As a job seeker, you have to think of a lot many things and background check is a major concern. Usually, background checks are conducted by the employers, but you would certainly want to know if your employer is going to look for divorce records as well. It is important for you to know what all private information can your employer access from these records. We are here with all the answers.
Legal Aspects
The fact you should be aware of is that divorce records are legally the public domain. What it means is that anyone can access them through the right government departments. Hence, your employer can look into your divorce records without disclosing their name. Generally speaking, all your vital records are accessible to an employer. The amount of private information contained in these records varies from state to state.
In most cases, your employer will be able to obtain the divorce certificates that contain the names of the spouse and location and date when the marriage was legally terminated. But in some cases, the employers and the general public can see divorce decree issued by the court. Such a decree contains extensive private information like alimony, custody, property distribution, child support and visitation rights.
Disclosure and Consent
It might be appalling to know that an employer can have free access to your divorce records. But, in most cases, the employers are required to inform the applicants prior that a background check will be performed on them. In addition to the disclosure, they must also provide the details. Therefore, you will be aware whether a potential employer will conduct a background check and will look into your divorce records and other vital records like marriage and criminal records. If you are worried about the accuracy of these checks, then keep in mind that employers are required to run the background checks through specialized agencies. The risk of false and discrediting information is quite low when such agencies are involved.
Your consent is mandatory for an employer to run the check. This employment legislation is in place in most states. If you do not want an employer to snoop into these records you are free to decline their request. The important thing to keep in mind here is that background checks are now commonplace and you most certainly won’t get hired if you do not give consent for such a check.
Relevance
Divorce records do not have the same relevancy as the criminal and credit records for many jobs. A potential employer hardly cares about your marital status and the laws also prevent them from discriminating based on the same. However, the fact that you have been divorced affects your overall impression that is a concern you need to focus on.