Employment gap threatening new job

Polarbeary

I'm meant to be starting a new job. The background check team told me everything was all sorted and I'm ready to go. Today I get a phone call. Apparently I have a three month gap in employment. Why did I not write the dates correctly on my form? What did I do in those three months? Can I prove what I was doing? Was I lying about the gap and did I have a job in between?

I responded saying the dates were correct, I had a 3 WEEK gap between jobs where I was moving house and taking some time out!

They didn't believe me so I sent over my bank statements showing that I was indeed paid by this company every month up until I received pay from my new job! I phoned my old job's HR department. They were puzzled, told me my start and end date of employment which is exactly what I said and they said new employer would have been given those dates.

I rang and emailed new job straight away. No apology. Just a "well we'll have to investigate." She refused to phone them to clear it up and said all correspondence must be in writing.

So then I spoke to actual HR at my new job who were quite unhappy. My start date has been cancelled and no new one given whilst they investigate my discrepancy. If it doesn't get sorted I won't have a job and they are very disappointed that I can't start next week!

I've done nothing wrong at all but now feel like they think I have something to cover up! All over I'm guessing somebody dozy at old job giving them the wrong dates. Which leads to my integrity being questioned as I'm quite possibly going to lose my job over this.

motorguy

Polarbeary wrote: »

I'm meant to be starting a new job. The background check team told me everything was all sorted and I'm ready to go. Today I get a phone call. Apparently I have a three month gap in employment. Why did I not write the dates correctly on my form? What did I do in those three months? Can I prove what I was doing? Was I lying about the gap and did I have a job in between?

I responded saying the dates were correct, I had a 3 WEEK gap between jobs where I was moving house and taking some time out!

They didn't believe me so I sent over my bank statements showing that I was indeed paid by this company every month up until I received pay from my new job! I phoned my old job's HR department. They were puzzled, told me my start and end date of employment which is exactly what I said and they said new employer would have been given those dates.

I rang and emailed new job straight away. No apology. Just a "well we'll have to investigate." She refused to phone them to clear it up and said all correspondence must be in writing.

So then I spoke to actual HR at my new job who were quite unhappy. My start date has been cancelled and no new one given whilst they investigate my discrepancy. If it doesn't get sorted I won't have a job and they are very disappointed that I can't start next week!

I've done nothing wrong at all but now feel like they think I have something to cover up! All over I'm guessing somebody dozy at old job giving them the wrong dates. Which leads to my integrity being questioned as I'm quite possibly going to lose my job over this.

Sounds like your typical HR department with a grudge against humanity.

It always bemuses me as to have people get new jobs in spite of the HR department rather than with the aid of.

Have you tried calling your new manager direct?

Polarbeary

I don't have new manager's number. I'm dealing with a HR Administrator, (internal) an boarding co-coordinator (external) and a backing checking admin (external). None of them are based on the same site and nor do they talk to each other.

I have done nothing wrong and been very polite to them but I will lose this job over the wrong dates! I put down the correct dates on my CV and background checking form (months and year) it even says on the form that they only follow up if the gap is over 3 months. Mine is 3 weeks.

Guest101

To be fair you haven't lost anything, they've said they will check - I suspect that's what they're doing

Polarbeary

Guest101 wrote: »

To be fair you haven't lost anything, they've said they will check - I suspect that's what they're doing

True - but with no new start date being given and the fact that it's taken three weeks to tell me this means I will be jobless even longer and have a loss of earnings. I appreciate that they need to check but the whole process has been a bit of mess in regards to communication.

Guest101

Polarbeary wrote: »

True - but with no new start date being given and the fact that it's taken three weeks to tell me this means I will be jobless even longer and have a loss of earnings. I appreciate that they need to check but the whole process has been a bit of mess in regards to communication.

Well take that as a sign of what they're like to work for, perhaps you should look elsewhere?

Undervalued

Guest101 wrote: »

Well take that as a sign of what they're like to work for, perhaps you should look elsewhere?

In some types of work this kind of very detailed background checking is the norm. Obviously it is very annoying if there is an innocent explanation but very little the applicant can do.

bod1467

Pound to a penny someone transferring the data into "the computer" has entered the gap dates incorrectly. e.g. put in 03 instead of 06. (6 and 3 are together on a numeric keypad). Right now they're in "computer says no" mode.

This looks like one of those cases where HR's nickname of Human Remains seems justified.

molerat

or 06/03 and 03/06 as in US/UK date formatting.