So you’re ready to dip your toes into OE and literally double your income. Whether it be to hit your financial goals, earn more, or just because you can - here’s a quick run down on how to get J2… or J3…. or J4

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Ready to work with an OE coach to make your life…. better?

You’re already doing it. Do it smarter.

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Part I: Getting your first J2

1. Freeze your information

Before anything else - and even if you’re not OE - freeze all of your information. Not only does this protect you from invasive background checks, but it helps protect your identity.

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Why freeze?

The most commonly known ones - The Work Number and Lexis Nexis - both list out your employement history. This results in perspective employers being able to view previous paystubs (including amounts, dates - at least for TWN) for all previous employers. When you freeze - they can only call the previous employers you have given them or ask you to provide documentation for those Js (that’s all they’ll know based on your resume.)

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How can my new J verify I worked where I said I did without access to TWN or LN?

I prefer to provide redacted IRS transcripts and/or paystubs from the previous organizations. If it’s for a place you left, keep HR on hand and request a verification of employment letter before you leave.

Redacting Tutorial (1)

Verification of Employment Template (copy and paste this into a Word document to send to HR) (1)

What should I freeze?

This section was last updated in February 2026 and written from the perspective of an OE’er in the US. For people outside of the US - confirm your country’s agencies.

• The Work Number (Equifax): https://employees.theworknumber.com/employee-data-freeze
  • Sign up for access. Use J1 or a past employer to find your account. If you can’t find one - you can always use your SSN.
  • Freeze your data using the form. They’ll send you a letter later to unfreeze if you need to.
  • When you log back in to verify, you should see a section stating a freeze is in place. This is what you want to see.
  • Verify with each J that the freeze is in place.
  • This is arguably one of the most important one as Equifax is also selling a post-hire employment status report (as of 2022).
• Experian Verify: https://voie.experian.com/app/ee/eeregister.aspx
  • You’ll need an employer access code to sign up. Otherwise, you can email them: [email protected]
• Experian: https://www.experian.com/help/credit-freeze/
  • I always suggest freezing your credit on Experian too - extra privacy won’t hurt. You’ll need to unfreeze it if you’re applying for loans.
• TransUnion: https://www.transunion.com/customer-support/contact-us-consumers
  • TransUnion credit reports hold a history of employment- you can dispute this using the link above after freezing your credit.
• LexisNexis: https://consumer.risk.lexisnexis.com/freeze
  • You can freeze online or by mail.
• TrueWork: https://app.truework.com/fcra-consumer-request
  • You can freeze online.

2. Writing your CV (for your first J2)

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You don’t need to worry about the dates for J1 now.

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