Daily English 1268 Conducting Employee Background Checks

Dialogue/Story

Slow Speed begins at: 1:20
Explanation begins at: 3:58
Normal Speed begins at: 19:48

Complete Transcript

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 1,268 – Conducting Employee Background Checks.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 1,268. I’m your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.

This episode is a dialogue between Vanessa and Daniel about investigating the history of someone you may want to hire to work at your company. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Vanessa: I can’t wait until the new employees start work. We need the help.

Daniel: It won’t be for a while. Background checks have to be done first.

Vanessa: Background checks? Are those really necessary?

Daniel: You’d be surprised. We’ve been burned before. We don’t want to hire anyone with prior instances of negligence or anyone else who has been involved in a corporate scandal. Sometimes we even get people with fraudulent credentials.

Vanessa: Isn’t a background check kind of invasive? What do they check for, a criminal record?

Daniel: Yes, but that’s just the beginning. Investigators check driving records, credit reports, school transcripts, sex offender lists, and much more.

Vanessa: I had no idea.

Daniel: When someone runs your Social Security number, all kinds of things come up. Investigators also check court records and medical records.

Vanessa: That’s amazing.

Daniel: On top of all that, they often speak with past employers and character references.

Vanessa: And the new hires are okay with the company doing this kind of invasive background check?

Daniel: You were.

Vanessa: Me?! You mean they ran a background check on me before I was hired?

Daniel: You bet.

Vanessa: So they know all about . . .

Daniel: What?

Vanessa: Forget it.

[end of dialogue]

Today’s episode is called “Conducting Employee Background Checks.” “To conduct” (conduct) here means to do, to carry out, a certain action. The action here relates to employees. An “employee” is someone who works for a company. The person who owns the company is called the “employer,” and the person who works for the employer is the “employee.” Vanessa begins by saying, “I can’t wait until the new employees start work. We need help.” “I can’t wait” means I am looking forward to. I am hoping this time will come soon.

Daniel says, “It won’t be for a while,” meaning it will take some time. It won’t happen right away. He explains, “Background checks have to be done first.” A “background (background) check” is an investigation of someone’s past, of what they have done in the past, especially making sure this person hasn’t committed any crimes, hasn’t been arrested by the police, or hasn’t done anything that would make the company not want to hire that person or make that person an employee. Vanessa says, “Background checks? Are those really necessary?”

Daniel responds, “You’d be surprised,” meaning “Yes, you would be surprised,” or “It would surprise you to know how necessary they are.” He explains, “We’ve been burned before.” “To be burned” (burned) here means to have a bad experience, especially because you’ve trusted someone. If you trust someone to help you, or if you trust someone with some money – you give someone some money thinking that person is going to give it back to you – and then that person leaves with your money, we would say you were “burned.” You trusted a person and that person did not do what he said he would do.

Daniel says, “We don’t want to hire anyone with prior instances of negligence” (negligence). “Negligence” is not taking care of something the way you are supposed to. “Negligence” is when you don’t want to do something wrong, but you’re not very careful, and because you’re not careful, something bad happens. Daniel talks about not wanting to hire anyone with “prior (prior) instances of negligence.” “Prior instances” just means things that happened in the past. The word “prior” means before now, or in the past. “Instances” just mean specific cases or times when certain things happened.

Daniel says they also don’t want to hire anyone “who’s been involved in a corporate scandal.” “Corporate” (corporate) refers to a corporation, or a large company. A “scandal” (scandal) is when someone does something wrong and it becomes public, and then people start talking about it, giving the company perhaps a bad reputation. Daniel’s company doesn’t want to hire anyone who has been involved in a “corporate scandal.”

“Sometimes,” he continues, “we even get people with fraudulent credentials.” “Fraudulent” (fraudulent) means false, or not real. “Credentials” (credentials) are things that show or demonstrate that you are qualified to do something. Credentials might include a certificate that shows you know how to do a certain job, or a degree from a university, or some other proof that you are capable of doing what you say you are able to do.

