What's on Your Background Check?

Do you know what's on your background check? Are you confident there is nothing on there that would prevent you from getting a job?

A common complaint among job seekers is that they apply for a job, have a great interview and then get are rejected after believing they were a top candidate for the position.

IAmScreened.com was developed to help job seekers find out what exactly is on their background check before they even go through the interview process. Since its inception in early 2009, IAmScreened.com has found that roughly 30% of its customers have found errors or criminal records on their background checks that they weren't aware of.

One customer had been trying to find a job for over six months and couldn't understand why he wasn't having any luck. Desperate, he turned to IAmScreened.com and ordered a full background check on himself. The results were shocking, yet most helpful. He discovered that the university he attended was reporting he did not earn a degree, but only attended school there. He said, "I can't believe that all this time, my potential employers thought I was lying on my application." He contacted his university and was easily able to get his information corrected. He was employed shortly thereafter.

IAmScreened.com offers three levels of background checks so customers can get exactly what suits their needs. Everything from criminal background checks to employment verifications is offered for a reasonable cost and these are the exact same checks an employer can request. Reports are normally returned to customers in one to three working days. IAmScreened.com also offers customer support to those who have issues or questions about their background checks.

Bozeman Montana Wants Your Passwords

If you want to apply for a job working for The City of Bozeman, Montana, be prepared. You'll have to list your login information and passwords for any social network websites on which you are a member.

The job application includes a standard background check, searching for criminal history, employment & education verifications as well as driving records. It also states:

"Please list any and all, current personal or business websites, web pages or memberships on any internet-based chat rooms, social clubs or forums, to include, but not limited to: Facebook, Google, Yahoo, YouTube.com, MySpace, etc."

Bozeman City Attorney, Greg Sullivan, was quoted as saying, "...We do those types of investigations to make sure the people that we hire have the highest moral character and are a good fit for the City."

While employers are encouraged to conduct thorough background checks utilizing social networking sites to screen applicants is normally not advised. Employers can find themselves in legal liability because many sites reveal a job applicant's race, gender, religion, sexual preference and age - all items that are not legal to take into account during the hiring process.

In Article 2, Section 10 of the Montana Constitution, it says "the right of individual privacy is essential to the well-being of a free society and shall not be infringed without the showing of a compelling state interest."

Would you apply for a job with Bozeman, Montana or do you think they are limiting their number of applicants because of this issue?

Bus Driver with Criminal Record Leaves Disabled Person Stranded on Bus

Ed Wynn Rivera, a 22-year old man who suffers from cerebral palsy, was left stranded on a bus for 17 hours on New Year's Eve. Wynn is unable to speak or move on his own.

The bus driver, Walter Gibbs, is a employee of Outstanding Transport. He was only on his second day of the job when he left Rivera on the bus.

Outstanding Transport's website claims that their drivers are routinely background checked and have excellent driving records:

OTI's drivers are 19A Motor Vehicle Qualified. This means that they are randomly drug tested, fingerprinted, background checked and with no criminal background. They all have excellent driving records and must maintain them. OTI holds weekly safety/ training classes on site and requires every driver to attend these regularly.

That being said, Gibbs has been arrested 28 times. Charges he's faced have included forgery, grand larceny and drug crimes as well as having had his driver's license suspended 12 times in the past 12 years.

The owner of Outstanding Transport, Charlie Curcio, is refusing to comment.

Police sources stated that Gibbs will most likely not face charges for leaving Rivera on the bus. They have arrested the bus matron, Linda Hockaday and arraigned her on charges of reckless endangerment. She claimed that she was late for a music event at her church and assumed Gibbs would take Rivera home. Gibbs claimed that checking the bus for any passengers left on it was not part of his responsibility.

With all the blame going around, Rivera is currently being treated for hypothermia. Temperatures dropped to 15 degrees during his time in the bus. He is expected to make a full recovery much to his family's relief.

Whether or not you feel the bus driver shares any responsibility of this incident, the fact is that he clearly was not background checked properly. Making claims, but not following through can put people in jeopardy, especially for a company who busses the disabled and children.