Landing your desired job right out of college means that you must be familiar with and prepared for each step of the hiring process.
Apart from researching the specific company, the responsibilities of the chosen positions, and the overall corporate culture, products, and outlook, job applicants must also be prepared for a potential background check, known as a DBS check online in the UK.
Knowing what a background check could encompass and what to expect in terms of results presented to the potential employer is crucial.
The same also applies to knowing your rights under the applicable legislation.
Areas Covered In A Background Check
More and more employers implement a background check phase as part of their recruitment process. Sometimes such a check is required by law, as is the case when the position involves working with children or vulnerable adults.
An extensive background check can also be applied for positions that handle money, are responsible for an organization’s finances, or have broad responsibilities, such as a company’s director.
In addition, there are job positions in certain industries that could be too risky for people with specific medical conditions. Employers can also perform more basic checks to ensure the validity of the applicant’s professional education or acquired certificates and the truthfulness of the information presented in their CV.
College graduates should pay increased attention to analyzing the job candidate’s social media accounts and habits is becoming a popular addition to the background check process.
Companies view it as a way to gain insights into potential personal red flags before they make an official job offer.
Being prepared for such an eventuality is well worth going through each of your social media accounts and taking a critical look at them.
The most straightforward method would be to simply put that account into private mode for a while or any other option that limits the access outside people could have to the account’s content or activities.
Some social media platforms may not have sufficient privacy options, and in those cases, job applicants may have to manually remove any content that could present them in a less professional light. Do not ignore older accounts for platforms you may no longer use but are still up on the Internet, such as Tumblr.
Failing A Background Check Is Not An Automatic Rejection
How important is failing a background check depends on the specific job position.
For example, having several speeding tickets could be viewed as a serious detriment if the applicant wants to be hired in a role that involves a lot of driving or could be ignored entirely for an office position with little to no connection to moving vehicles.
The same goes for some minor misdemeanors that many college graduates might have.
Keep in mind that depending on the specific laws and regulations, the employers may be legally obliged to inform candidates that have failed their background check.
This information is vital because background checks do not allow employers to discriminate against candidates based on their race, national origin, sex, religion, genetics, etc.
On the other hand, job candidates may want to prepare an explanation for what a potential employer may discover in their background.
The check could determine that an applicant has a poor credit score, but it won’t reveal that it was caused by a messy divorce, an event that was mainly out of the person’s control.
In general, background checks shouldn’t be viewed as a severe obstacle in getting the chosen position.
If an employer is considering taking the time, effort, and funds to check a job applicant’s background, that is a sign that they are viewing the person as a strong candidate for the position.
