Authenticating Your Background Before You Apply

Christine Robinson

Employers have hundreds, if not thousands of applicants applying for fewer and fewer jobs. How do you make your application standout? SecurTest’s Applicant-Self Check Program allows you to authenticate your criminal history and background before you apply. Now, you give prospective employers your Certified Background Report when you apply or at the first interview. The exclusive iReviewNow System patented by SecurTest allows you to “accuratize” your information and explain any potentially damaging information.

Joe had been looking for a job for months. He landed several promising interviews. Told he was the top candidate, he waited by the phone. The only thing left was for the employer to do a background check. Joe knew he had the job in the bag, as he had never been convicted of crime, much less a traffic ticket. Yet, he got no callbacks and when he called the employers, they would only say the position had been filled. Joe turned to SecurTest (www.securtest.com) and its CEO, Steve Millwee. Millwee is one of the leading experts on applicant screening and frequently testifies as an expert witnesses in court. Joe used SecurTest’s Applicant Self Check Program to have his own background vetted. He was shocked to learn that a person with an identical name, year and month of birth, was a registered sex offender and a violent convicted felon. The ex-con lived in the same city as Joe. SecurTest checked Joe’s former employers for references to only fine that the last two employers would not even confirm his employment fearing lawsuits for defamation. Joe’s anger melted when he learned that Millwee was the inventor of iReviewNow, a patent pending system, allows applicants to make sure their background reports are accurate, but explain any potentially damaging information.

“My first report made me look like some sexual predator that was caught on Date Line”, Joe said. After he completed the iReviewNow Process and used SecurTest’s exclusive SecurVerify system for validating references, Joe’s certified report showed no criminal record, explained the potential misinformation that was not Joe’s history, and got full confirmation and positive references from his past employers. “I landed one of the job’s that had failed to call me back. The HR manager said that they thought I was an ex-con.” Joe could have sued the employer for violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), as the company had failed to send him a copy of his background report. He chose the job over a lawsuit. “Without SecurTest and their Self-Check program, I would still be wondering what was keeping me from getting a job,” according to Joe.

Mary had a different story, far different from Joe. She knew she had a less than perfect past. She had been convicted of writing bad checks six years ago. She used iReviewNow to get in front of her past. “SecurTest allowed me to explain my record and then explain what I had done to improve myself. Their report highlighted positive reasons that I should be considered for the job, using the American With Disabilities Act, EEO guidelines, and other incentives to show employers that I was the new and improved Mary,” she said. Recommended to show her certified report, even with the past convictions, at the first interview, Mary had many reservations. “No one was ever going to give me a second chance,” she explained. “I was shocked and surprised when I got two job offers in as many weeks. Both HR managers appreciated my honesty and doing my background check for them.”

The creator of iReviewNow, Steve Millwee, gave three reasons for the problems applicants have with background reports. “First, some employers are unaware of the FCRA and do not give the background report to applicants as the law requires. Even those that do mail a copy of the report, a week or two has gone by along with the job, as it has been filled by someone that had no adverse information. Second, background reports are not perfect. Many courts are restricting the release of dates of birth and social security numbers, leaving background-screening companies to match a criminal record by name. Databases are less than perfect and in the end, the applicant is treated as an outsider. Third, applicants need to be proactive into today’s economy by having their background investigated and Accuratized before applying for a job. The result is they see the report, get rid of information that is not their record, and work with our team to explain any potentially negative information. Employers are not looking for perfection, but they are looking for honesty.”

For more information go to http://www.securtest.com/getstarted.htm or call (800) 445-8001.

http://www.securtest.com/whyselfcheck.com