Q&A for How to Overcome Bad Background Checks

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How should I tell a potential employer about my past?

Katherine Kirkinis, Ed.M., MA
Career Coach & Psychotherapist
Katherine Kirkinis is a Career Coach and Psychotherapist who has served as a career expert for Forbes, Medium, Best Life, and Working Mother Magazine, and as a diversity and inclusion expert for ATTN and Quartz. She specializes in working with issues of career, identity, and indecision. She has doctoral-level training in career counseling and career assessment and has worked with hundreds of clients to make career decisions through career assessments. She is pursuing a doctoral degree at The University of Albany, SUNY where her work focuses on diversity and inclusion, racism in the workplace, and racial identity. She is a published author and has been featured in academic journals as well as popular media outlets. Her research has been presented at 10+ national APA conferences since 2013.

Katherine Kirkinis, Ed.M., MA

Career Coach & Psychotherapist

Expert Answer

If you do have a criminal history, and you know it will come up, it might help to write a letter of explanation. For example, if you have been arrested, you could explain the circumstances, timeframe, result, and what you learned/gained from that experience and how it informs you as a person in the world and as an employee today.

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Question

Does everything show up on a background check? What is included?

Katherine Kirkinis, Ed.M., MA
Career Coach & Psychotherapist
Katherine Kirkinis is a Career Coach and Psychotherapist who has served as a career expert for Forbes, Medium, Best Life, and Working Mother Magazine, and as a diversity and inclusion expert for ATTN and Quartz. She specializes in working with issues of career, identity, and indecision. She has doctoral-level training in career counseling and career assessment and has worked with hundreds of clients to make career decisions through career assessments. She is pursuing a doctoral degree at The University of Albany, SUNY where her work focuses on diversity and inclusion, racism in the workplace, and racial identity. She is a published author and has been featured in academic journals as well as popular media outlets. Her research has been presented at 10+ national APA conferences since 2013.

Katherine Kirkinis, Ed.M., MA

Career Coach & Psychotherapist

Expert Answer

Only certain things show up in a background check. Pre-employment background checks usually include criminal background checks (any felony and misdemeanor convictions, any pending criminal cases, any history of incarceration as an adult, and arrests that did not lead to convictions may appear), verification of past employment, education, and any professional licenses.

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Question

What can I do if I received a false or incorrect report?

Community Answer

Find out who the company is that provides results for these checks and inform them of any errors; while I would love to say most jobs are understanding, that isn't really true. Most companies are more than willing to assist - it's illegal not to.

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I am a current, federal employee. I've worked in this position for almost 2 years. My prior employer said I was fired, but in fact I resigned. What can I do?

Community Answer

It is actually illegal to falsify information about someone that will damage their reputation or threaten their livelihood. Defamation protects you in this matter.

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My background check shows something that happened over 20 years ago, but it seems to keep showing up. I work for a childcare center and I always have to wait for clearance. How can I get this resolved?

Community Answer

If something you did 20 years ago was a crime, and you haven't had any other incidents since then, you could get the record expunged or sealed, which you can apply for at the court that processed the offense. If you have had other incidents, you can apply to get it expunged, however you probably can't win.

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