information does typically appear on a complete background check. Also, employers cannot request medical records and are not allowed to make hiring decisions based on an applicant’s disability. They may only inquire about your ability to perform a certain job. So, What Are Your Next Steps? The best way to prepare for a background check is to be proactively aware of any potentially damaging information that an employer might find. Consider using a reputable third party to obtain an exhaustive background check on yourself. For example, the report generated by background and reference-checking experts Allison & Taylor Reference Checking evaluates over 30 different categories in your background history. If you find false data about yourself in your background check, there is a written process for having such data removed. Contact the nearest Consumer Reporting Agency for details of this process. Equally important, ensure that your resume and job applications are truthful and accurate. Even if you land the job with a falsified resume, it’s not worth it being uncovered at some later point and ruining your employment history. Know that if you are ultimately not hired as the result of information contained within a background check report, the employer must offer you a disclosure that includes a copy of both your report and your rights. They must also serve you notice that they have decided not to hire you and inform you of the name and location of the nearest Consumer Reporting Agency, as well as information on how to proceed in disputing the report (should you choose to do so). In summary, it pays to conduct your own due diligence in accessing and potentially acting upon the same data that an employer accesses about you. The career you save may be your own. CHAPTER 29 Five Rules to Make Your Professional Employment Reference an Asset It makes good business sense - and respectful professional etiquette - to stay in touch with your former bosses, as your efforts to stay connected with past employers could pay dividends many times over when they provide you with favorable professional references. Given the ongoing upheaval in the nation’s job market, this timely advice comes from Heidi Allison, Managing Director of Allison & Taylor Reference Checking, the nation’s oldest professional reference checking firm. “If you were planning to hire someone and his or her former boss did not return your call looking for a professional reference, what message would that convey? In today’s highly competitive job market, people pay so much attention to their resumes and interview skills but, unfortunately, many fail to nurture their professional references that can make or break a successful job search.” To enhance the chances of always landing the next job one wants, Allison suggests job seekers of all professional backgrounds follow these “Golden Rules of Job Reference Etiquette”: 1. Call your former bosses and ask them if they are willing to provide favorable job references on your behalf. As an additional courtesy, offer them an update on your career. 2. Let your references know each and every time you give out their contact information and thank them for their efforts. 3. Keep your positive references informed of your career and educational progress. They will be more inclined to see you in a stronger light as you progress. 4. Note that spending time communicating with your prospective employer takes valuable time from your references’ workdays. If you plan to use these positive references over the years, you need to give something back. For instance, each time your reference supports you with a new prospective employer, send them a personal thank-you letter or (at a minimum) an email. Better still, send a thank-you note with a gift card for Starbucks, or offer to take your former boss to lunch/dinner. 5. If you win the new position, call or email your former boss and thank them again for their support. Also, let them
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