Can You Look Up Someone’s Past Jobs or Employment History?

A person's work ethic reveals a great deal about them, and so does the type of work they do. Learning about someone’s employment history can be a way to get to know them better or build a relationship with them. It may also be a way to assure yourself that you can trust a person, especially when you intend to lend them money and want to be sure they have the means to pay back. More commonly, looking up employment history is a step in the hiring process. 

However, obtaining a person’s full employment history is not always straightforward - while some employment information may be public or voluntarily shared, privacy laws often restrict full access in many cases. And since the individual is the primary and most common source of their employment history, it is also possible that they may make exaggerated claims about their position, misrepresent the workplace, or engage in unethical or unprofessional behavior. 

How Employment History Is Typically Documented

A person’s employment history is an important part of their career, and is particularly important when seeking a new job or career opportunity. Employment history is the record of a person’s work experiences, as shown by the previous places they have worked. 

Employment history typically contains details of past employment, such as the job title, company name, employment duration, and supervisors' names and contact information. It is a document that shows prospective employers, even before they sit down with the candidate, whether they have the experience required to fill a vacant position.

An accurate employment history is critical for developing a successful job application and displaying a candidate's professional expertise and accomplishments. Employment history includes the following components:

• Job Titles: The titles of the individual's past positions, such as CEO, CFO, marketing manager, senior editor, etc.
• Employers: These include the names of the companies or organizations where the individual has worked. These could be the government or the private sector.
• Employment Dates: The beginning and end dates of each employment period.
• Job Responsibilities: A description of the duties, responsibilities, and tasks associated with each employment. Job responsibilities can be diverse and dependent on the particular organization; however, the general roles of a job can be gleaned from its title.
• Achievements: This includes notable successes and contributions made during each employment term, typically presented as accomplished goals.
• Skills and Training: Knowledge and training gained during past employment. This might be internal or external training or certifications.

Individuals may record past employment by using resumes and public profiles like LinkedIn. These summarize a person’s skills, qualifications, and experiences and are often requested by potential employers. Hiring managers or recruiters may also use a person’s professional licenses to verify their employment history and determine if they are a fit for the role.

Employment history provides various advantages to both job seekers and businesses. They help to establish credibility by demonstrating the candidate's qualifications, experience, and reliability. Employment history assists employers in matching qualified people with job vacancies that match their abilities and experiences. 

They also enable reference checks and verify the candidate's employment history and performance. They display the candidate's professional advancement, growth, and development throughout time and give candidates a competitive advantage by emphasizing their relevant experience and accomplishments.

Ways To Look Up Past Jobs or Employers

There are a good number of ways one can look up an individual’s past jobs or employers legally and practically. These include contacting previous employers, checking with the state’s unemployment office, and the Social Security Administration. Other ways you can look up an individual's past jobs include:

Search LinkedIn and Professional Profiles

LinkedIn is arguably the foremost social media platform for career-minded professionals. Many people in the professional space update their professional profiles and share information about their employment on LinkedIn. Most LinkedIn profiles contain information on a person’s current and past jobs, including summaries of the roles they held, the job duration, their employers, and their accomplishments. It also contains their educational qualifications, skills, and volunteer jobs.

However, it is important to note that some people overstate or even lie about their employment experience on their CV or LinkedIn page. Their employer had no involvement in creating this profile; therefore, you must take the person at their word. It is best to contact the listed employers to verify any claims you see on the profile. 

Other social media platforms can be a beneficial tool. Beyond LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and other platforms can disclose even more information about the individual's work history. Many people post about their jobs on TikTok, X, Instagram, or Facebook, including images and videos in their workplaces and with their colleagues. 

Check Resume Databases or Job Boards

Resume databases and job boards are platforms that allow professionals to upload their resumes so that recruiters can review them and find suitable candidates. These platforms, such as Indeed, Glassdoor, ZipRecruiter, and local hiring portals, are great resources for learning about a person’s employment history. 

While some of these platforms do not offer a search by name feature, providing the specific job they have had can lead you to their profile and resume. You may also find their accounts on these platforms by searching online. Note that such history might be overstated by the individual, so it is advisable to verify any information you view on these databases and job boards.

Explore News Mentions or Press Releases

You may also look at press releases and news mentions about a person’s employment history. This is because local or industry news may reference a person’s professional history or position. While it might not be comprehensive, it can help verify a person’s job experience claim. You may search a person's name and job title on search engines to find news articles or press releases about them.

