Help! Will I Pass the Background Check?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I was just offered an AMAZING RN job. I've been through many, many background checks over the years, but was surprised that this one requested addresses from all of the locations I've lived since I was 18.

When I was in college (many years ago), I had a very emotionally abusive boyfriend. He would do anything to bring me down, tell me I was worthless, and convince me that I had no one to turn to for support. Long story short, I became completely dependent on him and when we broke up I called and called and begged him to take me back.

He attempted to take out a temporary restraining order, which was denied (he made some unbelievable false claims, e.g. "stockpiling weapons" and "selling and using drugs"--I was and still am a very clean, drug free, and mild-mannered person!), and I was summoned to appear at a hearing for an injunction. He never showed up, had given a false address, the case was dismissed, and I never heard from him again.

Needless to say, the entire situation has haunted me since. While legally I was never found guilty/charged/had any action taken against me (since the initial order was denied and the case dismissed), I am still worried that the attempt at an injunction will raise a red flag for this company. If I search my name in the public record I find "defendant" in a "domestic violence" case--you have to dig a little deeper to even see that the case was dismissed.

Does anyone know if something like this would mean a retracted offer? Please let me know. I am terrified. This guy from my past is getting exactly what he wanted--to have his shadow hang over my life forever.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

I think that only an attorney experienced in these matters could definitively answer your question.

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Specializes in Care Coordination, Care Management.

Since the entire thing was dismissed, you should be fine. Explain the situation ahead of time.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.
Since the entire thing was dismissed, you should be fine. Explain the situation ahead of time.

Ahhhh, easy to say, difficult to prove if one is not an attorney.

OP's future may rest upon the answer to this LEGAL question. Best not to offer legal advice.

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I agree; I think my purpose here is more to gauge whether a hiring team (nurse manager, etc.) would see a denied request for a restraining order and automatically retract an offer.

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Specializes in ICU, Telemetry, Cardiac/Renal, Ortho,FNP.

Is it the employer asking or a background search company hired by the employer? If it's the employer then don't mention it. Your life is YOUR LIFE. Who gives an employer the "right" to know everything about you? Nobody except you! If it's a background company they will run a standard (aka cheap) arrest record search. Usually if something shows up on a "self search" (and there a lot of companies out there that you can use to do it) then it will show up and it's up to the employer to decide if it matters. The search company won't "filter" you out unless the employer has already set that standard expectation up. My advice...apply anyway. It's YOUR LIFE and whatever has happened is "your story". Don't be ashamed of it and don't hide from it. If someone truly cares about you they will listen to "your story" and if they don't care about you they will ignore you. Do you really want to work for an organization or person who doesn't care about you? It's just life and it isn't worth you stressing about it now--there are no perfect employees. Any employer worth working for already knows this.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.
Is it the employer asking or a background search company hired by the employer? If it's the employer then don't mention it. Your life is YOUR LIFE. Who gives an employer the "right" to know everything about you? Nobody except you! If it's a background company they will run a standard (aka cheap) arrest record search. Usually if something shows up on a "self search" (and there a lot of companies out there that you can use to do it) then it will show up and it's up to the employer to decide if it matters. The search company won't "filter" you out unless the employer has already set that standard expectation up. My advice...apply anyway. It's YOUR LIFE and whatever has happened is "your story". Don't be ashamed of it and don't hide from it. If someone truly cares about you they will listen to "your story" and if they don't care about you they will ignore you. Do you really want to work for an organization or person who doesn't care about you? It's just life and it isn't worth you stressing about it now--there are no perfect employees. Any employer worth working for already knows this.

What a strange response. This is about a business transaction. It's not about "caring" or "listening."

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I'm pretty sure the background check people don't care to listen to a story and it's not their job to decide if you are worth hiring. Their job is to collect the data and tell the employer what they want to know. The employer decides if the information changes their decision from Hire to Not Hire.

I don't think that anyone can really say what the administration at this potential job will think about it. If I were in the position of hiring you and I saw the denied request I might ask you about it, because it might be important or it might not. Hope it goes your way!

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the problem that i see here, is that the charge shows up, the the fact that it was dismissed has to be dug for....

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It's not a charge. It's a request for an injunction :/ not that it makes me feel any better about it.

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