What is included in a Background Check?

First things first—you need to understand that just about everything will be featured on your background check, including but not limited to the following: Driving records, credit records, criminal records, military records, workers’ compensation, court records, and whether or not you’re a sex offender. For a complete list and more general information, click here.

What to do if the Transgression is Minor:

Background checks aren’t typically completed until after you’ve nailed an interview and employers are really thinking about hiring you. If your offense wasn’t something too severe—for example maybe you were reprimanded for a minor in possession (MPI) or for a public intoxication, you might not need to talk about it at all—the employer might just gloss right over it if the crime does not directly affect your line of work. Thus it’s up to your own discretion whether you think the issue should be addressed or not. But if you’re really apprehensive about it and you don’t want even the slightest thing to come as a shock to your possible future employer, it might be a good idea to turn your negative offense into something positive when asked “what are your weaknesses or regrets” or some other variant of the question. You can talk about your situation and explain how it made you learn and grow from the experience.

If the Transgression is Major:

If the crime was something more serious, it’ll benefit you greatly to talk about the issue up front. While you may think of waiting so that you’ll have more time to prepare what you’re going to say and how you’re going to explain this situation, the truth is that you’ll probably never get the opportunity to sway the interviewer in your favor if you wait—nowadays employers are looking for any little mistake so that they can eliminate candidates and make the hiring process easier. So if they see a tarnished record before you have the chance to explain what happened you’re application may be immediately tossed out the window. Thus it’s probably best to address the issue and tell the interviewer, “yes I messed up. This is why. This is what I learned.”  You should also talk about the steps you’ve taken to make sure that the incident will never happen again and that by no means will it interfere with your job. It may be best to wait until the end of the interview to talk about the issue, well after you’ve wooed and impressed—it’ll make not giving you a second look all that much harder for your employer if he or she already likes you. Just make sure that you control your temper and try not to get too emotional when explaining your offense. If you’re nervous that your interviewer may throw you a curveball that you’re not prepared to answer, have a mock interview with a friend, family member or even a career counselor so that you’ll be a little bit more prepared on how to defend yourself.

Your criminal record may make it difficult to find employment at first, but be persistent with it—someone will give you a lucky break the more honest you are about it.

Byline:

Jane Smith is a freelance writer and blogger. She writes about criminal background check for Backgroundcheck.org. Questions and comments can be sent to: janesmth161 @ gmail.com

Unfortunately, that’s not the case anymore.

The once sought after college degree isn’t as important as it once was – especially if it is a liberal arts degree. Employers now want individuals with specific training and actual experience – and usually two year programs do a better job at fitting this bill than 4 year colleges do. Great two year programs that are generally more useful include:

Web Designer

There is no doubt that the need to web designer is only going to continue to grow as more and more businesses move to the web. Most community or two-year colleges offer web designing programs, and after graduation, you can expect a salary of $50,000 or more if you get hired.

Medical Coding and Billing

Medical coding and billing is becoming a highly sought after position as the need for just about every type of healthcare position has increased as the baby boomer generation ages. The average medical billing and coding specialist can expect to spend their days being the translator between medical facilities and insurance companies, and make on average $38,000 or more a year.
Physical Therapist Technician

Also increasing because of the aging baby boomer population is the need for physical therapist technicians. Techs work in either hospital settings or in a physical therapist’s private office, and aid the therapist with exercises and clerical work. They can expect to make around $50,000 a year.

Executive Assistant

Although not as lucrative as some of the other fields, executive assistants are still in high demand. Becoming an executive assistant also allows you the ability to climb the ranks of whatever company you work for while learning all the tricks of the trade. The average salary for an executive assistant is around $35,000 to $40,000.

Radiation Technician

Out of all the two year degree career, radiation technicians tend to fair the best. A radiation technician will be responsible for taking x-rays, ultrasounds, CAT scans, MRIs, and mammograms throughout the day, and on average make around $57,000. Upward mobility is also very high in the field of radiation technology.

If you are looking for a career change or are just starting out on your journey to finding a career, consider not wasting your time with a four-year degree and going with a two-year program instead. If you acquire the appropriate education and training, most of these degrees pay the same, if not more, than 4-year degree careers – and you won’t have to waste as much time and money.

Good luck in your search.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

Currently, one of the most in-demand areas of the workforce is information technology, or IT. Advances in technology have left a wide niche open in social networking and applications for smart phones and tablet devices. There are companies with jobs available, but they are struggling to find workers sufficiently trained for the open positions. College student hoping to obtain employment following graduation may want to look into studying IT. Information technology programs generally focus on computer science, business and communications. They prepare students for careers as internet developers, computer programmers, project managers, software administrators, operations mangers, software support technicians and more.

