Question for hiring managers...Essentials for hiring...background check?

Question

Hello everyone,
I have been applying EVERYWHERE for a daytime part time job, and I have been getting nowhere (i live in Ohio, so maybe it has more to do w/the economy). Anyhow, being highly frustrated, can someone give me insight into the top pertinent things that employers look at...I mean from the resume, from the professional appearance of the canidate if they apply in person, what aspects weigh more then others. My other concern...I've heard of the dreaded "No Rehire" stamp...where is this? Who can access/see this? Does this drop off? Also, is it true that interested inquirying employers can candidly speak to the past employers of the canidates? I heard about this, but wasnt sure if this was State by State or Countrywide? Please advice! Thanks!

Answer 1

As a hiring manager, hopefully this advice will be helpful to you...

With the holiday season, it's a tough time to be looking for a part-time job. All the holiday help has been hired (for the most part) and jobs NOT requiring holiday help will most likely wait until January to hire, for a few reasons:

1) a better selection, since the holiday helpers will now be back in the job market for another job.

2) tax purposes. it's better for a company to wait until the next fiscal year to hire an employee, because if you were to get a paycheck anytime in 2006, they'd have to record a W-2 for you for this year, as opposed to just waiting a couple weeks until 2007 and NOT having to worry about this year's W-2.

For retail jobs, depending on the store, equal consideration is given to your resume and appearance. Hollister and Abercrombie don't have attractive employees by coincidence. You're representing the brand, and they want to make sure you fit their 'image.' Therefore, when applying to retail jobs, DON'T dress in a suit. Dress as the other employees there do, so the manager can picture you fitting in with the rest. Sad, but true! It's a psychological game you just have to play, unfortunately.

If you're trying to find a desk job, your resume holds more weight than your appearance if you're not directly dealing with customers. For these jobs, do dress nicely.

In either case, ALWAYS drop off your resume in person, if you can. They have a lot of applicants, so make sure you stand out in the hiring manager's mind. Make sure your resume is easy on the eyes, and no more than one page. Employers are weary of gaps in employment dates, so make sure you explain any gap in employment greater than three months. (i.e., "Assisted with a community service project while searching for a job that better aligned with my ethics and values.")

Lastly, the "no rehire" stamp is not as scary as it sounds. It only exists in the one company that won't rehire you, for whatever reason that may be. Nobody can access that information but the company who decided it. It never drops off, as your records at that company are permanent. But don't worry. No other employers will know about it, as it's not public information.

The only time it will come to nip you in the behind is when that company is called for a reference. There are a few ways to handle this:

1) Be honest and upfront with the company you're applying to. Don't bring it up unless they ask you if they can call that company for a reference, and IF they bring it up, say something like this: "Yes, you are more than welcome to call them. I want to be upfront and honest with you, and I should tell you that a disagreement between my boss and I was the reason I left. It was nothing big, but it may be documented. I'll add, though, that it was the only time I ever had a disagreement with a boss in my ___ years of working." (Feel free to keep it vague, as it may not even come up when they actually DO talk, so best not to spill everything for no reason. End it on a positive note.)

2) Explain that the manager you had no longer works with the company, and you feel that he/she was the only one who could give a realistic reference for you. Add that you'd be more than happy to provide two or three personal references in it's place. (Retail has a high turnover rate with employees, so this isn't out of the ordinary.)

3) If there was another co-worker you DID get along with at that "no rehire" job, give their name as a reference instead of your manager's. Chances are, that person won't even know about the "no rehire" stamp, and will be able to give you a positive reference from his/her standpoint.

To make sure your new potential employer doesn't call your references without asking you first, all you have to say is this: "I'd appreciate it if you didn't call my references until I've accepted an offer with your company. The offer can be contingent on my reference check, which would be fair. The reason I ask this is because my references are important to me, and I don't want to 'burn' a good reference, so to speak, by having them called too often. I value them all, and I appreciate your consideration in the matter."

Good luck!

Answer 2

Well it depends on what type of job you are looking for as to what things the employer looks at. I would say a few key things are if there are any gaps in employment (they will wonder why), reason why you left previous jobs (might indicate you aren't reliable as a long term employee) and obviously what your responsibilities were. As for eligibility of rehire, some companies keep that on file and can give it out, others don't. I would say a vast majority of companies only release dates of employment and your title of the position you held. Most employers aren't allowed to speak candidly about previous employees, but it could possibly happen. If you are worried about a past employer giving you a bad review, just give the number of the HR department to contact for references. Good luck!

Answer 3

If you have obnoxious piercings, tattoos, wear a crooked cap, have missing teeth, use bad english, smell bad, or if you make mistakes (scratchouts, white-out, etc) on your application, chances are you'll be immediately excluded and never know why.

A company won't waste their $65 getting a background check on you until you've at least been interviewed and are considered a prime candidate, so I doubt it's anything in your background keeping you from being hired.

A "OK For Rehire" is something former companies note in your previous percsonnel folders. Past employers are usually not contacted, as well as references, until you've been interviewed and are heavily considered for the job.

If you call a potiential employer you've been rejected by, all they will tell you is they found a better qualified candidate. But you may still want to try. Who knows, someone might tell you exactly what they found out that disqualified you.

Best of luck.

Answer 4

Yes, employment is demographical (goes according to state economy/population) There are several sites that give advice on the info that you want but my favorite one is Monster.com. I don't believe there is a "no rehire" stamp unless there is something in your resume that is unappealing to all employers ( for example if you failed a drug test or have a felony record even though they shouldn't discriminate) and yes they can contact your previous employer but what I have done in the past because I was appling for a higher paying job while still employed and knew my current employer did want to give me up was to write "only contact my current employer to verify my impeccable attendence" or discuss with your current employer that you feel you should get more money if you have a good performance record.

Answer 5

The best thing you can do is come in with an amazing attutude. Especially if you are going into customer service jobs. Know about the business you are applying for before you go in for an interview. Also be very personable. Smile as much as possible loook them straight in they eye. Dont make excuses for your past mistakes. State the truth, dont bad mouth old jobs or bosses. If you were being treated unfairly keep it to your self. Just try to make it look as positive as possible and have a positive attitude

as far as other managers talking to each other Even though they are not suppose to they will off the record tell each other the truth.

Answer 6

i think you should look more deeply into the nature of employment. what is it? why are they willing to pay you?
what are your responsibilities? honestly they are looking for someone that can help their enterprise be profitable. try a volunteer internship, then EXCEL! Never be late, work hard, do a quality good job, help others. good employees are always in demand. if you can't get rehired it means they weren't happy with your performance. look to your performance for the solution to this problem. you probably have an attitude that comes across in the interview that makes employers not want you.
what is it?

Answer 7

Employers should not be allowed to seem at your social networking profiles devoid of your exhibit permission, and that they should not be allowed to disclaim you a job entirely considering you probably did no longer provide that permission. they don't have an inherent good to view your social circles devoid of your permission. i do no longer think of that social networking sites are in lots of circumstances pertinent to the worker vetting technique. Employers can already habit history tests, credit tests, reference tests and get an entire checklist of your previous artwork studies. If it is not adequate to make a hiring selection, the Human components branch needs an overhaul.