Vanessa asks, “Isn’t a background check kind of,” or somewhat, “invasive (invasive)?” “Invasive” means finding out information about someone that you don’t really need to know or you shouldn’t know. “Invasive” is sometimes defined as violating someone’s “privacy” (privacy). “Privacy” refers to things that are yours, that belong to you, or that are about you that no one else has a right to know.

Vanessa says, “What do they check for? A criminal record?” A “criminal record” is proof that you have been arrested by the police – that you have broken the law and that you have been found guilty. In other words, the judge or the court said “Yes, you committed,” or did, “this crime.” Daniel says, “Yes” – they check for a criminal record – “but that’s just the beginning. Investigators,” people who look at someone’s background, “check,” or look at, “driving records, credit reports, school transcripts, sex offender lists, and much more.”

A background check, at least in some places in the United States or by some companies, could involve looking at things such as your “driving record.” This would be a report of whether you have ever speeded or have ever broken any traffic laws and been punished for it. It might also involve “credit reports.” A “credit report” shows how much money you have borrowed, or whether you pay your credit cards on time, whether you have had any bankruptcies – that is, if you’ve been unable to pay your bills in the past.

A background check might also include “school transcripts.” A “transcript” (transcript) is a record of all the classes or courses you took in school and what grade you got in those classes. A “sex offender (offender) list” is a list of people living in a particular area who have been arrested and found guilty in the past of some sex crimes, such as rape or having sex with someone who is not legally of age. In many places in the U.S., the government keeps a list of where sex offenders live, and they are required after they get out of jail to tell the government where they are living and people can look at these lists and see if those people are living near you.

I should mention that all of these things, such as driving records, credit reports, school transcripts (but not sex offender lists) would require your permission. So, if you were going to work for a company, you would give the company permission. You would say, “Yes, I say it’s okay for you to look at all of these different records.” Typically, the companies can’t look at these things unless they ask you first and you say yes. Sex offender lists are different. Those are public information.

Vanessa said she had no idea, meaning she didn’t realize this is what a background check could involve. Daniel continues, “When someone runs your Social Security number, all sorts of things come up. Investigators also check court records and medical records.”

Your “Social Security number” is a nine-digit number, or nine numbers, assigned or given to each citizen of the United States that is used to identify you. Technically it’s supposed to be so that you can get benefits when you are old and retire or need help from the government, but in fact it’s a number that every U.S. citizen and even some non-citizens are given to identify them, and you are asked for that number by the government or by companies in order to identify you.

Daniel refers to “running” someone’s Social Security number. “To run” here means simply to put that number into a computer to get information about a person. When you do that, according to Daniel, “all kinds of things come up.” In other words, you can learn a lot about a person depending on which database or which source of information you use.

He says, “Investigators can also check court records and medical records.” “Court records” are reports about what an individual has done in terms of the law – if a person has been arrested, or if a person has tried to sue another person to get money from another person because the other person hasn’t paid him, and so forth – anything involving the government and the court system, judges, and so forth. Most of that information is public information, except when it involves children who are not yet of legal age – who are less than 18 years old.

“Medical records” refer, of course, to what your doctor knows about you – things that happen in a hospital and so forth. Medical records are private, again, unless typically you give permission for someone to look at them. Vanessa says, “That’s amazing.” She’s surprised at all of the things these background checks can learn about you.

Daniel says, “On top of all that,” meaning in addition, “they often speak with past employers and character references.” “They” here refers to the investigators.

They may talk to the people you used to work for as well as some friends and family who would be character references. A “character (character) reference (reference)” is someone who has known you for a long time and can say if you are a good person morally or ethically, for example. For certain government jobs that involve security, you may have family members or friends who are interviewed by the government to make sure you’re not a spy, or that you are trustworthy and reliable.

