#temporary contractor

Hello America! (and world),

If you are applying for a job and the employer wants to conduct a "background verification" should you consent to this process?

In days gone by employees were asked to provide information about their previous employers and experience, and they signed at the bottom of the form swearing to the truth of the facts provided.  At some point after this I presume the facts were checked by an internal member of the employer's Human Resources staff; someone who themselves had been checked out and verified at one time or another and who could be considered as trustworthy.

These days it appears many employers are incapable of supporting the necessary staff to perform these background checks themselves, so they contract out the task to (yet) another agency whose only obligation to ethical conduct is to themselves.

Do you feel comfortable making yourself an open book at third-parties?

A background verification release I am completing today includes the following statement, "The background report may contain information concerning your character, general reputation, personal characteristics, mode of living, and credit standing. The types of information that may be obtained include, but are not limited to: social security number verifications; address history; credit reports and history; criminal records and history; public court records; driving records; accident history; worker's compensation claims; bankruptcy filings; educational history verifications (e.g., dates of attendance, degrees obtained); employment history verifications (e.g., dates of employment, salary information, reasons for termination, etc.); personal and professional references checks; professional licensing and certification checks; drug/alcohol testing results, and drug/alcohol history in violation of law and/or company policy; and other information bearing on your character, general reputation, personal characteristics, mode of living and credit standing."

This seems to be a very broad and all inclusive "scope" of checks!

Whatever happened to people interviewing each other, asking questions and taking a little time to get to know who they were hiring personally?  Has our society become so paranoid, so suspicious that we are unable to trust someone at their word, or unable to simply verify BASIC facts about a person with a phone call or letter?

The background verification release goes on to include the following further text, "This information may be obtained from private and public record sources, including, as appropriate: government agencies and courthouses; educational institutions; former employers; personal interviews with sources such as neighbors, friends and associates; and other information sources. If the Company should obtain information bearing on your credit worthiness, credit standing or credit capacity for reasons other than as required by law, then the Company will use such credit information to evaluate whether you would present an unacceptable risk of theft or other dishonest behavior in the job for which you are being evaluated."

Questions in my mind:

Whatever happened to the idea Social Security numbers could NOT be used as identification?

It is well known that prior employers will NOT characterize their former employee other than to answer the question, "Would you employ this person again?" with either a "Yes" or "No" answer.

Furthermore, if the employee has a dispute, will they be presented any opportunity to explain any facts on the report -- or will they simply find out they are no longer being considered for an employment position?

It is a complex world in which we live and there are many risks at every turn, but trust is something people (and companies) must earn from each other, not something that can simply be prescribed on paper!

The information our society is based upon is not so reliable as to be infallible especially when it comes to opinions and thoughts on a person's general reputation, personal characteristics.  We are not machines, we are not robots, and everyone has a bad day or a less than favorable impression they make on someone from time to time.

The idea that a company once promised to keep information "private" and perhaps complied a portfolio of information on an employee and it may (at some point) become the property of another company or be sold to a background verification agency is VERY real, very possible.  at which point it is no longer private, is it?

The very idea that one neighbor's opinion may be negative and another neighbor may choose to not speak with anyone about the person calls the entire process into question!  I have seen this in the results of a government sponsored background investigation where the investigator also added comments about the general appearance of the neighborhood; facts which may have NO BEARING whatsoever on the character or behaviors of the subject of the investigation.

What do you feel comfortable with?  What does an employer ACTUALLY need to know?  The further we develop in our capability to track and analyze details of a person's health, mental state, behavioral tendencies, or habits, the less and less employable many people will become.

How do you rate or "rank" in comparison to neighbors or co-workers?

Will we literally develop communities of desirable employees and less desirable ones, or is the field of candidates likely to ultimately remain level once the "average" or typical person is determined?

What are the employment opportunities you cannot get today because of the extreme requirements?