care about your credit - like if you're handling some cash here and could benefit yourself somehow - but that's not THIS job.
So all told - don't fret. Time will tell. But I'm leaning towards "doesn't matter."
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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It depends on the employer, and the competition. If you and the next "best" person were close ad they cannot get any information about your past work performance, they might decide to pass. I would have recommended allowing the previous, because it's common to not want the current employer to know, but not allowing contact with previous employers can look like there is something to hide. Good luck, anyway.
I’ve had several pre-hire background checks done in the past for jobs I’ve applied for. These checks were done by companies such as Sterling and Hire Right. I’ve also been a hiring manager and have had background checks completed for candidates we’ve made job offers to.
Generally, when a candidate does not allow contact with a previous employer, it is usually seen as a “red flag.”
(i.e., What could the candidate be hiding?)
Past employers, when contacted by a background check company, will generally only provide objective details about an employee’s past:: job title, dates of employment, reason for leaving and eligibility for future rehire. Information such as job performance, character, will usually NOT be provided, due to potential legal and liability issues.
When I was a hiring manager, calls from background check companies and potential hiring managers looking for references/information were directed to our Human Resources department (HR) to answer. We were instructed specifically by HR, NOT to answer these types of questions, due to potential legal issues/liability.
The information provided on background checks usually are:: criminal records, felony convictions, education credential verification, driving records, verification of employment duration at stated company, social security number verification, US employment eligibility, etc.
It depends on the job and the scope of the investigation. I think a lot of employers understand you not wanting them to contact a current employer. Past employers -- not so much. If they can not easily verify employment dates and positions, they may move on to the next person on the list. As noted above, most places now don't do anything except verify dates of employment and positions held. For a routine BI request, our HR department won't even speak with you. You get sent to an employee verification line.
When I was a hiring manager, calls from background check companies and potential hiring managers looking for references/information were directed to our Human Resources department (HR) to answer. We were instructed specifically by HR, NOT to answer these types of questions, due to potential legal issues/liability.
Good point. My boss is the VP of Operations and knowing how busy she is everyday, I can't imagine she would want to take calls from prospective employers/background check companies.
It's my understanding that they only check for work history, criminal record, and maybe check credit, but they can do all that through other means than go directly to the past employers right?
Wondering why the OP answered "no" to former employers? If they aren't connected to a current employer, what's the issue?
I think the days of providing a name and contact info of an actual person from a former employer are over. As the OP stated, one of my recent former bosses died and everyone I worked with in that department has moved on, within the past five years. There is nobody to provide a personal reference about my work done there. One could contact the company for a reference and only verify that I actually worked there during a certain time.
I'm curious as to what these other means are. What all is showing up on a background check now? I felt unsettled recently when I had to call in to one of my credit cards to change some information in my account (Chase Bank) and they had a slew of "security questions" to make sure I was me. One of them was "Which one of these applies to you?" and the operator listed three business names, one of which was a place I worked for over 20 years ago, that has long since closed. Why is that popping up in my history and accessible by a phone operator in a third world country? Ripe for ID theft.
If someone is lying about their work history, I actually don't think it is that difficult to fool the people who do background checks. The people at HireRight and whatnot work out of call centers and could be doing 15 background checks at any given time. They aren't paid much. They just want to close the file and move onto the next one. For all they know, that number you give them of your former employer could be a friend posing as a former employer. I actually think the people who do background checks are easier to fool than HR managers doing the verification. An HR manager has more time to scrutinize things.
Last edited by MJoseph42286; 04-16-2024 at 10:06 AM..
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