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Background Checks
Not sure where this should go, but for the club I used to work at, I had to get a cabaret license from the police station to work there. I got that for 2 years (had to get a new one every year). I'm starting to look into internships, and was just wondering if anyone knows if background checks that employers do will show that I had a cabaret license? And do employers look at previous tax info? I was hoping to be able to leave my dancing job off of future resumes, because I'm not sure if it will affect my job opportunities (I'm going to school for business now, as well as for psychology, but want to get a job in business/marketing). I know I can't leave it off if it will show up in a background check, so I'm just wondering if anyone knows if it will?
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Re: Background Checks
^^^ this totally depends on the degree of effort that prospective employers are willing to 'invest' to research the background of prospective employees. Generally, if you're not trying to work in a sensitive gov't position, a private sector job that requires bonding etc. , or a 'home town' employer, most prospective employers won't bother to look that deep.
As to the choice of 'leaving it off' your resume', that is a calculated risk. In some circumstances, choosing to do so and later having the facts turn up could be interpreted as 'lying on your job application' which could be grounds for dismissal after you have been hired.
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Re: Background Checks
^^^ So should I just put down "self-employed" for my job history? Or do I have to put down dancer? I'm sure if I say that I'm self-employed, I'll be asked to elaborate since I'll be going into the business field, but I think putting down "dancer" would look bad on a resume. I think I would rather explain it in an interview rather than put it down on a resume and possibly not even get an interview.
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Re: Background Checks
^^ That was going to be my question as well. I think self-employed would look better but I have no idea.
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Re: Background Checks
Do the waitresses/hostesses were you work have to get the caberet license too? If so, there ya go(ur explanation).
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Re: Background Checks
If you put down that your job was "dancer or entertainer" on your tax return, yes, the prospective employer can see that...if they choose to look.
There are different levels of background checks. One will ONLY check to see if you've been convicted of any crimes in any state or have any outstanding court cases that could affect your job. Or if you've ever used an alias name (meaning that you use the same SS#, but instead of going by Susie Snow, you went by Samantha Singer) that you didn't disclose. This is USUALLY the kind of background check that employers do. Others are way more intensive and can tell the employer each and every state/address/etc. that you've ever lived in, where you currently reside, your parents and relatives...tax status, criminal history, school history, whether you prefer to shit in the morning first thing or later in the day...LOL.
The more intensive the background check is, the less likely are to be able to hide anything. Those background checks, though, are usually only done on people who will have access to super secure info (CIA, FBI, government positions, etc).
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Re: Background Checks
It seems the sort of thing that might be understood if you left it off and they found out anyways... Why don't you leave it off and apply at some internships that you don't really want and see if they do the check or not.
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Re: Background Checks
Resumes are a way to showcase yourself and your skills as they relate to specific positions. My professional resume is geared towards librarian positions and it would be completely irrelevant information if I listed all the waitressing jobs I've had on it. Prospective employers don't care and they don't require all that extra information that has nothing to do with the job you're applying for.
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Re: Background Checks
^^^ That's how I thought resumes were done to, but in a class I took last semester they they taught us how to do resumes, and they said while there are different ways to do them, it is preferable to have a section for past employment, and a section for job related experience (only jobs, volunteering, and other experiences that will help in the job or internship you're applying for). So I guess maybe I could just leave out the past employment section and only do the experience section. I'm just confused about all this, and I just don't want to do anything that will immediately get my resume placed in the "not interested" pile.
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Re: Background Checks
You need to draft your resume suited for the position you are considering. Background checks are only going to check a few things, unless you are working for the government. The government jobs require you to put anything down, including self employment if more than 90 days. Most corporations will only require the following:
Criminal History check in the state you currently reside in and all states you have lived in during the past 7 years;
Credit check- usually to verify addresses, unless you are going to work in a bank or have a public trust position (such as Controller, accountant, etc)
Employment history, which could include any unemployment periods cross referenced with the department of Labor.
I never put my dancing down, I was creative and said I was a stay at home mom, a student (which I was while I was dancing) or I was just a housewife. I will never reveal that part of me to anyone as it holds no bearing upon the person I am, the job I am able to do, etc. However, if I am asked "were you a dancer?" I do answer honestly. If you have filed tax returns, you will need to disclose you had a home business, but again, the extend that a prospective employer is going to go back that far is slim, unless of course they are willing to pay extra bucks to do so. The average background check runs around $300 per applicant just for the basics for a third party agency to do. Time, money and effort for companies to do them on their own is extensive, usually they will outsource this, unless they are small. Make sure you have good quality references, and make sure that all your jobs other than dancing you have a good solid reference.
You should be fine.
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Re: Background Checks
Thank you guys so much. I'm starting to feel a lot better about this whole process now.
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Re: Background Checks
Keep in mind though that most prospective employers won't look favorably on an 'unexplained gap' in your work history. Therefore, if there is a way that you can 'officially explain' that you were doing 'something' during the period of time you were a dancer, but an explanation that also jives with IRS records for that time period in case your IRS history is checked, it will raise fewer questions.