Criminal Record

By Debra Auerbach More than 92 million individuals have a criminal history on file in state criminal history repositories, according to the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics. Having a criminal past can potentially haunt someone's future, especially when it comes to seeking ...

Employers have been open about their disdain for the unemployed -- some companies even specify in ads that they will only consider candidates who already have jobs. But according to a new survey, companies would sooner hire a worker convicted of a misdemeanor than the long-term unemployed. Bullhorn, a ...

According to a 2010 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management, 73 percent of polled HR professionals said their company, or an agency hired by their company, conducted criminal background checks for all job candidates. That you may receive a background check upon applying for a job isn't noteworthy, ...

By Sam Hananel WASHINGTON -- Is an arrest in a barroom brawl 20 years ago a job disqualifier? Not necessarily, the government said Wednesday in new guidelines on how employers can avoid running afoul of laws prohibiting job discrimination. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's updated policy on ...

In the aftermath of the World Trade Center attacks, it's become commonplace for employers to rely on background checks to vet potential employees. But with allegations of employer abuses, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission now is weighing whether to limit employers' rights to use background checks to ...

By Daniel Wagner WASHINGTON -- Thousands of U.S. job hunters are losing out because employers use faulty background-check data drawn from shoddy records, consumer advocates say in a new report. Those advocates want the government to make sure people know what information prospective employers see, so that ...

If you've gotten a new job in recent years, you've probably been subjected to a criminal or credit background check. More than 90 percent of employers conduct criminal background checks on job hunters, and 60 percent do credit checks, according to a McClatchy Newpapers report. But job hunters are starting to ...

It can be fun to Google your name and discover the weird and wonderful lives of your namesakes. It's not so fun however, when your employer does it, mistakes one of them for you, and that namesake was previously arrested for credit card and bank theft. That's what happened to Renee Adams, a mother of four ...

It's challenging enough finding a job when your work history is cut-and-dried. But when your candidacy is compromised by negative situations at work or in your personal life, job search can be even more challenging. Here are some tough employment challenges that many workers face and suggestions for how to ...