Though the core classes taken by IT students are similar, there are many specialties to choose from. The following are a few of today’s most popular IT related majors.

Information Systems
A lot of people have trouble telling information systems and information technology apart. Although the two programs have some definite similarities, they are by no means identical. Information systems lend a greater focus to bridging the areas of business management and computer science. Students majoring in information systems focus on applying business models to specific computer science algorithms. They look at different types of software, the people who use such software, and how the software impacts our society. Once they get out into the workforce, information systems students and information technology students often work together and may end up holding the exact same job positions. Their areas of expertise complement each other well, which is why many companies strive to employ several people with backgrounds in both disciplines.

Information Technology Management
Information technology management is very similar to information technology, but it focuses more on the management side of technology, rather than on the technology itself. In IT management, all resources in a firm are coordinated so that they can work seamlessly. IT managers are responsible for directing many of the basic functions of a company, such as budgeting, staffing and network planning. Students who are interested in information technology but more talented in business and accounting may want to consider pursuing majors in information technology management. This way, they’ll be able to pursue their interest in information technology while utilizing their talents in business management.

Computer Science
While information technology fuses business, communications and computer science, a computer science major focuses more on technology, and less on business administration. Computer science majors learn how to design, maintain and install technology systems used for a variety of functions. Computer science majors form many of the technologies we depend on today. This program is best for students who like the nuts and bolts of technology but are not afraid to present new ideas. Many computer science majors choose to minor in information technology, as a little background knowledge in business can still be very helpful for a person working in computer science.

Software Engineering
In many ways, software engineering is a lot like computer science. Both disciplines focus on technology more than business, and both areas require innovative workers who understand the basic principles behind computer systems. In software engineering programs, students learn how to apply engineering to the development, operation and maintenance of computer software. Software engineers must integrate the fields of computer science, engineering and mathematics in order to successfully operate software systems. The field of software engineering remains bright, despite the recession. Money Magazine consistently rates software engineering as one of the best career fields.

Project Management
Often overlapping with technology in the business world, project management training focuses on planning and executing the broad ideas inspired by computer science professionals. Project management is an ideal field for people who like to lead. Most project management programs are closely aligned with or even a part of business schools. Like business students, project management majors study communications, human resources, finance, marketing, accounting and risk management. Some project management graduates end up working in consulting firms, while others go on to work alongside information technologists in large companies.

With the rapid evolution of technology, information technology professionals are more important than ever. However, by studying the fields related to information technology, students can prepare themselves to work in a business environment where cooperation is imperative to success. IT students will be better poised to find jobs after they graduate if they have also gained experience in computer science, project management, information systems and other disciplines.

This guest post was written and provided by Amanda Connelly who finished her Bachelor’s degree last semester and has extensive Information assurance training. Amanda is a major advocate of taking your education as far as possible.

Not surprisingly, education is also a popular choice for college major. A recent ranking of the top ten most popular college majors featured two direct educational fields of study (elementary education and general education), as well as a number of majors that are likely to lead to a career in education (psychology, English, political science, etc.). That last point makes it difficult to track which majors are the most popular in education. Often, students will study a field like math or English or history with the goal of teaching that subject, but they are not technically studying education. There are dozens of individual majors under the broad spectrum of education, and their popularity tends to fluctuate with the job market. One of the best ways to track the most popular college majors (both currently and for the near future) is to follow the jobs.

The government has recently created demand for education jobs in certain areas by funding mandates for special education and increasing the emphasis on standardized testing in schools. The special education mandates created a need for more special education teaching specialists, and this need will no doubt increase over the next decade. For this type of job, a special education major would, of course, be the most applicable. To help with improving test scores, schools are looking for child development specialists. Also, parents are seeking the services of private tutors and tutoring agencies to get their children help with the skills they need to succeed on those high-stakes tests. The tutoring agency market is really exploding right now, and it often features some innovative pay structures, including significant performance-based bonuses. Tutors, child development specialists and coaches could come from a wide variety of education majors, including early childhood education, K-12 education, reading and literature, special education or just about any specific subject (math, science, etc.).

