Even if you're certain that it's going to come back clean, a background check can still be a very intimidating process. Unfortunately, there are a lot of myths and misconceptions surrounding a background check that you need to know. The next time you sign the paperwork to allow a potential employer to delve into your past, make sure you remember that these myths are all flat-out wrong.

Myth #1: Employers use a background check as an excuse not to hire someone Some job seekers might think that a background check serves as a convenient excuse if an employer doesn't want to hire someone. But employers have to pay for each background check they conduct. If the hiring process is to the point that this check is being conducted, it means the employer is interested in the person, and they just want to make sure the applicant really is who they say they are. 

Myth #2: You'll never know the results of your screening If someone has been struggling to find a job for a while, they may start to believe there's something bad that's showing up on their background check. But if there is an issue, employers are required by law to divulge the results of a test to the applicant. You can't be denied a job because of a background check and not informed why. What happens if your check is incorrect though? It's not an incredibly common occurrence, but an incorrect listing does show up sometimes. This happens most often if you have a common name, and another person's problem is showing up in your report. If something is incorrect though, you do have the chance to rectify the problem and prove your innocence.

Myth #3: Thanks to the Internet and social media, background checks are unnecessary

It's true that there's a lot of information available about people online, and that many people put their entire lives out in the open on social media. But those mediums don't tell the whole story about someone. A background check can find information that other searches simply couldn't, like criminal and legal information, credential information, reference information and more. And of course, people can represent their lives any way they want on social media. No matter how "good" someone is at searching online, they'll never turn up the same information that a solid background check would.

For more information about background checks, contact Fingerprinting Pros or a similar company.