Hello! I was terminated today from my former job. Work in NC. I was informed that I was not eligible for rehire. Before I begin applying for new jobs, can anyone relate what the experience is like using the work number employment verification? I know they relay dates employed, but do they also indicate eligibility for rehire? Would it be better to just list my previous managers who I trust?

The quick version is that the accused reason for rehire is sketchy at best, and my attorney has stated that while I have no recourse for my job(at will state) I can pursue defamation if my former job prevents me from getting another job based on incorrect information. Obviously I'd like to avoid any issues with attorneys if possible.

Thank you for any advice!

What should I do and what will happen next?

Our office was unable to verify this employment due to the fact that the company listed utilizes The Work Number and the candidates account is unable to be accessed. The candidate will need to contact The Work Number (Equifax) to have the hold removed and allow us to access any available records.

Over the past year, there’s been a lot of misinformation being spread online in regards to The Work Number. Yes, a report that provides your past income, employment dates, and even business income does exist. No, it is not often accurate. But recruiters and verification services still use it, to try and poke holes in applicant’s resumes or stories. 

While researching this, we created a Compendium of everything TWN related, including:

• Where does the data come from?

• Step by step instructions on how to freeze your TWN

• Reasons to give when a recruiter asks about your frozen TWN

Please, if you don't know what the TWN is, please learn about it and freeze it! Even if you aren't lying or doing overemployment. For example, they've even convinced QuickBooks to sell them data on how much money your small business makes.

When writing your resume and negotiating pay, be mindful that Equifax operates a database called The Work Number that contains info on past employers, titles, pay, etc for a huge number of employees in the US. I recently discovered my report was wrong: it claimed I was a 'payroll specialist' rather than a 'computer systems engineer' at a previous employer because the person filling out the form put their own title instead of mine... About half my previous employers have entered data into it, and I have a feeling it might be integrated into modern HR tooling and ERP systems.

Definitely check your report and make sure no one jacked up your previous title, pay, etc. Receiving a copy of any consumer credit report, including these ones, is free. My current employer tells them about every single one of my paychecks, so keep in mind future employers might literally be able to see when you got your raises too. If you're as cautious as I am, you probably want to make sure the titles listed on your resume at least bear a passing resemblance to the ones in the report so it doesn't set off alarm bells for HR folks who don't understand tech title equivalence. If you're considering overemployment, note that both roles could show up on the report.

There are many other organizations that claim to provide info like this: I contacted the top 100 and no one else had any data on me, so I think The Work Number is far and away the most popular.

It's possible to freeze your report just like any other credit report, but keep in mind this might look suspicious.

Anyway, just be mindful that this stuff is out there and people have easy access to it. I think employers are technically supposed to tell you when the contents of a credit report are used against you, but it's impossible to enforce since they can just say nothing. You can get bad data removed for free as long as the employer either agrees it was wrong or just doesn't respond when Equifax contacts them.

Stay safe and aware out there, folks.

EDIT: Turns out they still have to get your consent before pulling this info, which occurs as part of the background check phase. Thanks to u/mediocreDev313 for the clarification!

EDIT2: I just pulled up my report to double-check what all is on it. The report can include:Union affiliation, worker's comp award dates, reason for termination, base pay, overtime, commission, bonuses, holiday pay, pension income, severance, vested stock, stick and vacation pay, tips, hours worked for each individual pay period, garnishments, cafeteria plan fees, next projected date and amount of pay increase, last date and amount of pay increase, payroll deduction for insurance coverage, reasons for insurance ineligibility, insurance coverage level, number of covered dependents on insurance, and COBRA participation.

EDIT3: Here's the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's list of consumer reporting agencies, contact details, and links to freeze your various reports: files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_consumer-reporting-companies-list_2023.pdf