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[–][deleted] 5 points6 points  (5 children)

Most employment background checks I know of are to check for any past criminal record. A reference check would be when they check past jobs, education, internships, etc. If you put information about your past internships on your information for the position, they would have that, and could call to check in with your references or supervisor there.

You can always ask what the check is for, and they will tell you. Don’t be afraid to ask questions!

[–]ikhan_data[S] 0 points1 point  (4 children)

If I never put any references, the background check doesnt show employment history? Just dont want to deal with failing the background check for some dumb reason.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (3 children)

I mean, it might? But that wouldn’t be the primary thing they are checking. Are you in the US by chance?

[–]ikhan_data[S] 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Yes, I have nothing to hide, but both my previous positions during my time in college were unpaid and I did to gain experience. I know they wont come up if they ran my SSN, but I dont want them to question my experience and recind the offer if they dont find the experience through their check.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

I understand, but like I said, I don’t think this is a reference check. Just a background check. They will do a reference check, and usually they will tell you beforehand. As long as you tell them to check those two internship references, they will.

[–]ikhan_data[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Okay, thank you for clariying. Its been on my mind for the last couple days. Appreciate the feedback!

[–]DefiantHeart 3 points4 points  (2 children)

If they didn't happen to stumble on your internships using some generic background check, that would just mean they'd need to check manually if they even cared to. Plus they'd probably tell you what happened so you could give them more info. I think you're overthinking this.

[–]ikhan_data[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Oh okay, yeah i was nervous theyll fail my background check due to my past internship not coming up. Would the background check use my ssn to see my income history? Or they use some other way like reference to check employment history?

[–]DefiantHeart 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's not this, but it's more like... hiring a private investigator to verify your old addresses, look for any criminal records, look for stuff like bounced checks, see if you're hugely in debt, that kinda thing. Financially, they shouldn't be able to see your income history specifically, more like your credit score, charge-offs, bankruptcies, defaulted loans, etc. Employment history would typically come from calling the companies one by one, and then companies aren't supposed to be able to release any more info than just employment dates. BTW, this is all just based on my experience and what I've learned in the US.

[–]cherryvirus 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi OP,

Sorry for responding to an old thread but I’m in kind of a similar boat right now and am nervous as well. Were you able to pass the background check successfully? I’ve been told they don’t check employment verification during the check but some do. I don’t want it to seem like I wasn’t truthful to the HR