Who knows what evil lurks in the heart of me?
June 8, 2017 8:41 AM Subscribe
I’m employed but looking. I’d like to run a background check on myself to find out what sorts of dirt a potential employer might dig-up about me.
I recently interviewed for a job that seemed like it would have been a great fit for me. Unfortunately, I didn’t get an offer. During my interview, I was asked a question which made me think that my interviewer had run a Google search on my name. Or, possibly, he had read some kind of background report conducted by an outside company that performed an Internet profile on me.
I have a long history of posting comments (under my real name) concerning various political and social issues. None of these comments are overtly alarming (no calls for violence, no racism, sexism, etc.) – but some of my opinions might raise eyebrows.
Also, I have some minor criminal incidents from the distant past. At this point, I kind of doubt that they’d turn up in a background check, but I don't know.
Anyway, I realize that if you run a Google search, you can come up with lots of companies that are willing to conduct a background check on you, but I don’t know if any of them are reputable.
I’m willing to pay a reasonable amount of money, but I’d like to make sure that I’m getting the same type of information that a potential employer might find out about me. I'm looking for a profile that would go beyond just criminal records and bankruptcy -- something that would include social media and other sorts of Internet-related activity.
I recently interviewed for a job that seemed like it would have been a great fit for me. Unfortunately, I didn’t get an offer. During my interview, I was asked a question which made me think that my interviewer had run a Google search on my name. Or, possibly, he had read some kind of background report conducted by an outside company that performed an Internet profile on me.
I have a long history of posting comments (under my real name) concerning various political and social issues. None of these comments are overtly alarming (no calls for violence, no racism, sexism, etc.) – but some of my opinions might raise eyebrows.
Also, I have some minor criminal incidents from the distant past. At this point, I kind of doubt that they’d turn up in a background check, but I don't know.
Anyway, I realize that if you run a Google search, you can come up with lots of companies that are willing to conduct a background check on you, but I don’t know if any of them are reputable.
I’m willing to pay a reasonable amount of money, but I’d like to make sure that I’m getting the same type of information that a potential employer might find out about me. I'm looking for a profile that would go beyond just criminal records and bankruptcy -- something that would include social media and other sorts of Internet-related activity.
I have done preemployment background checks in a past job (recent past).
I didn't use any kind of service to find social media and other internet activity; I aggregated it by hand. Using my brain to think through what sorts of stuff the company cared to see or didn't care to see was a lot more effective than any service available. (Although they should have maybe had me training an AI or something!)
I searched each social media platform directly (try logging out and searching for yourself), whichever platforms the company cared to see. I also used some carefully crafted Google searching (full name, nickname, name and location, just the email address...) to find anything else.
posted by Former Congressional Representative Lenny Lemming at 12:07 PM on June 8, 2017
I didn't use any kind of service to find social media and other internet activity; I aggregated it by hand. Using my brain to think through what sorts of stuff the company cared to see or didn't care to see was a lot more effective than any service available. (Although they should have maybe had me training an AI or something!)
I searched each social media platform directly (try logging out and searching for yourself), whichever platforms the company cared to see. I also used some carefully crafted Google searching (full name, nickname, name and location, just the email address...) to find anything else.
posted by Former Congressional Representative Lenny Lemming at 12:07 PM on June 8, 2017
Best answer: I ended up using goodhire.com . The results did not include any social media checks -- just criminal background and educational degree verification. It wasn't exactly what I had hoped for (and it was somewhat expensive), but it did give me a little reassurance that there isn't any incorrect information floating out there about me.
posted by akk2014 at 7:12 AM on July 1, 2017
posted by akk2014 at 7:12 AM on July 1, 2017
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Hopefully someone with an HR background weighs in here about what services they use and whether that includes social media.
posted by purple_bird at 10:19 AM on June 8, 2017