关于背景调查的最大混淆领域之一是他们如何考虑更名。 有人估计 ，在美国，每年有 50,000 人更改他们的法定姓名。由于犯罪记录通常是根据姓名提交的，因此雇主有些担心标准的背景调查不会找到与候选人以前姓名相关的信息。与此同时，一些求职者想知道他们是否可以通过在工作申请中列出虚假姓名来避免背景调查（例如犯罪记录）中的危险信号。

对于雇主来说，好消息是  对候选人进行别名背景调查是一种简单、经济且有效的选择。

人们因许多不同的原因而改变自己的名字。结婚和离婚是更名的最常见原因，但并不是唯一的原因。演员、音乐家和其他表演者经常采用“艺名”，无论是正式（合法）还是非正式的。跨性别者通常采用与他们认同的性别相匹配的新名字。有些人只是改变他们的名字，因为他们不喜欢他们出生时的名字。

在就业情况下，问题是，与一个人的旧姓名相关的所有历史会发生什么变化？

一个人过去的某些元素比其他元素更容易链接到他们的新法定名称。例如，当一个人更改姓名并获得新的驾驶执照时，DMV 将在该人的驾驶历史中更新姓名。如果雇主  对该人进行 DMV 背景调查，那么他们过去的所有罚单、执照吊销和其他违规行为——在他们更名之前和之后——都应该显示在背景调查中。

其他类型的背景信息不太可能与新名称相关联。例如，如果您想验证候选人作为雇主的工作经历，如果该人最近更改了姓名，那么您可能会遇到麻烦。过去的经理或人力资源部门以不同的名字认识您的候选人，并且可能以该姓名而不是您认识的姓名归档了该人的就业记录。

当雇主核实工作经历 或 教育时，这些情况可能会引起一些混乱 。 在大多数情况下，专业许可证会更新以匹配候选人的新姓名。

虽然有些人认为所有犯罪记录都与一个人的社会安全号码相关联，但事实并非如此。因为犯罪记录是公共记录的一部分，所以它们不能包含任何敏感信息——这意味着没有 SSN。与犯罪记录相关联的有关个人的最重要信息是姓名、出生日期和地址。因此，大多数犯罪历史搜索都是基于姓名的。如果某人更改了姓名并且雇主使用他们的新姓名进行背景调查，则检查将找不到与候选人旧姓名相关的任何信息。

这个难题有解决方案。当候选人填写工作申请时，他们通常会被要求提供各种各样的信息，包括姓名、当前地址、出生日期、过去的姓名（包括婚前姓名）、SSN，甚至过去的地址。有了这些信息，雇主可以扩大背景调查的范围，以找到更准确的信息。 雇主可以在多个地点和多个名字下进行背景调查，而不是 只在一个地方或一个名字下查找犯罪记录。

直接从申请人那里获取这些信息——并相信他们会提供——并不是唯一的选择。在 GOOHO.CN，我们总是要求我们服务的雇主为他们的候选人背景调查提供 SSN 详细信息 。这些信息有助于我们将一个人的真实身份与其犯罪历史记录联系起来。它还使我们能够运行 地址历史检查 或别名背景检查，这两者都可以帮助我们深入挖掘候选人的历史。

虽然姓名更改可能会使背景调查的某些部分复杂化，但它们并不是永久性障碍。雇主应利用我们的别名背景调查等工具，以避免在审查候选人时出现漏报。与此同时，求职者应该对娘家姓和其他过去的名字诚实。不提前披露这些信息可能会导致背景调查过程的延迟，使招聘经理感到沮丧，甚至被视为逃避背景调查的一种方式。

在 COVID-19 及其造成的高失业率之后，求职者可能比平时更渴望找到工作。这种情况可能会导致招聘过程中的不诚实行为增加，包括关于姓名和身份的谎言，旨在隐藏犯罪历史或个人背景的其他元素。

联系 GOOHO.CN 以帮助设计一个彻底的背景调查流程，其中包括针对候选人谎言的故障安全保护。

Some estimates point to 50,000 people changing their legal names each year in the United States. Since criminal records are typically filed based on name, there is some worry among employers that standard background checks won’t find information associated with a candidate’s previous name. At the same time, some job seekers wonder if they can avoid red flags on a background check (such as criminal history) by listing a false name on a job application.

The good news for employers is that running an alias background check on a candidate is an easy, affordable, and effective option.

People change their names for many different reasons. Marriage and divorce are the most common reasons for name changes, but they aren’t the only ones. Actors, musicians, and other performers often adopt “stage names,” whether officially ( legally) or unofficially. Transgender individuals typically adopt new names that match the gender with which they identify. Some people just change their names because they don’t like the name that they were given at birth.

In employment situations, the question is, what happens to all the history that is associated with a person’s old name?

Some elements of a person’s past are easier to link to their new legal name than others. For instance, when a person changes their name and gets a new driver’s license, the DMV will update the name across that person’s driving history. If an employer runs a DMV background check on that person, all their past tickets, license suspensions, and other infractions—from before and after they changed their name—should show up on the background check.

Other types of background information are less likely to be linked to a new name. For instance, if you want to verify a candidate’s work history as an employer, you may have trouble doing so if the individual has changed their name recently. Past managers or HR departments know your candidate by a different name and likely have that person’s employment records filed under that name, not the one that you know.

These situations can cause some confusion when employers verify employment history or education. Professional licenses, in most cases, will update to match the candidate’s new name.

While some people assume that all criminal records are linked to a person’s Social Security Number, that is not the case. Because criminal records are a part of the public record, they can’t include any sensitive information—which means no SSNs. The top pieces of information about a person that will be linked to their criminal record are name, birthdate, and address. For this reason, most criminal history searches are name-based. If a person has changed their name and an employer runs a background check using their new name, the check won’t find any information associated with the candidate’s old name.

There are solutions for this conundrum. When a candidate fills out a job application, they are typically asked for a wide variety of information, including name, current address, birthdate, past names (including maiden names), SSN, and even past addresses. With these pieces of information, employers can widen the scope of their background checks to find more accurate information. Instead of looking for criminal records in just one place or under one name, the employer can order background checks in multiple locations and for multiple names.

Getting this information directly from applicants—and trusting them to provide it—isn’t the only option. At backgroundchecks.com, we always ask the employers that we serve to provide SSN details for their candidate background checks. This information helps us to link a person’s true identity with their criminal history records. It also enables us to run an address history check or alias background check, both of which can help us dig deeper into a candidate’s history.

While name changes can complicate certain parts of a background check, they aren’t a permanent barrier. Employers should utilize tools such as our alias background check to avoid false negatives when they vet their candidates. Job seekers, meanwhile, should be honest about maiden names and other past names. Not disclosing this information upfront could cause delays in the background check process, frustrate hiring managers, and even be viewed as a way to evade background checks.

In the wake of COVID-19 and the high unemployment rates that it has caused, job seekers could be more desperate than usual to find work. This situation could lead to increased dishonesty in the hiring process, including lies about name and identity that are meant to hide criminal history or other elements of a person’s background.

Contact backgroundchecks.com for help designing a thorough background check process that includes failsafe protections against candidate lies.