Corporations are hiring a lot of education majors these days as well. Fortune 500 companies are recruiting education graduates to help them communicate better within their companies and with the general public. Educations students who concentrated their studies in communications. journalism or math can find jobs with private companies as policy analysts, corporate strategists or public relations specialists. There are already a large number of education majors holding positions in mass media as writers, producers and reporters, and this trend will most likely continue. Finally, those with education degrees are heavily involved in the high-growth areas of executive coaching and corporate training. Successful businesses are finding it is less costly and more effective to cultivate and train talent in their own ranks rather than to go out and recruit rising stars from elsewhere in their industry. This niche can be a very financially rewarding one. To pursue a career in the corporate world, a student could benefit from a major in corporate training, adult education or educational leadership.

One last growing area of jobs for education majors is online teaching. As online colleges have become more popular, even traditional universities have added web-based choices to their course catalogs. This creates a need for adjunct faculty. The nice thing about online teaching is that a professor can teach at multiple institutions relatively easily. In some cases, a professor teaching online can actually earn more than a tenured professor working at a single four-year institution. Adult education, education technology and specific subject majors (psychology, philosophy, literature, etc.) would be helpful for someone who wants to teach online.

There are a variety of opportunities available to students who wish to pursue a career in doctor of education. All they need to do is determine which type of career is most interesting to them and pick their major accordingly. Just about every major in education has a growing place in today’s job market, whether in the public or private sector. While this article has visited some of the most popular and fast-growing job choices and majors, it’s always a good idea to speak to a guidance counselor, recent graduate or professional within the target industry to find out what sort of future awaits a student who follows a particular course of study.

This guest post article was written and provided by Lindsey Stinson who one day hopes to become a doctor of education and is currently a freelance writer and currently finishing her online Ed.D programs early next year.

Yet, as the old saying goes, those who don’t try never succeed. That philosophy still applies even in the midst of a recession. You may feel like you jumped mountains to get your first job, but it might be time to start looking for the next.

Here are 5 ways you can prepare yourself for that next step:

1. Get your degrees in order: Maybe you haven’t quite completed your bachelor’s degree. Or you’re in a field that requires more than just four years to advance to the next level. Whatever situation you find yourself in, start taking classes now to expand your skill set.  However, it’s important to continue in your current job if you’re in a field that you want to stay in. Never abandon an entry-level position in your field just to get a job that offers more flexibility.  Instead, enroll in evening and weekend classes at a local community college or take online master degree courses that allow you to work around your usual work schedule.
2. Update your resume, online and off: Now is a great time to refine your resume. Obviously, go ahead and update your printable resume with additional accomplishments and skills, along with your current position. Besides that, though, you’ll also want to update your LinkedIn profile and add a Flavors.me landing page. It’s a great way to help get your information to jump higher in rankings if you have a fairly uncommon last name.
3. Add to your list of achievements: If you’re in a field where competition is key, start submitting your work to various competitions for recognition, no matter how large or small they are. You’ll want to be able to add a line on your resume indicating that someone thinks you’re great at what you’re doing.
4. Be a joiner: If your industry puts a little less emphasis on racking up blue ribbons, you can still prepare for a career move. Start joining as many groups and committees as you can. Even if they normally wouldn’t hold your attention, chances are good that you’ll get experience doing something new. This also is a great way to network within your company, since you’ll be interacting with people in other departments and your superiors. It also show you’re invested in your current company and you can let the word gently spread that you’re ripe for a promotion.
5. Network all of your connections: Too often, we hesitate to reach out to co-workers when we’re looking for an advancement, especially if the position exists outside of the current company. But chances are good you can find mentors and sympathetic colleagues who have connections from previous jobs. Long gone are the days of staying with the same company, and likely your co-workers will understand that. Feel free to ask trustworthy officemates, but avoid gossips and your direct superiors.

Hunting down an advancement in an unstable environment seems risky, but letting your career sit dead in the water isn’t a safe bet either. Play it smart, though, and make sure you’re ready before you begin sending out your resumes.

1. Create a Budget

If you’ve not already been living according to a budget, now is the perfect time to create one. There are several online sites that will help you and just as many applications for your iPod or smart phone. Budget in your expenses: mortgage or rent, utilities, food, transportation costs, insurance premiums and grocery items. If you find that your output is larger than your intake, decide where you can realistically cut back.

2. Eat In

You’ll be surprised at how much money you can save if you cook your meals at home rather than stopping for lunch or dinner on the go. Consider cooking on the weekend and putting meals for the week in the freezer, reduced price goods from the supermarket could also save you a packet!