Vanessa says, “And the new hires are okay with the company doing this kind of invasive background check?” She’s asking if the people who are going to be hired by the company, who are going to be employees, are okay with the company doing all of these checks. Daniel says, “You were.” Vanessa is surprised. She’s surprised to learn that the company ran a background check on her. She says, “You mean they ran a background check on me before I was hired?”

Daniel says, “You bet.” “You bet” is an informal way of saying yes, absolutely, that is correct. Vanessa says, “So they know all about . . .” She’s about to tell us perhaps something secret. And Daniel says, “What?” He wants to know what Vanessa is going to tell him, and she says, “Forget it,” meaning don’t worry about it, or I don’t want to tell you anymore. Obviously, she has perhaps some secret that the background check didn’t find.

Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.

[start of dialogue]

Vanessa: I can’t wait until the new employees start work. We need the help.

Daniel: It won’t be for a while. Background checks have to be done first.

Vanessa: Background checks? Are those really necessary?

Vanessa: Isn’t a background check kind of invasive? What do they check for, a criminal record?

Daniel: Yes, but that’s just the beginning. Investigators check driving records, credit reports, school transcripts, sex offender lists, and much more.

Vanessa: I had no idea.

Daniel: When someone runs your Social Security number, all kinds of things come up. Investigators also check court records and medical records.

Vanessa: That’s amazing.

Daniel: On top of all that, they often speak with past employers and character references.

Vanessa: And the new hires are okay with the company doing this kind of invasive background check?

Daniel: You were.

Vanessa: Me?! You mean they ran a background check on me before I was hired?

Daniel: You bet.

Vanessa: So they know all about . . .

Daniel: What?

Vanessa: Forget it.

[end of dialogue]

Our scripts are written by someone of the highest character, Dr. Lucy Tse. Thank you, Lucy.

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Come back and listen to us again right here on ESL Podcast.

Glossary

background check – an investigation of someone’s past activities, including any crimes committed, usually before offering that person a job

* The school requires the all volunteers have a background check before they’re allowed to be near children.

to be burned – to have a bad experience, especially because one was too trusting

* Nic was burned in his last relationship when his girlfriend lied to him.

negligence – not taking good care of something; having negative consequences from not doing what one should have done

* Their negligence in caring for the home led to very expensive roof repairs.

corporate scandal – when a company and/or its employees are found to have done something wrong after they tried to hide it, especially involving lies, corruption, and stealing

* After our corporate scandal over selling customer contact information to other companies without permission, we lost a lot of customers.

fraudulent credentials – lies about one’s qualifications; dishonest statements about one’s education, experience, and/or skills, used to get a job

* Her resume was so impressive, but later we found out that she had listed fraudulent credentials.

invasive – violating someone’s privacy; finding someone’s secret or confidential information, especially without his or her permission

* Those questions were so invasive! Why did you answer them?

criminal record – written documentation about the ways in which someone has broken the law; an official report of the crimes that someone has committed

* Would you consider hiring someone with a criminal record?

investigator – detective; someone whose job is to research and figure out what happened, or to learn everything possible about a person’s background

* They hired an investigator to help them find their daughter.

driving record – a report showing how long someone has had a driver’s license and detailed information about each time he or she was caught breaking the law while driving

* Whenever we get a speeding ticket, that info is added to our driving record.

credit report – a report showing how much money one has borrowed and still owes, the amount of one’s payments, and detailed information about whether one pays bills on time, used by banks and other institutions

* This credit report shows that Hannah is a responsible buyer who always pays her credit card bills on time.

school transcript – a report showing all the courses that a student has taken at a particular school or university, as well as the grades that student received

* Samuel said he was a good student, but his school transcript shows several Cs and a D.

sex offender list – a list of all the people living in a particular area who have been arrested for hurting another person in a sexual way, maybe by having sex with a person who is less than 18 years old or by forcing someone to have sex

* They almost bought that house, but they changed their mind when they realized that the neighbor was on the sex offender list.

to run (a report) – to tell a computer to create a particular report

* Please run a report on our monthly sales figures.

