If you're on the hunt for a new job, you may be trying to do everything in your power to ensure that you're prepared for what's ahead. This is wise, of course, in a job market that's more competitive than ever. If you're going to impress the partners of that big law firm or the hiring manager of the company of your dreams, you'll need to know what they know. Is there something dangling in your background that you should protect against? You can only know if you put in due diligence on yourself. With this in mind, there are several ways a background check service can help prepare you as you go through your job search.
1. Revealing public records that need to be cleaned up
Has a previous contractor filed a lien against you? If this has made its way into the public record, then you may look untrustworthy to potential employers. In some cases, these public records will be mistakes. In others, they can be cleared with a simple act of filling out a little paperwork. When you use a background check service on yourself, you can know precisely what loose ends need to be cleaned up in your public file.
2. Arrests, convictions, and potential expungements
A background check service can give you a clear picture of what sort of criminal records you'll be mitigating in a job interview. Not all arrests end up on your record. It depends on the jurisdiction and how they report things. In some states, a traffic ticket is a civil matter. In others, it is a criminal charge. You may even have the ability to expunge an arrest to keep it from showing up. A background check service will give you the full picture so you can move forward in a productive way.
3. Helping you frame your growth story
Getting the job is often about framing the right narrative in your own life. You may not be perfect, but you might have shown some growth over the years to get to where you are today. When you use a background check service, you can begin to piece together the timeline of your life. Perhaps you overcame a bankruptcy to become a successful and responsible person again. Maybe you overcome a college arrest to get into law school and become a successful lawyer. Whatever the case may be, you can frame your growth story only if you know the timeline and have a full accounting of the events in front of you.
Don't be scared to take a look at the reality of what your life has been over the last few years. If you're going out on the job hunt, you'll need to be able to frame your life challenges and accomplishments in a way that fits with the company's values. You can only do this if you use a background check service to get the same picture a potential employer will. Don't you want to know what the guy on the other side of the desk will be reading about your history?
