Background Checking the Person You Know the Most

Have you ever considered hiring somebody to conduct a background check on yourself? Don’t laugh, but I did. My friends thought that I was being silly. One even thought that I was narcissistic.

That silly thought turned out to be a stroke of genius for a former officemate of mine. Just about a year ago, Peter sent out resumes to four companies. His credentials were impressive. However, we were both surprised that none of the companies ever called him even for an initial interview.

I chanced upon one of the managers of the company where my friend applied. I asked him why Peter was rejected. He told me that Peter didn’t actually work for one of the companies that he claimed to be employed in for 2 years. I told Peter about it and he was shocked. I floated the idea that maybe he should ask somebody to conduct a background check on himself to see if every information about him is true and complete.

The one who investigated him also got a similar result. Puzzled and furious, he went back to that former company of his and asked why it was denying the fact that he had worked there for 2 years. It turned out that the omission was inadvertent and was just the result of an outdated database.

So, do you still think that a background check on oneself is silly?