Sunday, January 16, 2011

The Background Check

The Back Ground check that is used by Employer/ Human Resources serves  as a end all do all in hiring their potential employees. They must fill out paper work, interview,  and wait for their background check results.

The employer now use the background check process as a quick and efficient way to eliminate  potential employees with a history. I am not sold on a background checks that exceeds 10 years. After 10 years if you filed Bankruptcy it automatically drops off your credit, and can never be held against you... Although a crime you committed 15 years ago will influence if you will be hired today.

The definition of a a background check- It is a way to find information about someone that may not be readily available. Individuals and institutions choose to conduct background checks for a whole host of reasons. Background checks are conducted through third party institutions and are meant to provide a picture of an individuals character based on past actions and records. Background checks reveal information about an individuals professional, financial, criminal, and public history. They include everything from speeding tickets to time spent in jail, bankruptcy to employment history. 

I do think that it is important to know who the person is based on his or her past, but lets look at the facts here. Does any of you know who Frank William Abagnale, Jr is?   You see Abagnale, Jr was known for his history as a former confidence trickster, check forger, impostor, and escape artist. He became notorious in the 1960s for passing $4.5 million worth of meticulously forged checks across 26 countries over the course of five years, beginning when he was 16 years old. In the process, he claimed to have assumed no fewer than eight separate identities, impersonating an airline pilot, a doctor, a Bureau of Prisons agent, and a lawyer.

Abagnale's life story provided the inspiration for the feature film Catch Me If You Can.

In 1974, after he had served less than five years, the United States federal government released him on the condition that he would volunteer to assist the federal government in apprehending people who committed crimes of fraud and scam artists
  
Abagnale tried several jobs, including cook, grocer and movie projectionist, but he was fired from most of these upon having his criminal career discovered via background checks and not informing his employers that he was a former convict. Finding them unsatisfying, he approached a bank with an offer. He explained to the bank what he had done, and offered to speak to the bank's staff and show various tricks that "paperhangers" use to defraud banks. His offer included the condition that if they did not find his speech helpful, they would owe him nothing; otherwise, they would only owe him $50, with an agreement that they would provide his name to other banks. The banks were impressed by the results, and he began a legitimate life as a security consultant.[10]

He later founded Abagnale & Associates,[10] which advises businesses on fraud. Abagnale is now a millionaire .Abagnale also continues to advise the FBI, with whom he has associated for over 35 years, by teaching at the FBI Academy and lecturing for FBI field offices throughout the country.  

The hoax or sham that most employers put on a employment application is just that, they claim that it does not matter if you have been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony! Although when they send you a letter for denial of employment because of you past criminal record, would it be safe to say that the company lied to you? Your dammed if you tell and dammed if you don't!

My desire to be the best pushed me to want to succeed in what ever I put my mind to. Since 1990 I worked as a sheet metal apprentice, delivered pizzas, sold life insurance, graduated from ITT Technical Institute, worked as Field Technician, Sold Cars, and worked as Loan Officer. 

Ideally speaking you would think that a crime I committed a 30 years ago would not effect me in my search for employment in the year 2010, right? Unfortunately that is a farce no consideration to who I am or what I have become even matters! Companies claim that they don't want these Bernie Madoff types working for them...  A note to the wise, Charles Ponzi (The Ponzi Scheme), and Bernie Madoff (50 billion he schemed for)  were not  career criminal . These guys did not look at a book to figure out how to be a criminal, they wrote the dam book. 

Unfortunately Background checks can help you with the average criminal or people with bad credit these guys are either already in your company or companies are getting ready to hire them!!! 

Lets look at the facts here, Background checks only help companies if that person committed a crime, or have bad credit... Nothing in a persons heart can ever be determined by a background check. Did anyone ever consider what the world would be like if the United States federal government, or the banks  had not given Frank William Abagnale, Jr a chance?

If God can forgive you for your sins and The Federal Government & bank institutions for give Abagnale, Jr for his crime, why should you as an employer say no?


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