Background Investigation Question

[hazZ71]

I have a question about the background investigation during the hiring process. I have read that investigators go around door to door asking childhood neighbors about what the applicant was like when they were growing up. Almost all of the neighbors loved me when I was younger. The people across the street were the only people that really hated my whole family. In fact they hated almost all of the neighbors. They were just weird, quiet people and they wouldn't even look at us when we would wave at them. My question is what if the investigators go to them and ask about me and they end up making me sound really bad because they hated me so much? Would they dismiss what they said if the other neighbors had nothing but good things to say about me? I just don't want those people to ruin my career.

[fullrearview]

People are people, not all of us can get along. Most background investigators will ask for details if they give you a bad review... If all they can say is you were a snot nosed skateboard riding kid who needed a hair cut, I think you will be just fine.

[Notorious]

You won't be DQ'ed based on one bad response if you get great responses everywhere else. It's a totality of the package evaluation... gotta see how you are overall as a person, and you can't expect everyone to love you, right?

But it will give the BI something else to look into if there are any valid issues being brought up.

[trob]

Really? Walking door to door? Who has the time to do that for every applicant? And what are the chances you or your childhood neighbors still live there? Sounds like a made up story.

You aren't applying for Pope....(ok, bad example)

[HappyCamper781]

No, they do not go door to f'ing door, that's a paranoid delusion. They go by family and named associates, people who you have worked with in the past, friends, etc.

[Ahimoth]

Could be applying for govt security clearance, or a job that will require a clearance. But they don't go door to door last time I went through. They just called the references.

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[Eikbyrnir]

Actually when I was going through the process, I came outside my house one day and there was my BI across the street. She was talking to my neighbor. It was pretty awkward. Departments definitely do things differently, especially when they have their own sworn personel who do it and don't pay a company to.

[DriftinG Z32]

My current dept went door to door and spoke with a majority of my neighbors. It can happen...

[ls2monaro]

Same here, bi went to every former employer, about six neighbors, and even a couple ex-girlfriends.

Good times!

[Falconis]

and sometimes they mail out questionnaires to every neighbor if they don't go door to door. I remember I had about 3 neighbors come up to me and show the forms at the time.

Like it was said above, it's a total package deal. Totality of the circumstances.

[Notorious]

Yes, some places do go door to door and not just in your current neighborhood.

[Khromo]

Fed agencies have different policies, and in some cases the same agency will have different levels of intrusiveness for positions with different security clearances. The background investigators are usually retired LEO's and they will exercize good judgement.

I got an upgraded security clearance once, and the investigator was a recently retired BATF special agent in charge. I was his first background investigation, and he was having no shortcuts! I was near the end of my career, and when he asked me for a non-LEO, non-family reference, I came up empty. All my friends were LEO's! He ground on me for twenty minutes while I squirmed in embarassment, until he finally let me off the hook. He was a good guy, doing what he was told to do, and it was a good interview, but he was pretty enthusiastic.

As he was finishing up, he mentioned that he would be doorknocking the neighbors.

The following night, the neighbors started showing up at my door, looking like they were attending a funeral. "How much trouble are you in?!?!" "What did you do?!?!" "Are you going to jail or something?!?!?"

The next door neighbors brought over a whole bunch of food, like when someone dies!

[Brien]

Depends what your getting a background check for and by who. My best friend works for a military contractor and occasionally gets higher security clearances or needs to renews and no one has ever called me.

[oddjob]

I've done quite a few backgrounds. The answer is yes....we do contact your neighbors. I did contacts face to face.

Bad comments from just one neighbor doesn't mean much. I wouldn't worry about it.

[NorCalPatriot]

My background investigator went door to door in my neighborhood and talked to at least 8 people, maybe more (the 8 came over and told me). He went to my job, and talked with all of my references. I guess some agencies might not have the time or manpower to go to that extent, but the POST BI guidelines suggest a certain amount of due diligence.

Saying they don't go is FUD.

No, they do not go door to f'ing door, that's a paranoid delusion. They go by family and named associates, people who you have worked with in the past, friends, etc.