Normal employment background check only looks for criminal convictions.
this post was submitted on 11 Jun 2025
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In the US. I believe the most invasive they can get is a credit check. (With your permission.) They will also call past employers to confirm years of employment and maybe check if you are eligible for rehiring.
Certainly not medical history.
We’re also assuming anything that shows up on the internet about you is fair game for a manager or HR person when making a hiring decision.
Some jobs (usually ones that are physically demanding/strenuous/require fitness) might have new hires undergo a health screening, though. Don't want to be sending someone to do underwater welding who suffers from respiratory issues, for example.
But in terms of history, you're right, absolutely not. If it's something that might just be sensitive/embarrassing but isn't part of the job description, it's none of their business.
Employer background checks won't show medical history, at least for the Private Sector.
medical data is sometimes sold to employers
Another day I am happy to not be living in the US.
In most countries they are not allowed to access medical records of any kind (read it's illegal). If the job requires it they can required to be tested "fit for the job". Even though they pay for that they only get a yes or no but no specifics
My therapist told me that a diagnosis of a mental health disorder means you have a disability*. So if they choose not to hire you because of your ASPD diagnosis, in the US at least, that's discrimination against a protected class. I have AvPD, and that was a concern for me too
*(although many disorders don't always earn the label "disability" when a person is seeking benefits)
Yeah, but good luck proving that. My partner is disabled, and has learned to avoid disclosing her disability until after she gets hired. Because if she mentions it during the interview process, she’ll get ghosted every time.
Proving it usually requires proving a pattern of behavior. And as an individual applicant who isn’t in touch with the other applicants (both past and present), that’s basically impossible to do.
Oh, yeah. I didn't mean to imply that getting a job with a disability is easy or that employers actually follow laws. I was more trying to point out that a personality disorder is a disability, because most people won't see it that way
I worried about that myself. I have a lot of baggage but I look at it like this; if they were so picky like that, I would not want to work for them anyway. Don't stress it, seriously.
Depends on your country and the law. In the EU AFAIK this would be classified as medical and illegal to query without your consent. And I've never heard of anyone who isn't a doctor getting such a request.
Doctors usually get a 'required to be vaccinated' thingy, but else? Never heard of it.