Bank Jobs Wanting Five Year Work History

Truegho

Is anybody here having difficulty applying for a bank job - or indeed for any other job in the Financial Services Industry - due to this annoying precondition of having at least FIVE YEARS work experience and references?

I have just been knocked back by an agency, to which I applied for such a job, just because I had a lot of gaps in my work history. I did explain that the gaps were only attributable to the difficulty I have been experiencing in trying to get a permanent job in this dire climate, but unfortunately the consultant insisted that she still could not put me forward for the post due my patchy employment history. Needless to say, I was furious.

So what do you all think about this? Do you think that I should forget trying to get a job in the FSI? And have any of YOU experienced similar frustrations from agencies when applying to them for finance roles?

TrickyWicky

It's common I'm afraid. Financial places won't touch anyone with gaps just like most security companies. Further many banks will also run intensive credit checks on you too. Considering the banks have recently proven themselves to be the least trustable in our society they're incredibly paranoid about having staff they can trust.

Personally I wouldn't bother with the FSI, you're more than likely wasting your time. Why do you want to get into banking so much anyway? - They've caused us all so much misery its beyond belief.. maybe thats why you want to get in?

Emmzi

At my place of employment we look for a full 5 year history. Education is ok. Unemployment is ok. Anything other than "I was in jail" is ok, so we look for evidence from when you have been signing on. If you have all of that ready and in date order there may be fewer problems.

TrickyWicky

@Emmzi: What do you do about people out of work who haven't been signing on?

Emmzi

@TrickyWicky sadly no evidence means we can't employ. Most people will sign on to get their NI stamp paid even if eligible for nothing else; not signing usually indicates something iffy. Not always; often enough to make it problematic to assume they are being upfront.

ETA although we treat people as individuals. If genuine extenuating circumstances we might have a chat :-)

mattw7

Perhaps you could just try and say they are being indiscriminate against people who haven't been employed solidly for 5 years?

I'm actually surprised with discrimination laws today that they can demand such a thing, especially given the current climate. Surely the govt should put something in place as its not right to stop people getting a job pure and simply because they don't have an unblemished working history.

So scenario, a manager of a company is made redundant after that firm goes bust. They have all the experience and skill for a role in another job yet aren't allowed to apply because they've been out of work for 6 months, doesn't seem fair or lawful somehow, yet banks and the financial industry just seem to be a law unto themselves in this country. That's probably because they do run the country.

Can you imagine if all companies used this policy, anyone currently out of work would never work again! Just proves how illegal it is!

Emmzi

It is not illegal at all. Employment status is not a protected characteristic. Not all kinds of discrimination are illegal.

And you make a lot of assumptions mattw7. In the scenario above, of course he could apply for a role, he'd just be asked (if successful) to account for how he had been spending his time. The trick is to make it easy for the recruiter to make that assessment of history, not force them to wade through dozens of pay slips etc.

TrickyWicky

Emmzi wrote: »

@TrickyWicky sadly no evidence means we can't employ. Most people will sign on to get their NI stamp paid even if eligible for nothing else; not signing usually indicates something iffy.

See I'm not signing - I can't. I live with someone who works full time so i can't get means tested JSA and I don't have 2 full years of NI credits to be able to claim contribution based JSA either. Therefore I've not bothered signing on simply for the fact that by the time I come to retirement age there won't even be a pension!

I guess that rules me out of a lot of jobs.

Littleoldme

mattw7 wrote: »

Perhaps you could just try and say they are being indiscriminate against people who haven't been employed solidly for 5 years?

I'm actually surprised with discrimination laws today that they can demand such a thing, especially given the current climate. Surely the govt should put something in place as its not right to stop people getting a job pure and simply because they don't have an unblemished working history.

So scenario, a manager of a company is made redundant after that firm goes bust. They have all the experience and skill for a role in another job yet aren't allowed to apply because they've been out of work for 6 months, doesn't seem fair or lawful somehow, yet banks and the financial industry just seem to be a law unto themselves in this country. That's probably because they do run the country.

Can you imagine if all companies used this policy, anyone currently out of work would never work again! Just proves how illegal it is!

What they are looking for a traceable history for the 5 years not employment history. I currently work in finance and was redundant before I got the job and I had to get a letter from the job centre to confirm when I started signing on, which was obviously soon after I left my previous job. The problems occur when you have not been signing on for periods of unemployment or when you can not remember who you worked for when so they can not check everything matches up.

Emmzi

TrickyWicky wrote: »

See I'm not signing - I can't. I live with someone who works full time so i can't get means tested JSA and I don't have 2 full years of NI credits to be able to claim contribution based JSA either. Therefore I've not bothered signing on simply for the fact that by the time I come to retirement age there won't even be a pension!

I guess that rules me out of a lot of jobs.

Go sign on for the NI!

Other than that, how were you thinking of showing what you have been doing? Do you volunteer at all?

kingfisherblue

Education is another area where a history without gaps is needed. However, it doesn't prevent someone who has been bringing up children (for example) from being employed. For any gaps, expalin why they are there - bringing up children, unemployment, education, etc.Include any voluntary work that you have carried out, or any courses that you have done (no matter how short). If you have not been able to claim a benefit for any reason, such as partner earning too much, you could state unemployed but not claiming due to means testing.