Professional References: Available on request. But, please read on...
Due diligence in the employment process: I completely understand the need
to protect one's self against hiring someone who may be a thief, felon, drug addict
or whatever else is out there. Should an employee cause your company legal problems
and if the victim can prove that you knew or should have known that the employee was
prone to such behavior, you've got yourself a real problem.
A good example would be illegal drug use. I have never used illegal drugs in my
entire life.. ever.. And I would hope that a potential employer would just take
my word on this. But these days, mandatory drug tests are the norm so I go with the
flow. I will, however, mention in passing that the last three US Presidents have
all admitted to using illegal drugs so I'm wondering who has the more important job,
them or me.
I think pretty much everyone has two or three drinking buddies who will say nice
things about them if called for a "reference check". Having an impressive sounding
title, either real or fabricated, is easy to do. If you've read my White Paper on
Digital ID Certification, then you know that an identification that cannot be verified
has no value at all. So please allow me to provide verifiable proof that I am
an upstanding, honest and law-abiding US Citizen.
Whether or not you support the Second Amendment to the US Constitution, you should know
that Concealed Carry Handgun licenses are very difficult to obtain and are ridiculously
easy to lose. I happen to have CHLs for Oregon, Washington and Utah.
Here's the nickle tour on what's involved in getting a CHL and why anyone
who has one is viewed as a "good guy" by Law Enforcement and others:
- You must be a US Citizen
- You must have no felony convictions, ever
- You must have no misdameanor convictions within the past 4 years
- You must have no mental health issues
- You must not use illegal drugs
- You must not have had any domestic battery complaints (complaints, not arrests), ever
- You must not have had any restraining orders against you, ever
In addition, you must undergo a mental health, State Police and FBI criminal background
check for each State that you apply for a CHL. Your background is also checked in
all States that you've lived in for the past ten years.
You must provide two character references (in each State) who themselves must
have clean records.
These licenses are valid for 4-5 years, depending on the State, at which time you
have to go through the process all over again for renewal.
And of course you have to comply with a myriad of State and local laws and
ordinances with regard to handgun competency training, concealment and use.
And it should go without saying that people with anger management issues tend to
get themselves in trouble quickly if they walk around armed. I've had CHL's since
the early 1970's so no anger control issues here.
As an aside and so that the gentle reader won't think that I am a "gun nut", I am
also a Certified NRA gun safety Instructor and an NRA Certified Senior Range
Safety Officer. While I don't necessarily see anything wrong with it, I do not hunt
down dumb animals and shoot them. I shoot at cardboard and steel targets exclusively.
I am very active in IPSC competitive shooting. This sport is about 50:50
regular folks like me and Law Enforcement Officers. I am also an Oregon State Police
DPSST training volunteer. This also requires undergoing the afore mentioned State
and Federal background checking.
Also noteworthy is the fact that I have lived in the same house for 25 years and that
my 30 year mortgage was paid off in half that time. I have zero debt and I live
well within my means. I have never received so much as a parking ticket. And except
for being hit head on by a drunk, uninsured driver who ran a stop sign in 2007, my
driving record is downright boring.
I am a LinkedIn member: I have over a dozen professional recommendations
and references on the networking site LinkedIn.com. Most were written by very happy
previous or current clients.
Professional references: I would hope that one would read the preceding,
verifiable information and have confidence that I am an upstanding Citizen. But if you
still feel the need to do a reference check on me, I can certainly accommodate that
once a conditional offer of employment has been presented to me in writing. I'm sure
you can appreciate that good references are hard to find and it is my obligation to
protect them from being over-utilized.
Sorry, but after losing several really good references due to over utilization,
I will no longer submit to reference checking for part time, occasional or very brief
(less than three months) projects. If you're worried that my 40+ years of
experience may be unsufficient for your short term project needs, feel free to look
over my dozen+ professional recommendations on LinkedIn.
Recruiting Agencies and HR people, please note: Sorry, but under no
circumstances will I submit to reference checking, background checking, drug
screening and/or credit checking prior to an interview with the hiring manager.
