5 Things Your New Employer Can Find Out About You
SpreeHealth
0 Comments
Find your next healthcare job today!
Many a job seeker has mistakenly assumed that their potential new employer won’t be able to find out something in their background that might cost them the job. While a new employer is sometimes legally required to ask your consent in searching your background data, if you refuse, it will likely eliminate you from further employment consideration. And, in some instances, an employer has noobligation to tell you what they’re looking for, nor will they tell you if they’ve found something for which they are disqualifying you.
This frequently leads to a scenario where — after the job candidate has had favorable interviews and encouragement from a potential employer — they never hear back from that employer or are told the company decided to “go in a different direction”.
So, what are some of things an employer might be looking at without your knowledge?
1. What your former managers are saying about you, even if you haven’t listed them as references.
While corporate personnel are typically instructed to simply confirm a former employee’s title and dates of employment, there is no law that prohibits a potential employer from asking your former managers more revealing questions about how they regarded the quality of your work performance. Reference-checking firm Allison & Taylor reports that approximately 50 percent of reference checks they conduct reveal some form of negativity from the reference. While the majority of such negative commentary comes from former supervisors, Human Resources also frequently offers commentary indicating a candidate is not eligible for rehire or the fact someone was fired or involuntarily released from the organization.
The good news? If this happens (or is currently happening), there is remedial action available to the job seeker (such as a Cease & Desist letter) when unfavorable commentary about them is documented.
2. Info you posted on social media.
While a potential employer can’t compel you to reveal your social media passwords, they can — and often do — view what you’ve posted to popular social sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Note that many of your posts, tweets, etc. may go back many years, but they’re still out there and accessible by a prospective employer. So, before applying to your next job, scroll through your social posts and make sure there’s nothing that a potential employer might find questionable. This is especially important for healthcare providers where HIPPA is a major concern. NEVER post photos or information about patients on social media.
3. Whether you’ve ever been fired.
If you have in fact been fired from a position, you have no obligation to bring this fact up unsolicited. However, if you’re specifically asked whether you’ve ever been fired, then you run a significant risk if you deny it, as falsifying your job application or lying during an interview could be grounds for termination at some later date.
A good idea would be to proactively determine if your former employer is, in fact, going to offer potentially damaging commentary about you. A reference-checking company could help you confirm whether your former supervisor(s) or Human Resources department is offering any unfavorable remarks about you. Clearly, such information could be useful in guiding you on how to proceed with prospective new employers.
4. Whether you’ve declared bankruptcy.
An employer can easily determine whether you’ve ever declared bankruptcy through the use of a background check, accessed with your social security number. Such a report will also identify any criminal history, licenses, etc.
5. Your salary history.
A prospective employer is free to ask about your salary history/current salary. Some employers also make a practice of asking for proof of current salary if the figure you offer strikes them as particularly high.
Of course, just because they’re free to ask doesn’t mean you have to answer. You may want to keep that information private, especially if you feel you’re underpaid in your current position. If you want to move the conversation forward without sharing your current salary, try sidestepping it by telling them what you hope to make in the job you’re applying for now or simply saying that you’re looking to make a competitve salary based on your years of experience and the current market in the geographic region.
Clearly, it’s in your best interest to be aware not only of what information an employer can access about you, but also the steps you can take to proactively identify and manage such information about yourself.
