Background checks are now often included in the employment procedure. Honesty is crucial, regardless of whether you have anything you’d prefer not to reveal during a background check, think your record is spotless, or are unsure of what’s even on it.

Honesty is a quality that all businesses want in new personnel. For some people, the capacity to be honest, upfront, and take responsibility for previous mistakes will always be more important than any potentially damaging knowledge about one’s history. Let’s first define what a background check is and the kinds of information it can find.

What is a Background Check?

A background check is an extensive inquiry into a person’s past that is done to learn more about them. It entails investigating a range of facets related to their criminal, professional, educational, and personal histories. Employers, landlords, financial institutions, and governmental organizations frequently use this procedure to evaluate a candidate’s fitness, reliability, and trustworthiness.

A background check usually looks at several sources. These might include open records, including court filings, arrest logs, and civil verdicts, to discover any criminal activity or legal troubles a person may have had. Verifying employment history and educational background is accomplished by communicating with prior employers, educational institutions, and professional licensing authorities.

In addition, reference checks could be carried out to get opinions from people who have dealt with the person personally or professionally. These references can give important details about the person’s personality, work ethic, social abilities, and other areas.

Financial firms may also do credit checks in addition to looking into a person’s criminal and work histories to determine their creditworthiness and level of financial responsibility. Examining credit reports that include information on a person’s credit history, current debts, and payment habits is part of doing a credit check.

Now that we have that settled, let’s discuss why, in general, and when it comes to background checks, being honest is the best policy.

Reduce Risk of Adverse Action:

You may be subject to adverse action, which might result in you losing your work if you are aware of your criminal background or past drug test failures. Any action taken against a candidate by a prospective employer as a result of information gleaned from the background check procedure is referred to as an adverse action.

Being truthful is crucial since it enables you to avoid being implicated by information. According to a 2017 HR.com report, 96% of businesses run background checks on potential hires in some capacity. Put another way, because you can’t escape having your history investigated, you may as well accept it.

Build Trust:

According to a CareerBuilder poll, 58% of employers said they have discovered candidates who had lied on their job applications. Making a poor first impression is the worst thing there is, and lying is among the worst things you can do. If you have lied to an employer before you have even had a face-to-face conversation, why should they believe you?

Establish credibility with prospective employers by being honest about the results of your background check. Having an honest discussion demonstrates that you value honesty, even if you have nothing to confess to. They’ll recognize the worth of it.

Demonstrate a Willingness to Have Hard Conversations:

Being honest about your possible flaws and limitations with a prospective employer who doesn’t even know you is difficult. To be honest, the only thing that is more astounding than the talent is the audacity to initiate the discussion in the first place.

The foundation of every business is having difficult talks. Demonstrate to prospective employers that you are approachable. You address them directly and truthfully.

Speak to Your Strengths:

Talking about background check findings has several benefits, one of which is the chance to reframe weaknesses as strengths. If you have a criminal history, talk with assurance about how you overcame hardship to achieve achievement. If you’ve previously failed drug and alcohol tests, emphasize your capacity to overcome such a difficult issue as addiction and move on.

Your shortcomings may be leveraged to your advantage.

The best policy is to be honest!

It takes toughness to succeed in business. The hardest of all is being honest. Demonstrate to prospective employers that you are not afraid to be frank. In exchange, they can present you with a contract for a different role.