Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?
This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.
Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Notes -
I'm not sure reddit is your problem. Your question has already been answered there: yes, if an employer gets access to your "previous name," they are likely to Google it. And yes, literally anything could be sufficient to put them off hiring you, much less something substantial. Beyond that it is impossible to give you direct advice since you have chosen (understandably) to not provide further specifics.
There are a some caveats to this, however. The first is that having your SSN does not necessarily give them access to your name. You can update your name on your SS card if you have legally changed your name. Beyond that, SS fraud is commonplace precisely because having your SSN does not necessarily give employers access to any government records about you. Illegal immigrants often use stolen SSNs to secure employment. The SS department cheerfully collects that money and most of the time asks no questions, though the original owner of the number may sometimes encounter bureaucratic headaches as a result.
The second caveat is that, even if you use a SS card with your old name on it, you usually don't provide a SS card to employers until after you've taken a job. They are less likely to Google your old name (though this depends a lot on how meddlesome HR decides to be) after they've already made an offer. The risk, of course, is that they then rescind the offer, but people are less likely to rescind an offer than they are to pass you over in the first place.
I'm talking about cringe fetish stuff and/or spicy political takes getting posted on Kiwifarms and/or Twitter. I figured that was specific enough.
Wait, my SSN doesn't give them access to my government records? I thought that was the entire point, because that was how they did criminal background checks. This gives me optimism. Quora does make it sound like it's not fool proof, but it is a hurdle I can create.
https://www.quora.com/Do-previous-legal-names-show-up-on-background-checks?top_ans=395229319
First and foremost, your SSN is how your company reports their information (how much they paid you) to the government. The government doesn't give them anything in return for that.
Background checks are a different matter. Most companies will not do a real background check; most companies will simply do a credit check. But yes, the Quora answers are basically correct. Even if a company does a more thorough background check, associating your old name with your new one is a step away from identifying that person as you. And I have never had an employer ask me about my relationship to any of the people who would doubtless appear in a background check. If you're applying for a job with, say, the federal government, then odds are pretty good (though not 100%!) that someone will notice. The smaller the company, the more likely they will either (A) never know or (B) never care.
Basically, you're not wrong to feel concerned, but also there's no reason to think your situation is hopeless.
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