Saturday, March 14, 2009

What little secrets may be hidden away in a closet, safe from your sight that could impact your decision making?

By Sue Joner

Not only would you want to search out a contractors history, or a doctors background, or even a new acquaintance. But what about all the kids that you went to grade school with, or that family that lived across the street when you were young, and what about that high school flame....

With personality theft on the rise, are we safe from those around us? While there is no need to panic and check all the people that you know out, doesnt it seem reasonable to check out those we are drawing closer into our lives? What about that locksmith that is changing the locks on your house, your childs new friend that you just dont get a really good feeling from, or that new flame of yours that you discovered while on-line dating? The basic resources are now at your fingertips, the internet has provided a venue for these searches.

To be perfectly frank, I am one of the most trusting people alive "many times the background searches I conducted came back with the information I had been given to begin with. Thankfully the person(s) I investigated never knew. I have done checks on people professionally and personally, not because Im suspicious, but because Im sensible. In the cases where the person was not who they said they were, or they did not mention a fact or two has saved me time, money, and yes, even heartache.

There are tons of resources on the web to locate people online. It is very difficult to communicate in todays world without being on the web. If you have a lot of time available to you and you dont need to do a comprehensive background check, then using free resources is the way to go. Begin with Google People Search as they will often provide you with social networking sites that the individual belongs to. The issue here is that many people use generic email addresses and handles, so it can be a bit more difficult. However, if the person has nothing to hide, and wants to be found, My Site, Twitter, and Face Book will provide you with a restricted view of their profile " you can then write the person to find out if they are that missing love, or that friend you lost touch with.

Now, what about other situations? Something requiring a bit deeper research than what you can gain access to yourself. There are sites that will aid you in collecting information on that new employee. Checking into his financial history, criminal record, and past employment may all aid in making a decision.

Perhaps you are hiring a contractor? Sorry, the Better Business Bureau is not enough. See if the contractor has ever gone bankrupt, check to see if they have a criminal record, etc.

I am in a position where I routinely hire people, so is it worth me checking out a potential employee? I can say adamantly, yes. There are things that can be found out through companies that specialize in this research that would never be volunteered in an interview. Then figure in the time to train the new employee, the cost of the job search and I am sure that you too will agree, a small cost now, pays bigger dividends later.

When you really need accurate information in a timely fashion then I suggest a company that speciaizes in this work. For a truly small fee, you can perform checks for a year or longer.

So what are you going to do with this information? Well ensure that the those you have to trust are trustworthy. If you need more information, click on the link in the resource box. It will take you to a site that provides advice on conducting online searches and the company I use on a near daily basis. - 20767

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