Awesome Hank
Background checks are really important for companies to run especially if they work for the government or in the health care industry, but it’s also important in a number of other fields. These checks allow companies to look at the history of possible employees. And for many it can make or break the hiring process..
Many individuals while applying may seem to be different from what they actually are. On the other hand others may openly recognize that they had problems in the past and then let the company evaluate whether they think that person would be a satisfactory employee. But at any rate background checks give employers added info about individuals applying with them.
If someone has been convicted ofembezzlement, drugs or other offenses then a background check will let employers know the problems applicants may have and the areas where it’s taken place. So an office may hire someone that was arrested for shoplifting at a young age but shops might not. A conviction doesn’t mean an automated removal, although it can. On occasion they place them in different departments so they won’t have access to something they previously had problems with.
But then again these checks aren’t everything. Sometimes companies use them as a deciding factor and they cut a lot of individuals that may have done something wrong when they were immature and foolish but they’re still paying for it. And one guilty verdict labels these individuals for the rest of their lives. And they may not get the job even though they may be the best thing for the company.
But then again some people may have a perfect background but may wreak havoc on a business. Maybe they are really good at concealing their problem. One case of this was a drug addict surgery technician. She had no record but she would steal and inject herself with painkillers and refill the used syringes with saline. Well the girl had Hepatitis C, which means she endangered thousands of patients and infected 36 patients with the disease through the used syringes.
So these patients now have Hepatitis C which is an incurable liver disease. It is a blood-borne disease that can cause serious liver problems like cirrhosis and liver cancer. And the symptoms might include fatigue, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain, and jaundice. Unfortunately, there is no cure for Hepatitis C but there are medications which can suppress the virus for a long period of time.
As this particular case displays, background checks do not get rid of a lot of problems. There are people that have a clean background that get hired and then they cause tons of problems. Then there are those that may have done a few wrong things in the past but they’ve changed their life around and they don’t get hired as a result of their conviction. Background checks are good because employers can learn more about those interviewing for a job at their company.
Basically, when it comes down to it a background check can help employers understand what a person may have done in the past but when hiring new workers recruiters and H.R. managers have to understand that from time to time they just have to go with their gut feeling. A background check can’t tell everything, so they have to weigh the positives and negatives in order to make the best decision.
This article was written and distributed by Diane Johnson. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Utah. She likes to write about the news, politics, Online Schools, Online College, and Adult Education.
Tags: background checks, Careers, HR, Jobs
Posted in Careers · April 10th, 2010 · Comments (0)
Even if you don’t like it, the fact is your name can effect how seriously you are taken in your career. If you have a distinctive or tricky name to say you may have to work twice as hard to get the same as someone with an Anglo sounding name. It appears that many people have a tough time excelling in your career and your name could be the reason you are not moving up in your company.
The University of Chicago recently published a study where they established job applicants with names that sounded African-American didn’t get equal deliberation in the hiring process. Researchers were able to find this out by submitting 5,000 fake résumés, and the résumés with names like Tyrone and Tamika were less likely to be contacted again for interviews than Anglo-sounding names. They also understood that training had little influence in the process.
One case of this is Shuki Khalili. He worked for a company for quite a few years but felt his name was holding him back. So he resigned, started his own company and shortly realized that phone sales were a bust so he tried using an American name ‘Andrew Warner’ and his sales went up significantly. By changing his name he was able to contact and engage in discussions with more clients. He now goes by Andrew Warner and runs a flourishing entrepreneurial resource site.
People throughout the U.S. including Hispanics, Asians and African Americans have found greater success when they have changed their names. Many have changed their names from Marko to Mark and so on in order to find greater success in their occupations. Alas there is some racial remaining in America but the main reason consumers don’t want to work with these people is the fear of a language barrier.
Workplace discrimination can be a problem and it can keep some people from advancing. But changing your name shouldn’t be the only resolution. By catering and twisting to fit these standards you are just making things worse. You shouldn’t have to modify your name and therefore part of your individuality to get hired or receive a promotion.
Yet people that are Anglo but have uncommon or what are termed “weird names” face the same problem. Even Caucasians miss out on promotions for the reason that they don’t have a serious name or people are uncomfortable saying it. So many have changed or shortened their name to a more common name in order to get the promotion and the higher salary.
A name can potentially excel or break your career. So all those parents that want a distinctive name just bear in mind you are branding your child for the rest of their life. By choosing a strange or foreign sounding name people will wonder if English was spoken in the home and question their capability to get along with Americans. So find names that show your background but are also somewhat conventional. Or choose a middle name that is Anglo-sounding so that your child has the choice of going by that name.
Either way parents decide to go, remember that a name really does determine the success an individual will have in their career. Anglo-sounding names allow men and women to move further up the corporate ladder. Although this isn’t right, unfortunately that’s the way things are. There are several cases in front of the courts right now in which companies are facing charges of prejudice. Hopefully everything will be resolved and individuals won’t have to change their name in order to get a job or be promoted.
About the Author Info
Diane Johnson graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Utah and enjoys writing about current events, politics, online schooling, online education, and the office.
Tags: Careers, Names, promotions, Racism, Work
Posted in Careers · February 26th, 2010 · Comments (0)