Will Your Past Come Back to Haunt You?

Former Senator Tom Daschle withdrew his nomination as head of the Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday, February 3, 2009. The resignation comes following, and as a result of, controversy over Daschle’s tax record and allegations of lobbying activities.While he explained that he was honored by the nomination, he also explained that he understood that he could not reform the nation’s health care system without the full faith of Congress and the American people.  Because of the controversy revolving around him, the degree of faith held in him is uncertain at best. He feared he would be a distraction, preventing Obama from getting both his economic and his health care agendas passed.

A New York Times editorial called for Daschle’s resignation on Monday. The issue which most injured his nomination for many Americans, was the fact that while he identified his unpaid taxes in June, he only paid them after being nominated to the top post at the Department of Health and Human Services. Despite this, a number of prominent Democratic senators, such as, Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts, Charles Schumer of New York, and Patrick Leahy of Vermont, rallied behind Daschle before he announced his resignation.

Regardless of whether Daschle was in fact the right person for the job, or if he was simply not trustworthy enough to either get enough support for reform of the health care system or to avoid  influence from the private sector, his resignation does bring into question the prudence of Obama’s appointments.

With one other appointee resignation already under his belt, and with controversy still lingering around his appointment for Secretary of the Treasury, it appears that whoever Obama chooses to fill posts in his cabinet, will be subject to the strictest of scrutiny.  Any past discretions will come to light and be cause for great controversy.

But whose past doesn’t come back to haunt them?  There will always be a record of your past job performance–whether or not that performance is good or bad. That’s why you need access to the most jobs out there. You need to have options.  Maybe something you did in the past might be an asset to one employer and the same thing might a negative for another.  Either way, if you don’t have as many options, you might never find the employer that is a perfect fit for you.

That’s why you need to take advantage of all the job listings at EmploymentCrossing, and make sure you don’t forget out free trial while you’re at it.