Do A Background Check On Yourself

In the difficult job market of today, it is a given that most employers will do various background checks on any potential employee. If they don't at least Google you, they really aren't doing their job. And while there are many things that you can do to deal with any negative items they may find, it is important to find out before they do, what those things are.

The first step is to google yourself. Finding out what a prospective employer will see about you is important, because there are many steps you can take to make the search results more favorable. One of the best ways to do this, is to set up a blog or website that deals with issues in your industry. Be sure to write informative posts, and look around for other industry related sites that you can comment on and participate in their community. Be sure that your posts are helpful and professional. If you select popular sites to get involved with, those comments will show up first in most search results. You can also change your email address and, as a more extreme measure, you can even change the way you format your name. “John Smith” can become “John C. Smith” with a different email address, which would make it more difficult for a simple web search to find anything associated with the old email address and name.

Dealing with negative information online is a bit easier than dealing with negative information in a background or credit check. By searching with a full name and social security number, the odds are higher that if you have something you would rather hide, it will be found. That is why it is very important to do a background check on yourself before any potential employer does. This way, you can be sure that you know what they are going to find out and can take steps to correct any errors on these reports. Most consumer reports allow individuals to receive a free copy once a year. If you haven't already requested your free copies, now is the time. You know the old saying “Good luck happens when preparedness meets opportunity”. Here are some of the most popular reports, along with the contact information to get your copies.

Employment Reports
ChoicePoint	1 866 312-8075
Check Writing History Report
Chexsystems	1 800 428-9623
Shared Check Authorization Network	1 800 262-7771 Fax: 1 800 358-4506
TeleCheck	1 800 835-3243
Residential And Tenant Reports
ChoicePoint	1 877 448-5732
Safe Rent	1 888 333-2413
UD Registry	1 818 785-3905
Medical History Reports
MIB	1 866 692-6901
Insurance Claims Reports
ISO A-Plus Reports	1 800 627-3487

For more information about your rights under the Fair Credit Act, or for information about obtaining other consumer reports, you can read more here.

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.