Social Security number – a 9-digit number assigned to each U.S. citizen and people legally living in the United States that is used for identification, in the form of ###-##-####

* Hospitals help new parents request a Social Security number for their babies.

court record – a detailed report about all the interactions an individual has had with the court system, including the details of any legal trials and the decision(s) made by the judge(s)

* The court records show that several customers have sued that company over the same issue in the past three years.

medical records – a detailed report describing someone’s health history, including when he or she had medical appointments, what was discussed during those appointments, all treatments that were received, and a list of all medications

* When meeting with a new doctor, bring copies of your medical records so that she can be aware of all your health conditions.

character reference – a person who has known an applicant for a long time and can comment on his or her personality, interests, values, and reliability

* The MBA program requires that applicants provide contact information for one academic reference, one professional reference, and one character reference.

Comprehension Questions

1. What are fraudulent credentials?
a) A list of criminals who have completed fraud
b) Lies about one’s experience, education, and other qualifications
c) Detailed information about the types of frauds a criminal has committed
2. What are character references?
a) A report on someone’s personality traits
b) People who can comment on someone’s personal qualities
c) A list of journals and articles being cited or referenced in a report

Answers at bottom.

What Else Does It Mean?

to be burned

The phrase “to be burned,” in this podcast, means to have a bad experience, especially because one was too trusting: “We really got burned when we signed that legal contract without reading it first.” If money “burns a hole in (one’s) pocket,” it means that someone wants to spend that money very quickly: “I just got paid, and this cash is burning a hole in my pocket. Let’s go shopping!” The phrase “to burn (one’s) bridges” means to do something that damages a relationship or opportunity so that one will not be able to return to it later: “When you leave a job, say goodbye professionally to avoid burning your bridges.” Finally, the phrase “to burn the midnight oil” means to work very late at night, or all night: “During final exams, most of the students were burning the midnight oil.”

character reference

In this podcast, the phrase “character reference” means a person who has known an applicant for a long time and can comment on his or her personality, interests, values, and reliability: “Heather’s professional references spoke highly of her, but her character reference couldn’t tell us if she as trustworthy.” The phrase “in character” means behaving as one normally does: “Lately, her actions haven’t been in character. I wonder if she’s having problems at home.” The phrase “out of character” means behaving in unusual ways: “Jake is always so serious, so that funny response he gave was really out of character, which made everyone laugh even more.” Finally, “strength of character” refers to someone’s loyalty, honesty, courage, and hard work: “I really admire Cuong’s strength of character in difficult situations.”

Culture Note

Ban the Box Laws

Many companies require that “job applicants” (people who are asking for a job) “fill out” (complete with information) “application forms” (pieces of paper that request information). These forms request basic information about the applicants, their education and experience, and their interest in the “opening” (the available job). Many of these forms include a “checkbox” (a small box that one places a checkmark in, like this þ, to indicate a positive response) next to a phrase like “Do you have a criminal record?”

Many nonprofit organizations that “advocate for” (publicly support) “ex-offenders” (people who have committed a crime in the past, but are now out of prison or jail) argue that “the box” (the checkbox indicating whether an applicant has a criminal record) is unfair and “discriminatory” (treating one group of people differently than others). They argue that asking this question on the application form puts ex-offenders “at a disadvantage” (having greater obstacles or challenges than others) and makes it less likely for them to get a job, which also makes them more likely to “return to a life of crime” (continue breaking the law).

Many of these organizations are working together to encourage cities and states to “enact” (make into law) Ban the Box laws, which would “forbid” (not allow) application forms to ask about an applicant’s criminal record. As of the summer of 2015, 18 states and 52 cities had enacted “such” (this kind of) laws, although they do “make exceptions” (state that something does not apply) for job positions that involve working with children.

Comprehension Answers

1 - b

2 - b