Employment Background Check

Hello, I recently got an offer from a BB in Risk Mgmt. I have worked for this BB and same boss 2 years ago. They are doing a background check currently and I need to know if they will check for my real GPA. I have a 3.0 but I put 3.6. I did the same thing when I applied before and no HR ever called me to explain the discrepancy. Just wanna know if they will only confirm my degree status or check my GPA as well.
Thank you.

What is a Background Check?

Background checks are the process of looking up and compiling criminal records, commercial records, and financial records for an individual. Typically, firms will do a background check during the final round of interviewing or after an offer has been given.

What is Reviewed During a Background Check?

Background checks vary firm to firm but a general overview of what is to be checked are:

  • Academic dates: School attended, degrees, awards
  • Employment history: Dates employed, position, companies
  • Criminal background: any arrests, misdemeanors, felonies, DUI
  • Credit checks

Many students worry about background checks, if they lied regarding their GPA or academic history and user @TraderJoe1976" makes an excellent point regarding this:

TraderJoe1976:
The university cannot release GPA and transcript without your written consent. They cannot release salary information or performance information without your consent.

However, when signing offers you often have to agree to letting these kind of checks happen in order to start employement with the firm.

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They might. They might not.

No one on here knows for sure. They could be more likely to look at your transcript now that you've graduated (assuming that this job is full-time, as opposed to the previous two), so you might be screwed. But you had to expect that possibility applying with a fake GPA.

 

Actually, they do not check the GPA during the background check. The following checks are done: Academic: Dates attended, degrees awarded Employment History: Dates employed, position Criminal Background check: Any arrest record, incarceration record, for sensitive jobs they may require a FBI fingerprint check which takes four weeks to get the results and shows ALL arrests anywhere in the USA. Even DUI shows up on FBI record. Court Record; Any civil suits Credit check However, you will have to leave this company after a few years experience and go to another company. For senior level promotions, something like fudging GPA 8 years ago suddenly becomes very sensitive and results in the person being fired. There are many cases where senior people have been fired when they came up for promotion and a routine background check done as part of the promotion procedure shows that they had been recently arrested for something like DUI, spouse abuse, assault, etc. If they had not come up for promotion no one would have ever been aware of their arrest record.

 
TraderJoe1976:
Actually, they do not check the GPA during the background check. The following checks are done: Academic: Dates attended, degrees awarded Employment History: Dates employed, position Criminal Background check: Any arrest record, incarceration record, for sensitive jobs they may require a FBI fingerprint check which takes four weeks to get the results and shows ALL arrests anywhere in the USA. Even DUI shows up on FBI record. Court Record; Any civil suits Credit check However, you will have to leave this company after a few years experience and go to another company. For senior level promotions, something like fudging GPA 8 years ago suddenly becomes very sensitive and results in the person being fired. There are many cases where senior people have been fired when they came up for promotion and a routine background check done as part of the promotion procedure shows that they had been recently arrested for something like DUI, spouse abuse, assault, etc. If they had not come up for promotion no one would have ever been aware of their arrest record.

In regards to academic history, do employers verify only the information you provided them with (which universities you said you've attended) or will the background check return a list of every educational institution you've attended, even if it never played a role in the completion of your degree?

 
Best Response

For academic history, they only verify the information which you provide on your resume. The university has a legal obligation to provide name, SSN, date of birth, dates attended, degrees awarded. They make this information (not SNN and date of birth - that is only for identification purposes) available online. The university cannot release GPA and transcript without your written consent. For employment, only dates employed and position are verified. They cannot release salary information or performance information without your consent. Results in lawsuits. I should add that arrests for pot possession and engaging the services of a hooker also show up on the background check and can create a lot of probems. The only way to get those arrests off your record is through a Governor' pardon which costs a hell of a lot of money.

