Today’s world is interconnected like never before. That’s fantastic for networking and finding a job – but it can also cost you an employment opportunity. You may have done everything you can to ensure that your online presence is spic and span, but unless you have an official way to do your own background screening check, you’ll never know.
How to screen yourself for employment
Many people are curious about what information they can find about themselves online and may turn to a search engine first. However, there’s more to a background check than just searching for your name and hoping nothing bad comes up. Professional background screening companies will look online, in databases, and in a variety of different locations to find information about you. That’s why you need to do what the pros do: Get a background company to check your background for you. Here’s why:
The Facebook frenzy
Nearly everybody today has a Facebook account, and many people may have dozens of accounts on a variety of different websites. In many cases, what you’ve posted to these accounts is just fine – but for many younger job seekers, especially, Facebook and other social media sites can come back to haunt you. For example, you may not have posted an image of yourself, underage, at a party, but what about your friend? Can you really be sure that your online presence is clean?
Double-check your records
In some cases, you may have a clean record and everything checks out. But during the background screening process, you’re confused with a person who has your name and birthdate. Their offenses show up in your background check – and you might not get a job you’re perfectly qualified for. It’s critical that you know what shows up when employers do a background check. You can help mitigate risk for yourself by knowing what they do.
If you want to ensure that your background check screenings go according to plan, consider Job Seeker Insight, a JDP brand. You can rest assured knowing that you’ve got access to your own information and can take steps to rectify any problems as needed.