Check yourself before employer does

Illustration: Keri Smith

The job hunt just got a little more complicated. In addition to preparing a killer résumé, doing thorough research and preparing for all manner of interview questions, consider doing your own background check.

Spurred by employers’ increasing use of third-party screening firms — which delve into a candidate’s employment, education and credit histories — some job seekers are hiring the very same firms to find out what their references are really saying about them.

However, there is much that individuals can do to prevent any surprises from turning up during a reference check. Always contact your references in advance to let them know someone will be calling and why, says Michael Harding, president of Alton, Ont.-based Inline Reference Check. “Sometimes references will say, ‘Don’t use me.’”

By the same token, you shouldn’t assume that someone who agrees to be your reference will be flattering, says Vincent Tsang, vice-president of business development at Infocheck, a Toronto-based firm that specializes in background checks and exit interviews. “A lot of people speak to their references but don’t ask what kind of reference they will give. Then they’re surprised when they get a negative reference,” he says.

There are also preventative measures that can be taken before you leave your current job, adds Harding. “Employees can ask upon departure what could and would be said during a reference check and have that attached to their personnel file to make sure it’s consistent with their last evaluation,” he says.

Other due diligence includes checking your university, credit and criminal records, to make sure there are no errors. And if you — like 7.5% of all final job candidates in an Infocheck study — do have a criminal record, say so upfront. “Even if it’s just shoplifting when you were 16, honesty is the only way you’re going to survive it,” says Harding. “Regardless of what the issue is, if you’ve lied, you’re out.”