Use Public Licenses or Certifications

You can also check professional licensing boards or public registries. This can be particularly useful if the person worked in regulated fields, such as healthcare, law, or real estate, where there are licensing boards. 

Typically, licensing and certification are managed at the state level, so it is essential first to determine where the person is licensed before verifying their license from the relevant state board. Once you know the name of the licensing board, you can usually search by name, license number, license type, or city/county.

Search Court or Legal Records (if applicable)

While not common, it is possible to learn about someone’s employment history through court documents or legal records. This typically happens when the individual is a party in a lawsuit, testimony, or judgment. In a lawsuit, information on a person’s job experience might be found in the complaint, answer, discovery, or even during the civil trial. It may also be part of a legal testimony or the judgment of a case. 

Note that RecordsFinder makes it easy for users to search a person’s court history. The platform aggregates all publicly available court records across the country.

Can You Access Official Employment Records?

Employment records are generally private, kept by the individuals or those expressly permitted to keep them, such as HR departments. This means that such records can typically only be shared by the individual or through authorized HR channels upon request or as part of a job application. 

You may contact the former employer directly if you know their name or have their contact details. You can obtain additional information by contacting the company's human resources department via phone or email. Provide them with the person's name, dates of employment, and job title. Some employers may need the individual to sign a release before releasing this information. If you are conducting checks, you should obtain consent from the employee directly.

For employees in the public sector, you may find employment records in government job rosters or staff directories. These directories are maintained by the government and typically contain the names, job titles, contact details, and organisations of employees of the government. You will need to know the department, office, or agency where the individual works to find their name. 

Some examples of government staff directories include the US General Services Staff Administration Directory and the US Department of Transportation Staff Directory. Note that using this method, you will not find complete employment histories, prior jobs, performance evaluations, HR files, or disciplinary records.

Risks and Limitations of Searching Someone’s Work History

Searching for someone’s work history can come with its fair share of privacy concerns, ethical considerations, and legal limits. Checking someone’s employment history can sometimes violate personal boundaries. Beyond just the fact that getting information about a person's work past might come at the cost of their privacy, such searches are done without the express permission of the individual. While these searches have been mainly used for job decisions, they are hardly ever the full story and may not paint an accurate picture of the candidate. 

If you are an employer, you must be careful not to break any Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) laws as regulated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or any other regulations from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Misusing employment information can result in serious legal and financial consequences for both employers and employees. These include potential penalties, incarceration, and reputational harm. Violations can result from discrimination, unlawful employment, and inaccurate record-keeping, among other things.

FAQs About Looking Up Employment History

Is someone’s job history public?

No, an individual’s job history is not generally public. An individual might choose to make their work history public by creating a public professional profile on platforms like LinkedIn, a company or institution directory, or submitting their resume on job sites. However, an individual’s comprehensive work history, independent of their input, is not publicly accessible. 

How can I verify where someone works now?

To verify where someone works currently, you may start by asking them directly. You may also visit their LinkedIn and Facebook profiles. You may then verify their employment through the company, department, or agency’s staff directory or by using online search engines. Note that some organisations do not provide public databases of their current employees, especially those in the private sector.

Can I look up a government employee’s work history?

Many government departments provide a database of current employees; however, these are not comprehensive records and do not cover each employee’s full history. There are also government agencies that do not have publicly accessible staff directories.

What’s the best way to confirm a person’s former job title?

The best way to confirm a person’s former job title is to contact the former employer through their human resources department. You will need to provide the name of the employee, possible date of their employment, and likely job title or role. Note that you must have a good reason for inquiring about this; otherwise, your request is likely to be denied.

Is it legal to research someone’s work history online?

Yes, it is legal to research a person’s work history online, as long as you are not in a way that invades their privacy. Legal ways to search a person’s work history online include searching the LinkedIn profile, news articles, published resumes, and other public sources. You may also check public records and send an FOIA request. However, a work history search can become illegal if it involves accessing private databases without authorization, using impersonation or deception, or searching through hacked or stolen databases.

Can I search employment records using public databases?

Yes, you can search employment records using public databases. Many state and county governments maintain public records of court proceedings, property ownership, and other relevant information. You may search these records for information about someone's job history, such as court filings from a lawsuit against an employer. To obtain public records, visit your county clerk's office or search online for public record databases. 

However, not all public records are available online, and some may need you to visit the courthouse in person to obtain them. If possible, choose a people search service that integrates social media and public records. You may need to pay a small cost, but you will receive the most accurate information.