 
TraderJoe1976:
For academic history, they only verify the information which you provide on your resume. The university has a legal obligation to provide name, SSN, date of birth, dates attended, degrees awarded. They make this information (not SNN and date of birth - that is only for identification purposes) available online. The university cannot release GPA and transcript without your written consent. For employment, only dates employed and position are verified. They cannot release salary information or performance information without your consent. Results in lawsuits. I should add that arrests for pot possession and engaging the services of a hooker also show up on the background check and can create a lot of probems. The only way to get those arrests off your record is through a Governor' pardon which costs a hell of a lot of money.

+1

Thanks. I was always curious how background checks worked. I didn't know if they had access to your entire academic/employment history or if they just look into and verify the information that you provide them with.

 
TraderJoe1976:
For academic history, they only verify the information which you provide on your resume. The university has a legal obligation to provide name, SSN, date of birth, dates attended, degrees awarded. They make this information (not SNN and date of birth - that is only for identification purposes) available online. The university cannot release GPA and transcript without your written consent.

Many universities ask background companies to contact http://www.studentclearinghouse.org/ to verify an individual's degree and enrollment these days. But if you withhold your information from the university directory under FERPA, your information cannot be verified through NSC. Most likely your employer will simply ask you to submit your diploma/transcript.

 
TraderJoe1976:
For academic history, they only verify the information which you provide on your resume. The university has a legal obligation to provide name, SSN, date of birth, dates attended, degrees awarded. They make this information (not SNN and date of birth - that is only for identification purposes) available online. The university cannot release GPA and transcript without your written consent. For employment, only dates employed and position are verified. They cannot release salary information or performance information without your consent. Results in lawsuits. I should add that arrests for pot possession and engaging the services of a hooker also show up on the background check and can create a lot of probems. The only way to get those arrests off your record is through a Governor' pardon which costs a hell of a lot of money.
Yes, it is correct that you must give your written consent for the employer to obtain a lot of this sensitive information. Generally -- you are required to give your written consent in order to obtain a new job. So -- feel free to tell your employer to pound sand when they ask for your consent to a background check -- let the rest of us know how that goes.
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I don't see how you can sleep at night with that huge of a discrepancy on your resume. Unethical..thats borderline just wrong.

 
eyelikecheese:
I don't see how you can sleep at night with that huge of a discrepancy on your resume. Unethical..thats borderline just wrong.

You'd be surprised what some people do and get away with.

Chances are the IB Analyst sitting next to you is the same guy who cheated on the Econometrics midterm because he was too busy getting trashed the night before.

In the end, it all comes down to now how much you know, but how much you can SHOW you know. That's why BS'ers fare so well in interviews. In this case, the guy knew what he was doing was wrong, butt bit the bullet and went through with it. He didn't get caught, so he's lucky. If he gets caught now, he deserved it.

But yea that's life.

 

I hear ya, they thing with background checks is that they can uncover the "typo" at any time. I know there was a post on here a while back about a guy who had been working for a few weeks/months and was called into HR and let go on the spot. He didn't even have time to explain to his MD or anything .

To the Op, I would be worried each day I walk into work that today will be the day that HR discovers the truth...If they don't, consider yourself one lucky dude

 

You must have nerves of steel to apply for jobs by changing your GPA from 3.0 to 3.6 and actually getting through the job interviews in a calm manner. I hope that you continue to follow through on this endeavor and successfully get this job and keep the job for three years. Then you can apply for other jobs with your 3.0 GPA or apply for MBA programs with your 3.0 GPA. Keep it up and Best of Luck. We surely need more people like you. I have no doubt that you will be successful in life. Don't chicken out now. There are a lot of people like you who partied way too much in college. You will give them all hope that they too can get good jobs and be successful in life.

 

Actually, if I remember correctly. When I was going through the process, some potential employers asked me to bring unofficial copy of transcript. Forgot if this was for internship, I believe it was for at least a few on site interviews after handing in my consent forms. Also had to do a drug test after getting the offer. I thought this was kind of standard. Not sure who your employer is, but I also concur on the ballsy part.

In a way, I kinda feel bad for the OP. He/she'll always sit on nails for a few years. Potentially awaiting a possible discovery. Having to consistently hide this information in case someone who he/she pissed finds out and lets HR know. Personally not worth it.

