How much can an employer know about one's criminal background?

So, I recently got a job offer from a prominent communications company. One of the stipulations on receiving the job is that I must go through an extensive background check. I am worried about that because I am currently in an odd position that landed me on the wrong side of the law. My court date isn't for a few more months, therefore, I have not been convicted of anything. However, I've applied at several places and have not heard back from any of them (the only reason I heard back from this one was because their hiring system is automated). I'm a little worried that they discovered the predicament that I'm in and decided to pass on me. Is this really possible? If I have not been convicted of anything, would anything come up in a background check?

Mel

Anything that is a matter of public record will show up oin a background check - pending judgments, DMV citations, credit history, that sort of thing.

You must give your consent for the employer to perform a background check on you. If you consent to other screens (such as a drug test, or allowing your educational/military background to be checked) that info will also show up.

robert w

normally not.
however any miss representation during interviews /application can be use as means to terminate.

just keep hunting or increase ur hunting.
many are called and few are chosen.

for every 100 that apply with us , 50 self eliminate , 30 place excuses b4 pay, 15 let fears limit their lives.
5 actually qualify themselves for our positions.

Expert Realtor

There are various searches that companies can do, and they can search ANYTHING in your criminal background history that is public information.

Arrest records, just like conviction records, are PUBLIC information.

Some companies only care about convictions, but some of them think that if there is smoke, there is fire, and won't even hire someone who has even been arrested.

I am not saying that is why you aren't getting hired, but it's something to consider.

keiko

They can find out everything that has already been adjudicated. I don't know if they can find out about a pending case or not. It may be worth it for you to run your own background check.

www.intelius.com is one place where you can do the check. Or, go online and type in background check to find other companies. Or, type in your name at www.google.com and see what comes up.

If you might be incarcerated as a consequence of your case, you need to be extra careful about taking a job and having to leave it soon because it could get you a very bad recommendation in the future.

In the meantime, you keep working where you are or find something in fast food, etc., so you can receive income to live on.

Whatever got you into this odd predicament should be avoided in the future. I am not being condescending. We all should learn from our mistakes. Sometimes being around the wrong people or in the wrong place can get us wrongly accused.

Good luck in getting an excellent job.

Tom K

Certainly they have a right to know that you may shortly be unavailable for an indeterminate length of time or may not be bondable or may not be able to travel between work locations that would involve crossing the boundaries between legal jurisdictions or may be ineligible for a passport or any of several other conditions.

But they are only allowed to ask about conditions that will directly affect your ability to fulfill the requirements of a particular position.

akqri

If there is a court case pending against you, it's public record. It's a snap to get. Most jurisdictions have that information online. You just go to the various courts' web sites and plug in the name of the individual and everything that court has on you will come up. You better fess up about this ASAP. Most background investigations are more concerned with whether you'll tell the truth - even about really embarassing stuff. If it's something you'd lie about, maybe it's something someone could use against you to get access to sensitive information your prospective employer wants to protect.

You'd be amazed at the criminal histories of folks who have gone through really rigorous security background investigations.

Fess up. Just call the investigator - or whoever you provided the information to and tell them because it was a pending matter, you didn't think it fit the criteria & upon further reflection, you realized that you probably should have provided the information.

Good luck.

Baby Bell

No. I work in an HR department that runs background checks. The background checks will only show things that you've actually been convicted of. This is because the law assumes that you are "innocent until proven guilty." Therefore, you are still assumed innocent and have not been convicted of anything (yet).

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