How to deal with this situation?

The background check will only confirm whether you were or were not employed, if even that. Don't worry about it. They won't ask for a recommendation, and they won't be able to use what the guy says against you.

but the firm i am joining uses FirstAdvantage and I was looking at their sample employment verification reports and it clearly asks if they would rehire/other comments

http://www.fadv.com/hirecheck/products_services/pdf/Employment.pdf

Background check is to confirm employment.

You're a fucking retard for debating politics (and taking/making it personal) with people at work... and you deserve any bad mouthing he dishes out.

Let that be a lesson to the rest of you. Keep your political beliefs to yourself, no one cares what you think.

Background check will just verify employment. Have to agree with Marcus, you're retarded for discussing politics in the office. That said, no employer in his right mind would actively disparage a past employee; he can say less-than-flattering things about you, and certainly decline to recommend you, but disparaging you will open up him and the university to a possible libel and harassment lawsuit. Additionally, if your school qualifies as a public institution, the First Amendment would bar him from dismissing you for political beliefs (Pickering v Board of Education).

Anyway, the easiest way around your being a dick in the office is to list your university's HR as the contact for employment verification; they'll certainly know not to do more than say you worked there.

I think you should write a very candid email to this guy. Something along the lines of "I know we didn't see eye to eye and did not have a great relationship...certainly understand that you are not willing to write me a recommendation...I can accept the fact that you are only willing to verify my employment and nothing else..."

Taking that approach will probably make him less likely to write any negative comments. And the poster above is dead on about the potential harassment issues. I studied torts law and can tell you that employers have to be very careful not to write any damaging things about employees.

Wow you guys are judging without knowing the whole story.

It all started when I accepted my SA gig at a BB last year. I told my former boss to expect a background check call from the bank. Upon hearing that, the moron walked up to my face, started talking about how I am a scumbag because bankers are the biggest douchebags and talked about how obama's gonna lock us all up for stealing bailout money. You kind of have to tell him to back the fuck off in that situation when someone just randomly throw personal insults at you, considering the fact I barely even knew him. Oh and it didn't stop there. I had to endure his borderline personal insult rants till the end of that semester.

I think anyone in the right mind would stand up for himself.

Most companies will only verify employment and refuse to give a recommendation or any other comment. They are scared the ex-employee will sue for defamation of character

I agree with Marcus. Work is not the place for these discussions unless you like getting fired. Oh, and some places any discussion of salary/bonus is immediate expulsion.

First Advantage is conducting a check on me as well, but as others have pointed out, they just call to verify your employment.

Off topic question, but does First Advantage also check non-business experiences and leadership activities line-by-line? I have one activity in my resume that is rather hard to verify that I volunteered there, and another that took place in a foreign country when I was in a study abroad program. And since I volunteered there rather a long time ago, it would be awkward to call them up for verification.

What would be the best approach in this situation?

except Goldman. They check everything.

You're fine. Don't worry about this jerk. If you don't discuss politics at work than where should you. Where you going to work?