Background Check on Myself: What You Need to Know

Cindy Ellis - September 30, 2022

Background checks are a confusing and somewhat stressful process for many people, especially if you need to trust an employer, company, or outside individual to pull your report. In these cases, you might wonder what the other person sees on your background check and have concerns about whether all of your information is correct.

To stay informed of your background check report and ensure that all of your information is up to date, you can perform a background check on yourself and double-check each item of your report.

This article will discuss why background checks are important and what you can expect to see on your background check report. We’ll also give you some ideas as to why reviewing your own background information is a great idea before telling you some key steps for starting this process.

Why Are Background Checks Important?

Background checks might be anxiety-inducing, but they are often important in verifying someone’s identity, vetting a person’s safety, and ensuring that an individual is qualified for certain jobs or opportunities. For example, employers typically use background checks to ensure a person would be a safe workplace hire, while others use background checks to know if an individual is safe to date or spend time around.

However, you should keep in mind that there are laws in place governing what you can do with the information found on a background check report. This information should never be used to harass, stalk, or plan a crime, as these are federal offenses.

What Can You Expect to See on a Background Check?

A typical background check report includes criminal and civil information, education and employment history, previous addresses, driving records, and personal identity information. Different background checks might go into more detail regarding criminal and civil information, driving records, and even credit history. Still, most general background checks will give an overview of someone’s history.

All background check information is collected from public records, so background check reports simply compile this information into one place.

Why Would You Want to Perform a Self Background Check?

Knowing someone is performing a background check on you can feel stressful, even if you don’t have anything of record in your past. So performing a background check on yourself can actually be quite helpful in knowing exactly what comes up on your report; that way, you can prepare yourself for an interview or quelch your anxiety.

To start with, when you review your own background information, you have a chance to catch any errors that might be included. This includes significant criminal or civil history errors or inaccurate reports in your education, employment, and personal history.

Additionally, ensuring you stay informed of what’s in your background check report allows you to be upfront with employers or other individuals when necessary. For example, if there is an item on your report that you know might be a cause for concern or discussion, you can get control the narrative by bringing it up with the hiring staff first. Many employers appreciate this candidness and being able to review your background check report without major surprises.

How to Perform a Background Check on Myself

When it comes to checking your own background report, there are a few methods that you can use to get an idea of your background check information.

Use Online Tools

Online tools like the ones on Information.com are a great way to get an easy-to-read report with all of the background information you need to know. You can search the databases at Information.com by inputting your name, address, or phone number; in no time, you’ll have a full background check report compiled from public information that you can review and double-check the accuracy.

Check Your Social Media

Sometimes, employers will also look at your social media accounts to verify your background information or personal history. As part of performing a background check on yourself, you can go through your social media and see what is viewable to the public. If there are items that you would prefer a potential employer, company, or another individual not to see, you can then delete them or set your profile to private.

Verify Public Records

Verifying public records manually via courthouses, town halls, and other record-keeping areas in your state is a great way to ensure that all your information is correct, up to date, and reported accurately.

To start this process, use your state’s record-keeping or courthouse website to access public criminal, civil, and identification records. Keep in mind that this process might take longer than if you perform a search with an online tool, but it can be incredibly helpful if you want to ensure that your information is reported correctly straight from the source.

Additionally, as part of verifying your public records, you may want to consult your driving report and credit reports to gain a complete picture of any information that an employer might request.

Your Background Check Rights

When it comes to background checks being run on you, there are varying laws about what individuals can do with the information they learn, what a potential employer must disclose to you, and authorization to run the check. Most states will have laws determining employment and hiring rights regarding background checks, in addition to laws requiring full consent and disclosure for an individual, employer, or company to perform a background check on you.

To know your specific background check rights, you can review this website for state-by-state information. You can also research your state’s Bureau of Identification and Department of Labor websites.

What if the Information on My Background Check Is Incorrect?

If you’ve performed a background check on yourself and unfortunately discovered that what’s listed on the report is incorrect, you are likely wondering how you can correct it. When it comes to items such as educational history or the addresses of previous employers, this might not be as urgent, but inaccurate criminal and civil records can be a serious cause for concern.

The first thing that you should do after noticing that information on your background check is incorrect is contact your state’s Bureau of Identification. You should be able to reach out with a request either through the state website or by mail to change what’s on your public records, which is where the items on your background check report are sourced.

So if these inaccuracies make you ineligible for a job, you should dispute the error directly with your prospective employer and indicate that you are taking steps to change it. However, whether or not employers acknowledge this depends on company policies, state hiring laws, and individual employment rights.

Consult with an attorney or legal professional if you believe your employment and hiring rights have been violated via an incorrect background check.

Background Checks As You Need Them

The background check process can be stressful for many, but some of this stress and anxiety can be alleviated when you perform a background check on yourself. By verifying your own information and history, you can make any necessary corrections to your record.

Additionally, by looking up your record, you know ahead of time what an employer might see when they run a background check on you. This gives you time to prepare and inform your employer or another individual of potential concerns regarding your history, something that many individuals appreciate.