Randy Place
As unemployment continues to rise and jobs continue to be scarce, some job hunters believe the only way they’ll get hired is to lie on resumes.
People who consider telling a lie on resumes need to understand there’s a good chance you’ll get caught. Corporate big brother is watching through background checks that have become par for the hiring course.
Many executives have been caught in the act of lying. Even big shots like Radio Shack CEO David Edmondson who resigned three years ago after it was revealed Edmondson claimed degrees he didn’t have. And last spring, Vahid Manlian, a big shot at Broadcome, got the axe for inventing two college degrees. Shortly thereafter, Herbalife president Greg Probert was booted over a fabricated MBA. The list goes on and on. You can avoid getting on that list by adopting honesty as the best policy.
How corporate background checks work
Background checks performed by companies will verify your educational credentials and previous employment. They’ll want to make sure your driving record is clean -- if driving is connected to your work -- and that you have no criminal record. But checking doesn’t always end after you’re employed. Employers often retain checking services to keep digging into your background during the tenure of your employment.
Steps you can take concerning a check on you
When a background check reveals a black mark against you and a prospective employer rescinds an offer based on information uncovered, the Fair Credit Reporting Act requires them to tell you about it. This gives you the opportunity to dispute material that’s been uncovered and try to make your case.
Would you like to beat prospective employers to the punch? You can pay a background checking service to check you out the same way an employer would check you out.
You can take the first step to a background check by Googling yourself to see if there’s something stupid, silly, or juvenile that you’ve written or others have written about you. And while you’re at it, make sure your Facebook has an adult look about it.
Your Career Service will present more on this topic in our next report. In the meantime, why not check out four rules observed by job search winners, a previous post on this blog.

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