Dating Background Checks: May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor

Technology has an unlimited capacity to promote connection, both professional and personal. Nowadays, people can network with business associates or drop sentiments of appreciation and affection with a single click or tap.

However, technology also allows the unscrupulous to take advantage of others, particularly in the dating world. With apps like Tinder on the market, singletons can peruse the dating pool without having to present themselves for a physical read. They can post photos on their profiles from years past that shed a more favorable light on their appearance and message prospective matches pretending to be anyone they want, weaving an elaborate web that creates an emotional attraction so the recipient might bypass deal-breaking red flags on a first date, ultimately redefining the power of a first impression.

Because modern dating culture has evolved to allow others to hide behind a screen, the concept of running a background check on a potential mate does not seem as invasive as it might have five or ten years ago. Luckily, several databases exist that help wary daters find peace of mind.

Professional Background Check

The easiest way for an individual to get a comprehensive look at another is to hire a background check company to investigate a prospective partner’s criminal, professional, and educational history, because people are willing to hide a lot more than convictions. Just as one might exaggerate qualifications on a resume in order to gain employment, a date (especially a first date) might feel inclined to embellish details about his or her background or fabricate them altogether.

Criminal Databases

Criminal records are free to the public, and 46 states have electronic databases that pull up on national searches. Checking the national sex offender registry is always a good idea when running a criminal search as well.

Social Media/Internet

A simple Google search or a perusal of one’s social media accounts also elucidates information that he or she may not even know is out there. Running these checks on yourself is never a bad idea either, considering you might come across inaccurate or misleading information that you would like to remove from the web.

Remember, you cannot run a credit check on another person without written consent, according to FCRA guidelines.

While it would be nice to be able to make a personal connection with someone and not worry about the lengths to which he or she may go to alter or cover up past behavior, the way we date doesn’t afford us as much transparency as we would like. With all of the free information out there, prioritizing your safety and emotional well-being is never a bad choice.

The Hangover: How Drug & Alcohol Abuse Affects the Workplace

Criminal background checks and drug screenings are fairly standard with a new employment, but how often is drug use actually bleeding into an employee’s performance? The presence of drugs and alcohol in the workplace doesn’t seem to be as big of a problem on work premises as it does on the cost to an employer when an employee shows up already impaired or recovering from a night of heavy use. Drugs (both illegal and prescription) and alcohol take the hardest toll in the following categories:

Employee Productivity

Employees who show up to work after a night of heavy drinking and/or drug use are more likely to make mistakes, which takes time and money away from their employers, especially if employees show up late to work. A clear-headed individual can get a job done a lot more efficiently than someone who mental and physical faculties are dragging.

Workplace Morale

Happy employees generally produce better results. In contrast, an employee who is in a bad mood because he or she is affected by a hangover could infect the general demeanor of the entire workplace, creating a negative ripple effect into the productivity of employees who came to work well-rested and prepared to do their jobs.

General Safety

When employees are impaired, they may neglect safety protocols, and even small omissions could lead to major accidents.

Drug & Alcohol Use in the Workplace

Anyone who has experienced a hangover knows that a little “hair of the dog” can alleviate the physical pain of withdrawing from substance abuse. When employees show up to work impaired, whether they are recovering from a wild night or are under the influence on work premises, they are more likely to participate in drinking and/or drug use while they are still on the clock. A coworker with a bottle of booze stashed in a desk drawer for such an occasion is much more common that one might expect.

Most companies have a drug and alcohol use policy to avoid the aforementioned situations, but anyone who chooses to get loaded is susceptible to compromised performance, not just individuals who suffer from addiction or habitual substance abuse. Employment drug and alcohol screenings simply help reduce the presence of the latter in the workplace.

Everybody Lies: How Resume Fabrications Bleed into Society

With lying on resumes and job applications increasing with the job market (56% of employers polled in a CreerBuilder survey reported finding some sort of fabrication on applicants’ resumes), one wonders why the general population is so apt to lie and marvels at the impact these falsehoods have on society.

According to Psychology Today, people lie for a variety of reasons, but the root of fabrication seems to come from a lack of self-confidence and a fear of rejection. Job seekers embellish their resumes because they do not feel that their qualifications can stack up against the competition.

These embellishments range from misrepresenting job responsibilities to inventing titles and/or employers altogether. Creating such untruths is a bold move considering employers can verify every detail on a resume by conducting a pre-employment background screening, which involves a thorough check of professional and educational references. With third-party background check companies in place, this process is inexpensive and efficient.

While an employer can expose the liars in the workforce with a little due diligence, these lies extend beyond the paper on which a resume is written. If someone is willing to fabricate his or her history in order to acquire employment (especially when that information can be verified within minutes), he or she probably doesn’t have a problem perpetuating self-falsehoods outside of the workplace.

The lies we tell create an alternate reality that is more favorable to the people we’d like to be, and asking someone else to accept that reality, whether an employer or personal acquaintance, is manipulative and destructive. Being exactly who you say you are, even if you may not be the ideal candidate for a position, requires less work and projects personal integrity into your interactions with others. In contrast, embroidering your qualifications will eventually have an unraveling effect that can cause permanent damage to your personal and professional reputation. Job skills and experience can be built much easier than trust can be repaired.