The difference between OP and the guy who cheated his way to an in Econometrics. One straight up lied the other did what many college kids do, partly work, partly hustle. In no way am I saying either is right or better. But the stage is different.

----------------------------------------------------------------- Hug It Out
 

Compulsory schooling is absolutely nonsense and is one of the biggest jokes in modern day america. Who cares if someone cheated on an economics test?? I agree with the above poster that it everyone comes face-to-face with the dilemma of cheating, especially in college. College is the biggest joke anyway. There is hustling and outwitting others to get by, and then there is flat out lying...

 

the same thing is happening to me.. it says 3.75 instead of 3.57.. and im kicking myself everyday about it. my only hope is to try and make it look like a typo.. its for an unpaid internship.. but theyre still doing a background check! its going to be tough if you're planning on staying in BB in any case.

 

I know it has been somewhat covered but is it true that the employer has no access to salary information from a credit check alone? Will it show what dates you were on the payroll? How much can they obtain this way?

 
cheese86:
I know it has been somewhat covered but is it true that the employer has no access to salary information from a credit check alone? Will it show what dates you were on the payroll? How much can they obtain this way?
Income isn't part of your credit score/profile.
If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses - Henry Ford
 
sony:
Hello, I recently got an offer from a BB in Risk Mgmt. I have worked for this BB and same boss 2 years ago. They are doing a background check currently and I need to know if they will check for my real GPA. I have a 3.0 but I put 3.6. I did the same thing when I applied before and no HR ever called me to explain the discrepancy. Just wanna know if they will only confirm my degree status or check my GPA as well. Thank you.
Did you sign anything authorizing them access to your transcipts? B/c otherwise, legally, they have NO WAY of obtaining your grades. Federal law prohibits schools from giving that info out unless u sign a waiver-all the university can disclose is basically, "Yes, Otis attended from 2007-2011."
"Did you know that Whitney Houston's debut LP, titled simply Whitney Houston, had four number one singles on it?"
 
computerized:
You guys mention HR verifies employment history, but what about extracurriculars around school?
Not sure about that-depends on how big of a deal it is. If you were just like a member of the Science Club or something, I doubt they'd take the time to verify. However, if you spent a 4 summers in Africa or something physically building homes for charity, they might check in on that.
"Did you know that Whitney Houston's debut LP, titled simply Whitney Houston, had four number one singles on it?"
 

Question for everyone. There are background check forms in which they ask you to fill out all work experience including paid and unpaid experience. Do they just verify what you disclose on this, or do they actually go back to your resume and verify all of that?

After my freshman year I had a political internship which didn't exactly help me so I just left this off my resume and replaced it with a small internship with a company that a family friend runs, except I never actually had the second internship. Obviously it's fine to leave off something on your resume that doesn't help you like the political internship, but it's the second one I'm worried about. I've helped the family friend out in work capacity from time to time but no formal internship. It basically said that I learned excel/macros/data projections during the internship, which I really do know how to do. So should I just leave this off the background check and say that maybe I forgot to include it? Or put it on and the'll most likely reach out to him and he'll vouch for me? it wasn't paid and wouldn't have been paid anyway.

 

It's definitely that time of year...

Call HR, send them an updated copy of your resume and let them know about the mistake. You'll be fine.

"For all the tribulations in our lives, for all the troubles that remain in the world, the decline of violence is an accomplishment we can savor, and an impetus to cherish the forces of civilization and enlightenment that made it possible."
 
NorthSider:
It's definitely that time of year...

Call HR, send them an updated copy of your resume and let them know about the mistake. You'll be fine.

Thanks for the reply. I know you guys are probably a bit jaded having seen a ton of these (there's 2 or 3 in the sidebar right now lol), but I'm over here crapping my pants :/ Good to hear that I'm in the clear though.

One last question though (sorry, but I really need the reassurance!). So the fact that it is one of only two internships I have done (i.e. a major-ish element on my resume) doesn't make my error too huge a deal?

 
iRX:
ignore it. no one gives a...