3. Coupons

You don’t have to jump on the band wagon of the latest extreme couponing craze but you can save money on the items you regularly purchase by keeping an eye out for coupons. Scan the store ads each week and look for BOGO sales; you always need hygiene items so stock up if there’s a good deal.

4. Store Cards

Many stores have rewards cards that help you rack up perks for shopping at their store. Look for a store that gives you points towards gasoline and do most of your shopping at that store. You’ll not only save money on the items you buy but you’ll earn yourself a great discount towards your next tank of gas.

5. Pay off Debt

When you figure out your budget, put extra money towards any credit cards that you have and pay them off sooner. The money you save on your monthly credit card payments can be put towards something else in your budget or even into a savings account.

6. Rent Textbooks

Renting textbooks can often save you several hundred dollars, even when you factor in selling them back to the book store at the end of the semester. Textbook rental has really taken off and is available all over the Net at sites like campbusbookrentals.com and Chegg.

7. Skip Starbucks

If you have a coffee fetish, invest in a Keurig and brew your own cup of coffee to go. For about 1/3 of the price of going to the coffee magnet, you can make the same cup of coffee in your own kitchen.

8. Buy Generic

Generic, or store, brands have come a long way. Consider your options when purchasing hygiene items and food. You’ll often get a better deal if you buy the store brand rather instead of the name brand.

Article submitted by Isaac who writes about various student, finance and investment opportunities such as fiduciary management, while not blogging I spend the majority of my time reading from my new iPad2!

Do Not Put Sensitive Information on Resumes/Cover letter. While you want your cover letter and resume to reflect you in the best light—after all these two documents are the items that help you score an interview—you do not want to irresponsibly put down information that can be used for criminal actions if put into the wrong set of hands. For example, some hackers and identity thieves go as far as rummaging through garbage (both traditional and cyber) in the hopes of finding improperly disposed resumes and cover letters that give them easy access to all of your info. So never include sensitive information like your social security number, driver’s license number, your sex, age or marital status on any of the forms when initially applying or inquiring about a position. You should even be careful about including your Alma Mater—some really advanced hackers will fill in the necessary blanks by simply looking you up in school directories. And since by law employers can’t even hire you on the items mentioned above anyway there is no real need to include it, unless of course you think earning a degree from your particular school will give you a competitive edge.

Additional Tip: If an online job application asks for something like you social security number, simply state that you will provide the information during the background check stage. Remember that there are no such things as a “preliminary background check,” meaning they cannot scan for one until after you’ve been interviewed.

Do Not Fall for Fraudulent Job Postings. While there is tons of legitimate employment opportunities posted online, there are even more fake ones. Yes, these criminals go as far as creating lucrative sounding job openings so that can prey on the vulnerable unemployed community to get all sorts of information from them, including social security numbers and even bank account numbers. First things first, always remember that you cannot be hired without having an interview. While yes if you are applying to work overseas a phone interview or video-chat interview may suffice, but if all you did was simply submit an application/resume and the employer contacts you via email or phone already offering you the job, you should proceed with extreme caution, especially if the employers next line is, “what’s your social security number so we can do a background check?” or “we need your bank account information.” The only time a company needs your bank account info is to set up direct deposit, but even then you still need to have an in-person interview to get the job. That said, to avoid responding to fraudulent job postings all together make sure to pay attention to the following details:

• The company’s web site: It should look professional, contain some of the company’s history as well as and contain all of the important contact information, including the corporate office. If you cannot easily find the company’s site using a search engine, it may just be because the company you are applying for does not really exist. If a web site does exist but you are still on the fence about whether the person who contacted you is a con artist or not, don’t hesitate to attempt to contact the company’s HR department and verify their identity.
• Email: Legitimate companies will not have you submit applications from personal email addresses such as Companyname@gmail.com. Instead, the domains will look like this: @Companyname.com
• Lastly, never ever will you have to submit checks or money orders to apply for a job. Most work-at-home scams will do this. For a full list of typical work-at-home scams and how to avoid them, click here.

This guest contribution was submitted by Lenore Holditch, who specializes in writing about top online colleges. Questions and comments can be sent to: holditch.lenore@gmail.com.

The good news: There are tools to help. You are probably familiar with the personalities tests and job boards, but there’s one resource that’s often overlooked: career exploration sites. With descriptions of jobs, salary statistics, work environment, and more, these pages act as centralized hubs of career information.

So, how does this sort of tool help you find direction?

You can investigate a range of possibilities.

