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Does a misdemeanor come up on a background check?

How should I answer the background check question in a job interview if I have a minor misdemeanor?

  • I'm a guy.I have a job interview coming up, but I have a minor misdemeanor. When I was in college, freshman year, me and my roommate were caught smoking weed. That was almost 6 years ago (I was 18 and stupid, getting caught with less than a gram), and as far as I know, it is still on my record. So what if I had some crazy weekend at the beginning of college? Everybody does. I've graduated and and now I want to be in the real world. I know the topic of my background check will come up at the interview. Yes, I know you are not supposed to lie at a job interview, but I have been researching about what to say, and alot of sources say that it is okay to word this circumstance in a way that puts you in the best possible light. What is the "best possible light" in this situation? How should I go about wording this to my potential employer? I want the job very much, I hate that this one and only charge on my background record is going to keep me from becoming an independent person, trying to make a life for myself by trying to start a good career. P.S. I am in progress of trying to get it expunged from my record, but my interview is in just a few days, so I need to come up with something to say. Thanks

  • Answer:

    Hello, I hate to tell you this,but this will certainly show up on your record, so if they do the background check on you you're ...well you know. I am not sure in what state you are, but I would suggest you to try to get that off your record as soon as possible. THis sort of thing will hunt you for the rest of your life if you don't deal with it now. Even if you get that job now, in the future you might look for something more serious and you will have the same problem. Try calling one of those record clearing websites, they are pretty cheap and fast. I can't really recommend you any of them, but you can try googling "expunge". I think that recordgone.com is the most popular one. Good luck!

TjtO87 at Yahoo! Answers Visit the source

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If I were you, honestly I would call up your local police station and ask if you can get it taken off of your record.....Isn't public intoxication/public drinking the same level of crime? (I'm in Ohio and I know you can get public intoxication taken off your record). Ususally, u can just petition to get it removed.

Rosie-doll Too

If you're asked about it answer honestly, that's your best bet. Explain what you did here - except for the legalised part..

Adhunt

Do not mention it. Its old first of all so it might not even come up and you can say you thought it was expunged. In some states they don't even allow looking at misdemeanors anyway, so check your state laws. There is also the theory of law that if it isn't related to your job, it shouldn't matter, so you might want to do some net research on current lawsuits in your state. Also, state law precludes asking about credit in Illinois, Oregon and Washington and possibly some others.

Alyssa Soska

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