Disregard this. Getting your employment dates wrong is material, and will show up even on their standard third party background check (dates of employment are one of the few questions they ask). Just bring it to HR's attention and you will be fine.

"For all the tribulations in our lives, for all the troubles that remain in the world, the decline of violence is an accomplishment we can savor, and an impetus to cherish the forces of civilization and enlightenment that made it possible."
 

Again, zero fucks will be given. Don't call HR / your bankers or whatever, play dumb and explain what happened if it comes up.

HR loves making a big deal out of shit when given an excuse and your team now nor ever has given two fucks about it to begin with. Keep your mouth shut, adress it if it comes up, hit F9 and your done.

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Stringer Bell:
Again, zero ... will be given. Don't call HR / your bankers or whatever, play dumb and explain what happened if it comes up.

HR loves making a big deal out of shit when given an excuse and your team now nor ever has given two fucks about it to begin with. Keep your mouth shut, adress it if it comes up, hit F9 and your done.

This is another perspective, up to the OP to decide. It's not material, so there is no reason to believe that anyone would freak out. But I can't understand how waiting for the third party background check to find the error (and they almost certainly will) would improve your situation.

"For all the tribulations in our lives, for all the troubles that remain in the world, the decline of violence is an accomplishment we can savor, and an impetus to cherish the forces of civilization and enlightenment that made it possible."
 

Typos happen, no matter how many times you read what you've written. I don't think it's a problem, as long as you tell HR about it now that you've noticed the error. Nothing bad will happen, don't worry about it. Call them and explain why you're sending an updated resume. Good luck with your application process.

 

Went ahead and called HR. They seemed to take it completely fine, and asked me to send over the updated resume so that they could forward it the background check company. Obviously, I can't tell if they were secretly suspicious about the issue, seeing as we were talking on the phone, but so far nothing has come up. So thanks Northsider and others; definitely feels like a weight off my chest having told them myself and pre-empted the background check. I'll update when there's finality (if I end up starting the internship I guess we can say this whole thing didn't matter :)

 
npat92:
Went ahead and called HR. They seemed to take it completely fine, and asked me to send over the updated resume so that they could forward it the background check company. Obviously, I can't tell if they were secretly suspicious about the issue, seeing as we were talking on the phone, but so far nothing has come up. So thanks Northsider and others; definitely feels like a weight off my chest having told them myself and pre-empted the background check. I'll update when there's finality (if I end up starting the internship I guess we can say this whole thing didn't matter :)

Like I said, I doubt that anything will come of it. Now that the background check has the latest, everything will come out clear and you'll be good to start. Let us know if there are any updates!

"For all the tribulations in our lives, for all the troubles that remain in the world, the decline of violence is an accomplishment we can savor, and an impetus to cherish the forces of civilization and enlightenment that made it possible."
 
TheMilkman:
Out of curiosity, how did you address it when you spoke with them?

I called up and said "Hi Jane [my HR contact], I just wanted to inform you of something. While I was filling in the forms for the background check, I realized that for my internship at XXX, I made a typo on the resume I sent you guys. Basically, I've put the wrong date down, it should be Summer '11 instead of Summer '12. Apologies for the error"

She replied "it's fine, I'll notify the background check people, send me an updated resume", then she went and asked me about some other stuff related to the internship (which I guess means it went over fine). Hope this helps!

 

I know this has been resolved - but as some perspective: I got caught with a typo like this in an interview once. The interviewer didn't care really. They just crossed out my year on their copy and re-wrote the right year. Complete non-issue if it is a true mistake. Unless it is a drastic mistake (not 1 year difference), people are hiring you for WHAT you have done, not WHEN you did it. If it's a one year difference - I doubt they will care too much.

 

Highly unlikely this will be an issue. Even if your GPA isn't a 3.2 at the end of the semester. Its not a big enough difference to cause a flag to go up. Can very easily be dismissed as being mistaken, typo or any number of other things. At the end of the day the disparity between your real GPA and what you entered in your app isn't enough to be a deal breaker.

 

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