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Comment by cancelled | Hacker News Reader

Sorry you had to make an account, but it's really appreciated. The contracting work is good advice, I have been looking exclusively for full time positions, at small agencies for sure, but still, no dice as I've said. Maybe I need to just pick up that small time contracting work in tandem with a full name change. That would be preferable to the fast-food restaurant I've been working at for the past 2 months.

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The jobs I'm referencing are W2 with insurance and are often sent to big clients like Home Depot or 7-11 or whoever. The company that signs the check is some random agency, yes.

I would be shocked if you fail this background check. My experience across many such jobs has been that they just check for convictions using your drivers license.

If you get an offer and don't pass the background check, you actually have the right to appeal the decision I think.

But if you aren't getting the offer, your name is too unique, your work history is too uniquely tied to your name, and you need to apply with a nickname that is quite different from your real legal name (which is what my wife does as a cultural Chinese thing.

Employers carry out vastly differing amounts of due diligence. Lots do basically zero due diligence.

You need to relax. The world is not as serious as you think it is. You are talking to someone whose livelihood is at stake.

It's hard to strike it out on my own when my name is worthless. Thanks for your perspective.

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