How to Overcome Bad Background Checks

Co-authored by Katherine Kirkinis, Ed.M., MA

Last Updated: February 25, 2023 References

Background checks are becoming quite common in today's hiring processes. These background checks look into your past for any legal or financial issues that you may have had. Although these issues are in the past, an employer may not view them favorably and can deny you a position based upon them. However, there are some strategies that you can use to overcome a bad background check and still get the position you are seeking.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Investigating Your Own Background

1
Check your own background. It can be important to check your own background for two main reasons. The first reason is to search for any incorrect information that can erroneously make you look unappealing to your employer. The second reason is to discover any old records or information that may have been removed from your record, freeing you from mentioning it. Try searching for your personal information in the following ways: ^{[1]
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- Search for yourself on-line. If you find any questionable things you may have posted on social media, consider deleting or removing them.
- Check any court or criminal records to make sure the information contained in them is correct.
- Make sure your employment history is correct and accurate.
- There are services on-line that you can pay a fee and receive your own background check.
2
Examine your credit report. Before you apply or go into your interview, you will want to check your credit score and credit report. This will allow you to learn what your employer might find during their own investigation and prepare for this. Search for your credit score using one of the three main credit reporting agencies Experian, Equifax and TransUnion.^{[2]
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- Dispute any errors that might be tarnishing your credit score.
- You will have to sign a release that allows your employer to check your credit report.
- Don't lie about anything accurate that shows up on your credit report.
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3
Understand that not everything will appear on your background check. Not everything involved in your past will show up on your background check. You also won't need to concern yourself with mentioning these issues to your employer as they won't be included in your background check.^{[3]
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Expert Source

Katherine Kirkinis, Ed.M., MA
Career Coach & Psychotherapist
Expert Interview. 14 October 2020.} Review the following items to learn what won't show up during a background check.^{[4]
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- Any bankruptcies older than 10 years.
- Civil suits, judgments and records of arrest older than 7 years.
- Any tax liens that have been paid and are older than 7 years.
- Excluding criminal convictions, all other negative information older than 7 years will not show up.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Getting A Position With A Bad Background Check

1
Tell the truth and be honest. As you apply for a position or during an interview, you will always want to be totally honest with your new potential employer. If you have anything on your record that might be considered an issue, you should bring it up and explain that issue. Being honest and direct about past issues can overpower the issues themselves.^{[5]
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- Always be honest about past issues that might show up on your background check.
- Being direct and honest can demonstrate your character and cause your employer to overlook the issues on your background check.
- Try to convey that you have learned from any past issues and have moved on from them.^{[6]
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  Expert Source
  
  Katherine Kirkinis, Ed.M., MA
  Career Coach & Psychotherapist
  Expert Interview. 14 October 2020.}
2
Be ready to explain any issues regarding your background. If you suspect that there will be an issue with your background check, you should be ready to discuss this issue with your potential employer or interviewer. Ideally, you should bring this issue up as soon as you can, either during your first phone or in person interview to demonstrate a willingness to be honest and direct.
- Having a single, minor offense might be overlooked entirely.^{[7]
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- Multiple offenses of a similar type will likely not be ignored.
- The nature of your offense may be directly relevant to your position. For instance, being convicted for embezzling will likely exclude you from future financial positions.
3
Dispute any incorrect information. If you are refused a position due to something that was present during a background check, your employer will have to disclose the specific reason you were denied the position. If you suspect this information to be wrong or incorrect, you are allowed time to dispute this claim and resubmit to the background check.
- Your employer must disclose any reasons they denied your application due to a background check.
- You have sixty days to challenge any erroneous information found during your background check.
- You are able to resubmit to the background check after you have successfully challenged incorrect information.
4
Seek out positions that are unlikely to do background checks. Not all companies or firms have the time or funding to do a detailed background check. By looking for the right company or firm you can apply for a position without much concern for your background check affecting the process.^{[8]
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- Smaller companies and firms are less likely to run detailed background checks.
- Some temp agencies won't have detailed background checks. If hired, you can still work towards a full time position and avoid a background check causing trouble.
5
Have strong references. Even if you have a bad background check, having impressive references can help you to still obtain the position you are applying for. A good reference can vouch for your character and argue why you are a good fit for the position despite any issues regarding your background check.
- Make sure your references are aware that you are listing them as such.
- Find references that you are sure will speak highly of you.

Expert Q&A

Question

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.
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.
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.