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Over the last 18 months, we have seen the rise of services to help recruiters catch interviewers lying, spy on their previous compensation, and list out their previous employment history. Since we are committed to encouraging job seekers to embrace their own self-interest, we have compiled this compendium detailing everything you need to know about TWN and related services.
This is a “living document” which will be constantly updated as the TWN service changes, so make sure to bookmark this, sign-up for our newsletter, and check back for updates.
TWN is not just for people lying on their on resume, but if you are concerned about an upcoming employment verification check,you have options.
The Work Number is an online database that stores employment and income records.Although it has been around since the 80’s, it has only just recently gotten popular as a screening or verification tool for recruiters. The information is to debt collectors, financial service companies and other entities. Despite the fact that we commonly share information on social media, etc. the one piece of information that is held sacred is our compensation.The Work Number sells that history to whomever wants to buy.
“It’s the biggest privacy breach in our time, and it’s legal and no
one knows it’s going on,” said Robert Mather, who runs an employment
background company named Pre-
Employ.com.
“It’s like a secret CIA.”
Salary information is not the only information for sale by The Work Number. Its database is detailed enough to include week-by-week paystub information (dating back years for many individuals), business income (we believe they are purchasing data from Quickbooks), as well as other kinds of human resources-related information, such as health care provider, whether someone has dental insurance, and if you’ve ever filed an unemployment claim. In 2009, Equifax said the data covered 30 percent of the U.S. working population – we believe that number to now be closer to 50-60%, and The Work Number claims to be adding 12 million records annually.
How I Prospected for a Job
The origins of The Work Number date back to the late 1980s when the profit potential associated with manual employment verification processes. At that time, employers, lenders, landlords, and government agencies relied on more “personal” methods to verify employment and income information, such as direct contact with employers’ human resources departments or requiring pay stubs.
The Work Number was officially launched in 1985 as an automated employment and income verification service. Initially, the service targeted large employers who could benefit the most from reducing the workload associated with manual verifications.
Throughout the 1990s, The Work Number expanded its reach by incorporating more employers and refining its technology. The service leveraged advancements in database management and telecommunications to improve the speed and reliability of verifications. This period also saw the establishment of partnerships with various industries, including finance, housing, and government, which further integrated The Work Number into critical verification processes.
In reality, given that TWN was still an offline process, it did not catch-on since it was no easier than just calling an employer and asking for the same information.
The 2000s marked a significant period of growth and technological enhancement for The Work Number. As the internet became more widely accessible, The Work Number transitioned to an online platform, making it even more convenient for verifiers to access employment and income data. This shift not only increased the speed of verifications but also enhanced security measures to protect sensitive information.
Falsifying Educational Credentials
During this decade, The Work Number also expanded its services to include much more detailed and comprehensive data – and became a lot more dangerous for employees. This included not just basic employment information but also detailed income records, which were crucial for lenders and other financial institutions. It was still considered a novelty service during this time, and seldomly used.
The Work Number, which was part of an independent St.Louis-based firm named TALX, was acquired by Equifax in 2007 for $1.4 billion.
In the 2010s and beyond, The Work Number continued to evolve with the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning. These technologies further improved the scope of data that could be synthesized, compiled, and sold to recruiters.
Today, The Work Number is used by millions of employers, employees, and verifiers. Its extensive database covers a wide range of industries, making it a comprehensive resource for employment and income verification.
TWN is not just for people lying on their on resume, but if you are concerned about an upcoming employment verification check, you have options.
Even if you are not lying on your resume or during the interview (a practice that we fully embrace), all job seekers must stay abreast of what TWN and related services can do to their career. The information will typically be used during a job verification, but has started to be used by recruiters during the interview process itself. It can also be pulled and referred to at will, since most contracts are flat-fee (HR does not pay to pull information at will on any of their employees). This means that even after you start your job, the TWN report can still be used against you. The justification for at-will pulls, is that companies want to catch employees who are overemployed.
But the real problem, is that at times, job seekers have complained about errors in the data.
TWN is not just for people lying on their on resume, but if you are concerned about an upcoming employment verification check, you have options.
A TWN report is quite comprehensive, and includes information on a job seeker’s employment dates, salary history, paystub information, health care provider, whether someone has dental insurance, and if they’ve ever filed an unemployment claim. It also now shows business income, which we suspect is being sold by QuickBooks. Previously, procuring this data was illegal, but Equifax found a work-around to the system.
How does Equifax obtain this sensitive information? With the willing aid of thousands of U.S. businesses, including much of the Fortune 500. Government agencies (as much as 80-85% of the federal civilian workforce) use the service, including schools and healthcare workers. In order to access the data, these organizations also allow a quid pro quo – they allow Equifax to tap directly into their HR systems so the credit bureau can sell the information to others. In other words, these organizations actually pay Equifax for the privilege of giving away their employees’ personal information.
Equifax also sells this data to third parties, including debt collectors and other financial services companies.
“The story here is how (The Work Number) is getting this information,” he said. “When people find out, no respectable employer will continue to do this.” Robert Mather, who runs a small employment background company named Pre-Employ.com
Yes, Lie on your LinkedIn
TWN is not just for people lying on their on resume, but if you are concerned about an upcoming employment verification check, you have options.
Companies sign up for The Work Number because it gives them an easy way to outsource employment verification of former workers.
Firms hate taking these calls, which usually come when a former employee is applying for a new job, because they are a costly distraction for human resources departments and open the firm up to lawsuits if someone says something disparaging about the former employee. So they contract with The Work Number, which automates the process. In exchange, firms upload their human resources data to The Work Number, which was part of an independent St.Louis-based firm named TALX until it was acquired by Equifax in 2007 for $1.4 billion.
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