Verifying Resumes is Big Business

By MARIA ZATE Scripps Howard News Service

Ever been tempted to stretch the truth on a resume?

Think again. More companies than ever are doing background checks.

Don't be surprised if you're asked to consent to a background check next time you seek a job.

"Just a few years ago, fewer than 5 percent of companies did any type of checking," says Jeanine Husted, a principal at Partners in Human Resources and Safety, a consulting firm in Camarillo, Calif. "Today, more than 50 percent of employers do background checks."

Companies that specialize in background checks use many sources to get information on applicants. They call previous employers, verify educational information, run criminal conviction and civil case searches, and even check credit histories.

Is this research an invasion of a job applicant's privacy?

Not at all, says Laura Russell, owner of IMI Data Search, a Thousand Oaks, Calif., company specializing in background research.

"The job applicants have to sign a consent form authorizing the background check," she says. "But criminal records are public information. And when we call an applicant's prior employer, we don't ask personal questions."

Since its founding in 1988, IMI has completed more than 800,000 background checks for employers, charging from $10 to $50 for a rundown on an individual. Its current clients include 1,000 companies across the nation, such as Amgen, AMR, Southern California Edison and Hyatt Hotels.

If negative information prevents a person from being hired, that applicant is allowed to review all of the research materials to dispute any facts. But Russell said that in her 12 years of doing business, "only a handful of people have disputed the information found on them."

Honesty is the best policy when it comes to your job application or resume, she said.