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Jan 17, 2006 12:07 am US/Eastern
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Checking On Your Background Check
How A Simple Clerical Error Can Stand Between You & Your Job
by Jim Rosenfield
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
After several years of hunting for a job, Raymond Lorenzo, can't understand why employers keep rejecting him.
"I'm everywhere and I've applied to everything," Lorenzo explained.
He even got another degree to enhance his credentials and still nothing. "I had to bring it up to my school to say, 'Hey, what's going on?'"
It all became crystal clear when his school showed him the results of his background check that contained some shocking mistakes. "One is a burglary, which is a felony, criminal mischief - felony, possession of a weapon - felony," Lorenzo told us.
In fact, Lorenzo has no criminal record. Consumer advocate, Beth Givens wasn't surprised to hear about the misinformation.
"We hear from people almost daily who are having problems with their background checks," Givens said.
From errors in court records to clerical typos on credit reports, mistakes also happen, says Givens, in the screening process. "Unfortunately, there are some background check companies that will just go with a quick database search and call it a day," explained Givens.
The National Association of Professional Background Screeners says it's critical to confirm information since databases often contain mistakes.
"We physically send a researcher into those county courthouses to pull those records by hand and see if that person has a criminal record," said Jason Morris, with the Association.
Right now, there are no standards to make sure everyone's as careful and with 80 percent of companies now screening potential employees, consumer advocates warn it's more important than ever to know your rights. Under the law, employers must get your consent before screening. If you lose out on a job based on a check, you have a right to see the report and dispute it.
"You write a letter and they are, by law, required to look into it," said Givens. Lorenzo says not one of the companies he applied to gave him a chance to review his background check.
"If that was the reason why, I would have explained the situation to them and moved forward with it then," Lorenzo said.
Turns out, Lorenzo's identity was stolen and he's now working with an attorney to get his name removed from court records relating to the crimes.
If you're looking for a job, The National Association of Professional Background Screeners suggests using a screener that is part of its organization to ensure it meets the association's protocol.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)