Worried about employment background check

[moniqa 0]

I came here on a B2 visa and have been out of status for 5 years. I stayed at a friend's apartment and have been employed (under the table) during that time. I got married on Dec 2011 and moved to a new apartment with my husband. AOS was approved last month (many, many thanks to all the informative posts on this forum) and I have been trying to get a job since. I have been filling out application forms online where some information were asked for the purpose of a background check. I have no history of criminal offense and drug use, but I couldn't stop worrying about the other information. I would rather answer truthfully, but I was also wondering how much I should disclose in order to pass and not jeopardize my chances of getting accepted for the job.

I've been quite hesitant to put down my maiden name under the Other names section and my friend's address when asked to List all addresses where you have lived for the past 5 years. There are no traces that I have lived there. The apartment was under her name. I don't remember receiving any mail whatsoever during my stay with her. The only time I can think of when I volunteered that information was in my California ID (which had been expired for years): it had my maiden name and my friend's address. The reason why I'm asking about this is because of an experience with a cable company after moving to our new apartment. They wanted to speak with my husband for verification so they could go ahead with the installation. Since he was at work and I had no SSN then, they asked me for my previous address along with my other information. Later on, I received a call that my info did not match/yeild results. I'm afraid my background check will end up the same.

I recently went to the DMV, provided them with my SSN, and received my Instruction Permit. I was asked if I applied for an I.D./DL before, and merged the old info with my new one.

I also don't think my work history with my employers in those 5 years will show up in the background check since I was getting paid under the table. Aside from the checks I cashed from those jobs, I couldn't think of any indication that I worked for them. I wonder if this will automatically result in a background check failure? The only way they can confirm my work history is calling my previous employers.

So now I'm beginning to wonder whether or not I should still provide them with my old address and maiden name. (But then again, if my SSN is now connected with my old California ID, then I guess they're bound to find out my old info anyway). I wish to start with a clean slate, and I'm worried about those 5 years ruining my chances to obtain work opportunities and start over. At the same time, I don't want to get my previous employers in trouble.

I've been putting so much pressure on myself about getting a job (which explains the paranoia ), especially since my husband's new schedule in school will cut back his hours at work significantly.I feel bad enough as it is that I haven't been able to help with the bills, but now it's become more of an urgent matter. I guess I just wanted to know my chances in regard to the background check, so that I'll know how to approach this whole job hunting situation and target ones that don't go through that process as of now. Thank you for reading, any insight/information will be greatly appreciated

[Lornaevo 48]

If you passed the background check for your AOS then I don't see why you won't Pass one for a job.

[moniqa 0]

If you passed the background check for your AOS then I don't see why you won't Pass one for a job.

Thank you Lornaevo!

Edited August 25, 2012 by moniqa

[DandT14 272]

There are generally 2 ways an employer checks your background. One is by calling the references you provide - that's how they check your employment history. It's not easy to tell if that employment was legal or not, but your former employer might pretend they've never heard of you, since you weren't working legally. I can tell you, if I call someone's reference and they say "she never worked here" I figure something's wrong and I don't hire them. So if you think your former employer won't give you a reference, don't list them.

The other way they check is through fingerprints or a background check service. Those are looking at criminal background and you should have nothing to worry about there. They aren't too worried about if your former address appears on your credit report or whatever. It has nothing to do with your ability to work.

The problem you had with the cable company was because they weren't able to run a credit check for you. Shouldn't be a big deal with an employer at this point, you have a SSN now.

Of course none of this applies if you're applying for a job that has Homeland Security requirements. But if that's the case, then you might as well tell everything because they'll find out anyway.

[moniqa 0]

Thank you DandT14!

It's finally making sense to me now.

Edited September 2, 2012 by moniqa

[Anh map 2,098]

Remember that lying on an application is typically an airtight reason for termination that can pop up at any time during your job tenure. Is it worth the worry?

[DandT14 272]

Remember that lying on an application is typically an airtight reason for termination that can pop up at any time during your job tenure. Is it worth the worry?

That's true, at my job we always terminate if we find out someone lied on their application. By lying, I mean answering "no" to the question "have you ever been convicted of a crime" or "have you ever been terminated from employment" when the real answer is yes. Or saying you have a degree when you don't, stuff like that.

We don't treat it as lying if you only list 3 of your 15 jobs, or put the wrong dates/wage down for one of them. Some employers might have a different policy on that.

[moniqa 0]

You're right, Anh map, it's just not worth the worry. Thank you guys for the advice!