With seasonal hiring already underway, is it possible for a person with a questionable past to clean it up so a prospective employer won’t find out about it? Well, yes and no. Anyone can do a background on him/herself to see what’s there and make sure it’s accurate. If it is accurate, there’s not much anyone can do to hide it so a prospective employer won’t uncover it.
Knowing what a background check will turn up, however, will at least give a job seeker a chance to prepare a thoughtful response. The worst thing anyone can do is lie on a job application or resume – because more often than not the lie will be discovered and the chance for a great holiday job may disappear! Nor does it make sense to try and lie your way out of a past transgression during a job interview.
The best course of action is, first, always to be honest on job applications and resumes. Second, do a background check on yourself and see what’s there. If, for example, if you were convicted of shoplifting three or four years ago, it’s important not only to know about it, but also to be ready to tell a prospective employer honestly what happened and, most importantly, what lessons were learned as a result of the experience! In other words, take a negative and make a positive out of it.