Maybe you’re one of the lucky few who knows exactly what career path to take from day one; yet, if you’re like many job market newbies, all you know for certain are the skills you can offer. Hyper-organized? Good with people? Need a social work atmosphere? Career exploration sites let you sort jobs according to certain traits, strengths or desired work space. Casting a wide net can open your eyes to a whole slew of job options in fields you may never have considered or even heard about.

I know, you’re saying “I don’t need to explore, I need a job!” However, the more opportunities you’re aware of, the more likely you are to find a good career fit. In the long run, taking more time to land a job that truly aligns with your skills and values is much more beneficial than scooping up the first offer that comes your way.

You get industry-specific information.

Once you’ve pinned down a general area of interest, career exploration sites supply you with in-depth information about specific positions. Using the job profiles as a jumping off point, you can thoroughly research your target industry.

This investigative work will help your job hunt in three ways. First, you’ll need to have a strong grasp on the ins, outs, and current climate of the field in order to impress at interviews.

Second, understanding the industry will help when you’re looking for good contacts to ask for informational interviews. The more exactly your chosen expert’s job matches your interest, the more accurate and valuable the interview will be.

Third, having a firm idea of how your desired job fits into the industry will give you the best estimate about which work experience you need to highlight on your application.

You can see your next step.

Maybe you need an internship, externship, or apprenticeship before applying directly to positions. Or maybe your career path is the kind where you just have to dive into the deep end of the job pool and start swimming. Either way, career exploration sites can point the way toward the best steps to take when breaking into an industry.

Direction isn’t easy to come by. However, by doing your research and using the right tools, you can gain a better sense of where you want to be going and how you’re going to get there.

Annie Favreau writes for Inside Jobs, a career exploration site where people can discover what opportunities exist and learn what paths can take them there.

While this may work in some instances, particularly for lower-paid, temporary or seasonal jobs, the fact is that anyone wishing to further their career – especially in today’s ultra-competitive market – needs to put in hours, if not days, if not weeks of detailed research and strategic planning.

Above all else, finding a job takes self-discipline. With that in mind, try thinking about your job search in terms of an aspect of your chosen profession in which certain hard and fast rules apply. If you’re a med school graduate, your search for a job is like preparing to go into surgery. You don’t just walk into theatre and start operating – you prepare meticulously; you make sure you have the right instruments for the procedure, all the background information necessary, and every outcome catered for.

Using this medical metaphor you should also consider that a doctor doesn’t conduct an operation without the right team there alongside to support. The same applies with job-seeking. Surround yourself with those that have the skills, insights or experience to help make sure your job search is successful. They may be colleagues, recruitment agents, career advisors, headhunters, mentors, or recognised experts in your chosen field. Remember: no matter how good you are at your profession you are probably not an expert on how to find work, so why not make the most of those that are?

The trick is to treat the process like a full-time job in itself – until you have a job, your job is to be a job-seeker, and if you are hoping to secure work in a specific sector or location, that task might be twice as hard. It doesn’t matter if you are a bricklayer or a brain surgeon, the only way you can get ahead of the rest is to make sure you are putting in full-time effort and commitment to ensure that your name is top of the list when a position becomes available. Do this and the operation will likely be a success. Fail to do this and your job search may simply flat-line.

Isaac writes for Team 24 who are a Doctor Jobs specialist – providing Nurse and Doctor Recruitment for a wide range of temporary placements.

One thing I reminded myself of was that I had the strength to survive in the business industry. In the military, we were trained to develop strong traits as we are held to higher standards of operations and performance than most people are at a regular job. We are decisive, great team players, extremely resourceful, and we work well under pressure. These are the skills that we picked up throughout our years of serving the country and they carry into our personal and professional lives. I realized during my job hunt was that perhaps the lingo I used was not conducive to corporate lingo, so I had to take some time to assess the mannerisms I have when speaking with others.

In my experience as a young veteran, it is important that you disconnect yourself from the military world and assimilate into the civilian world. It takes some time to leave the past in the past, but companies also take into consideration any long term problems that you could have as an individual. The main thing they look for is if you have any PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) that will affect your performance in the work place. There is little you can do about companies that already have pre-existing notions about the military, so the only time you could talk about your ability and potential to work lies in the interview stage. This might sound daunting but mark my words, there are companies out there that are dedicated to hiring veterans and knows exactly the value of a person who served the military. Don’t be afraid to go out there and learn how to play the field – I promise it will pay off!

Operation Freedom War veteran John Durfee is employed at Airsplat, the nation’s largest retailer of Airsoft Guns and Airsoft Pistols.