Why is it helpful for me to see what’s in my background check?

There are several reasons why it’s important to find out what’s likely to come up in your background check:

Background checks often contain mistakes—such as incomplete, incorrect, or forbidden information. It’s important to find and correct any errors BEFORE the information shows up in a background check and causes you problems.

You will know what other people are likely to see about you, in case your criminal history comes up on an application for employment, professional licensing, housing, or a loan, or in any other situation. To learn more about what information employers and licensing agencies CAN and CAN’T consider, see the EMPLOYMENT CHAPTER (PG. 557). For more information about what landlords and housing authorities can consider, see the HOUSING CHAPTER (PG. 332).

You will be better prepared to answer questions about your criminal history during job interviews, on job and housing applications, and in other situations. For more information about what employers CAN and CAN’T ask you about or see in your record, see the EMPLOYMENT CHAPTER, (PG. 557).

You can protect your rights and maximize your chances of success! Remember, there are laws that protect your rights when someone runs a background check on you. But you need to know what information will show up in your background check in order to protect those rights!

REMEMBER, cleaning up your criminal record will reduce the information that most people can see about you when they run a background check!

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