Should I Do a Background Check On Myself?

Running a personal background check on yourself is something you might not have considered, but should you? Increasingly we’re seeing the popularity of people running an online background check on themselves, and it may be a smart decision.

Typically running a background check is associated with something you might do on other people. For example, you could do it if you’re renting a property you own, or you’re hiring an employee.

On the other hand, when you do a free background check on yourself or even a paid background check, it can provide you with some advantages.

What Can You Find with a Personal Background Check?

If you did decide to do a background check on yourself or someone else, what can you expect to find?

The specifics depend on the type of screening you do and whether or not you’re doing a free background check on yourself or a paid check and how in-depth you want to go. If you use a recommended background check service, such as PeopleLooker or BeenVerified, examples of what you might generally see include:

• Criminal records including arrests and convictions for felonies or misdemeanors, warrants, sex offenses, and incarceration records
• Some background checks might show court records including dockets and court orders
• Social media accounts, including public content that you may not know is public
• Weapons permits
• States have different rules as to what they show about driving records—for example, in some states records from as far back as ten years may show up and in other states, they’ll only go back three years.
• Employment history and educational background
• All states are required to have a sex offender registry, which is public information. There is also a national registry. Sex offenses do show up in background checks in addition to registries.
• Your full name, date of birth, and any aliases
• Photographs

Why would you run a personal background check?

1. Find Mistakes

First and foremost, you should make sure that you use a reputable background check companies such as Instant Checkmate, TruthFinder or Been Verified, Then, you can rest assured that you’ll receive a thorough background report. This can help you to identify any possible mistakes, which are more common than you might think.

You could discover with a comprehensive personal background check that someone has stolen your identity in addition to potential mistakes.

When you spot mistakes, you can work on correcting them right away. Should you know that an employer or landlord is going to be checking your background in the near future, you can let them know about the inaccurate information as well.

If you had a criminal record that was expunged or sealed, then legally, it shouldn’t show up on your record. If you proactively do a background check on yourself, you can make sure that sealed records really are just that.

2. Finding Lost Relatives

Did you know that by running a background check on yourself, you can find links to relatives you lost touch with or didn’t even know you had? When you search for your full name, a list of possible relatives typically also appears. If desired, you can later search for theircontact information, so you can reach out to them and reconnect.

3. Applying for Jobs and Preparing for an Interview

Before you search for a new job, it’s a smart idea to do a comprehensive online background check on yourself. This will allow you to make sure you get your dates of employment and any other relevant information are correct on your resume or application, and that everything lines up.

Furthermore, you might find photos of yourself that you’d rather your employer not see. Similarly, you mat be alerted to old social media accounts where you posted comments that you shouldn’t have. These can color your potential employer’s perception of you. It can affect whether or not you’re called for an interview or even given the job. Running a personal background check can help you manage your reputation for the better.

Even if you have a general idea of what could show up on a background check, you may be surprised by what you actually see. This doesn’t mean the information isn’t accurate, but you might not realize how it might look on an official background check. A personal background check can prepare you for potential interview questions about your past. This way, you can work out how to explain anything that comes up in advance.

You should familiarize yourself with the laws in your state related to employment or housing. You want to ensure that anyone checking your background is doing so legally in your state and not looking for information they aren’t legally able to use.

If an employer decides based on something they see in your report, they’re required under law to share the information with you and let you know if it’s the primary reason you didn’t get the job you applied for.

Finding a job, a new home or any of the other things that might require a background check are intimidating enough, so taking some of the unknown out of it can give you a sense of control and peace of mind.

4. Find Out if Your Neighborhood is Safe

When you run a background check on yourself, some background check websites include information about your neighborhood as well. Particularly, these websites tend to show whether there are any known sex offenders located around your home address. You may even be able to find mugshots so you facially recognize who in your neighborhood to be wary of if you spot them. It can be frightening to know, but in this case, knowledge can be power. You can take precautions when you are home once you find out if there is a need.

5. Discover if You Could Be an Identity Theft Victim

If you run a personal background check and a lot of information comes up that just isn’t right — such as criminal records ascribed to your name — this could be a clue that you’re a victim of identity theft. Look into this information thoroughly and contact the authorities to recover your stolen identity.

How Can I Do a Background Check on Myself?

If you’ve decided to do a personal background check, you’ll first and foremost want to go with a reputable company. Big-name companies like BeenVerified tend to make it easy to find the information you’re looking for.

When you run a check on a background check website, you’ll simply be asked for your first and last name, middle initial (if relevant), and a state. It will then run through countless public records in a matter of a few minutes and pull up any data related to you. These records include criminal records, marital records, divorce records, education history, employment history, and more. Typically, you can download the report in a PDF file. You can even set up notifications so you can receive updates whenever a new record becomes available. The cost of an online background check service can vary between $20-$30, so it is really quite affordable for most people.

Summing Up—Take Control with a Personal Background Check
If you’ve ever questioned, “should I do a background check on myself,” the answer is probably yes. Don’t let the fear of the unknown stop you. It’s important to be informed about what shows in our background checks. Be proactive in remedying errors or issues you spot and be ready to explain anything that comes up. Luckily, you can do a free background check on yourself to at least see the bare basics if anything comes up. For more in-depth reporting, shelling out the $25 for a comprehensive paid search is worth it.