Interesting Job Advertisement

[precisonline]

I got this job ad in my inbox today and I have to admit, I'm still laughing at it...

In a Team Member, we are looking for an individual who is:

...several other attributes listed here... then
* Honest (a background check is required)


Hmmm, so you want an honest person but you won't trust that they're honest until you've had a required background check?  I know, I know... in today's business environment a background check is SOP but I'm not entirely certain that asking for honesty by virtue of a background check is sending the right message!  What do you think?

[Tom Pellitieri]

Well... ***technically*** one could be honest and fail a background check... 

"Yes, officer, I wasn't paying attention and ran that red light." 

"No, I didn't realize that my ex could accuse me of kidnapping our child when it wasn't my visitation day."

It's also possible for a dishonest person to pass a background check if they've never been caught...

Naturally, these are absurd examples, but considering I pay for my own background checks each year and get a piece of paper that effectively says "This page is intentionally left blank", I find background checks to be absurd in general. 

The only thing a background check gives is a history of what has already happened.  Technically, it's a document that's out of date the moment it's generated.

--Tom

[precisonline]

I could not agree more.  Like most things, there just HAS to be a better way...

[jjedrey]

I think the best policy is show how proactive you are; include your rap sheet with your resume.  They'll appreciate that you saved them all the trouble.   

[precisonline]

I can see it now..

INTEVIEWER: Have you ever been convicted of a felony?
CANDIDATE: It's all there on pages 3, 4, 6, and 11.  When can I start?

 

[Dorian]

Hmmm...

Given how crooked a couple of the people I've done consulting for turned out to be (padding expense accounts, double billing my time to their clients, etc.) I wonder if the background checks shouldn't be going in the other direction.

I'm just sayin'.

- Dorian

[sjoslyn]

But a wise man once pointed out to me that "if you want to know what a man is going to do, look at what he has done."  This is one of those little pieces of wisdom that float by in a seemingly insignificant moment and become mantra to your existence...

The only thing a background check gives is a history of what has already happened.  Technically, it's a document that's out of date the moment it's generated.

--Tom

[nmorgan]

The guy who owns the little railroad where I work on weekends had to comply with a new Illinois law this year and pay for background checks and drug screenings on all of his workers, including the UNPAID VOLUNTEERS!

[precisonline]

And has all this extra stuff improved his product?

[nmorgan]

And has all this extra stuff improved his product?

Not a bit.  Same volunteers, same work, same everything, except less money in his pocket.

[precisonline]

That is MESSED UP.  There's hardly enough money available as is, and less each day as gas and food prices skyrocket, and then to set a bunch of it on fire just because some politician said so is messed up.

Susan had some good points over on the SOX discussion about how all this madness is a byproduct of the increasing sophistication of the common criminal.  (I think she said it better, though.)  Still, if it doesn't actually solve the problem, doesn't that by definition make it PART OF the problem?