So, you have a good education, a killer resume, references -- the whole nine yards. And yet, no one is hiring you! This was the case with a friend of mine, Betty M., who went through over 20 interviews for technical writing jobs and in many cases, was invited to come back in for second interviews, but Betty never made it beyond that second round. She was perplexed because she was perfectly qualified and the interviewers seemed to be very pleased to hear what Betty had to offer.

Now, with the economic downturn, her chances of finding a job did not improve. Betty wondered what to do to increase her chances.

Right before Valentine's Day Betty found a new online service called TrueScoop. Betty was curious to check out Jeffrey, a very nice guy she met during an evening class at City College. Betty was relieved to find that her new beau did not have any criminal history and that he was a blank slate in terms of public records. But, the real shock came when she checked on her own name in TrueScoop. Another person named Betty M., with a birthday only weeks apart from her own, living in the same state (actually in the next town only 20 miles away), had a more than dubious career in forgery, DUI, and petty theft. Only then did it dawn on Betty, that she might have been confused with this other Betty during background checks for the prospected jobs.

She eagerly clicked on the "not me" Facebook feature that clarifies, at least to her friends, that this criminal with the same name could definitely not be her. She adjusted her resume by adding her middle name and made sure she mentioned the fact that she was born 4th of July whenever possible... Although Betty hasn't found a job yet, she has had an interview with a company she really likes and they are currently runningher background check...

At last, here's a new online tool that's actually USEFUL! Get the true scoop on people by running FREE background checks on anyone. TrueScoop is a new Facebook app that lets people search through any available public records, including criminal history, found money, and location history, of anyone that they choose, and not just Facebook users. TrueScoop offers a per search value of +/- 40 bucks, all free. Type in anyone's name athttp://apps.facebook.com/truescoop/. Test it out on anyone you know, it could be a new beau, sports coach, nanny or child care provider, but even more intriguing and informative is to run the free background check on yourself to see what potential employers will find on you.