We live in a day and age when employers can't be too careful about who they hire. Regardless of the job you're applying for, you're basically asking the employer to trust you. Naturally, they'll want to be sure that you won't steal lead-lined drywall from the construction site or walk off with the day's deposits. To determine whether or not you're trustworthy, they'll rely partly on their impressions during the interview and partly on the results of your criminal record check. Here are some facts about criminal record checks that you should be aware of.

Not all employers will require you to submit a criminal record check. If you're just answering phones for an Oshawa auto body shop, they probably won't ask you for one. However, in any situation where you're going to be handling sensitive personal information (such as credit card numbers or social security numbers), money, or working with children or other vulnerable persons, you will need to prove that you don't have a criminal history that would make it likely you would commit an offense while working for them.

Due to privacy laws, in many places the owner of a lumber strapping systems company cannot go to the police and ask for a record check on you. You must ask for it yourself and bring the results or have them sent to your employer. Most police departments charge a fee of about $30 for each record check. If your employer has asked you for it, they should reimburse you for the fee. Because of this fee, employers will usually only ask you for a record check once they have already decided to hire you as confirmation that they made the right choice.

Many people are nervous about getting a criminal record check because they're not sure what will show up on it. Criminal record checks are done on the database of the law enforcement agency (such as your local police department) that you apply to. Therefore any time you show up in their records - for an arrest, being mandated to receive anxiety treatment in Hamilton, and some traffic offenses - will show up on the record. Juvenile records and anything that has been expunged will not show up in the record check. Any instances in which you were a victim and needed police assistance will also not show up.

The results that your employer receives from the police may or may not be detailed. Generally if you don't show up in the records, that's all the letter will say. If you do, they may simply state you have a record and leave it at that. In this case, you may need to explain the details to the employer so they know that it was for something unrelated to the water treatment chemicals business.