Dear J.T. & Dale: I was fired 12 years ago because my drawer came up short. This was a hard lesson I learned about trusting co-workers. How far do employers really go to check your work history? (I only list the past 10 years of work history on my resume.) — Lon

Dale: It seems so wrong that you would be stuck forever with that black mark; after all, if you are convicted of a crime, there’s usually a way to have it expunged. So, let’s think through the practicalities of what to do now.

J.T.: And let’s start with the fact that background checks are mostly automated, and will catch any employment history that is available to them. My guess is that some companies will ask you why you didn’t list that employer on your history, and that’s OK, because many applicants are opting not to put all their experience on their resumes. So, if asked, simply say, “I didn’t think it was relevant, given how long ago it was, and I wanted to keep my resume to one page.” However, if they end up asking you why you left that job, I wouldn’t suggest lying. It’s not worth the risk. Rather, simply explain about the co-worker and the lessons learned.

Dale: Exactly. It’s your story, Lon — make it a good one. What are the odds that a prospective employer contacts someone you worked for a dozen years ago, and that employer goes beyond verifying dates of employment to disclose the business about the drawer being short? Odds are, the only version of what happened will be yours. So you choose how candid to be. You might say, “A co-worker stole money out of my drawer, so I came up short and got the blame.” And then you go on to talk about lessons learned. But here’s what I want to leave you with: Virtually all job applicants have some detail in their work histories that they don’t want to explain. And instead of spending time preparing for the interview, they obsess about that detail. So, rehearse a one- or two-sentence response, but instead of worrying about it, go into the job interview thinking about the five best moments in your career. You’ll bounce in, grinning with self-confidence, and by the time the bad instance surfaces, the interviewer will already be on your side.