Background Check/CV

hanger_boy89_2

Hi, can someone offer their advice please? I've just been offered a new job with a bank and they're sending out my contract with the start date, meaning I need to hand in my notice at my current job ASAP. They told me that I've passed my background checks for criminal records/credit checks etc but I still need to pass my employment check.

Here's the problem - when I originally submitted my CV, I put on there that I had been working somewhere until October, when actually it was August, and I was unemployed in this time. I've put the correct information on my online screening form, which is fine, but does anybody know if they'll check this data against my cv and notice the difference? I have no concerns about my last or current employment as they are fine. It's just this one that I'm worried about and I don't know what to do because they're expecting me to hand in my notice, but I don't want to do it until I know for sure that I've passed all of the screening.

Any advice please, besides the usual "don't put inaccurate data on your cv"?

JReacher1

I think they will only check your current employment dates. As long as they are correct you'll be fine. They are not going to check previous employers.

hanger_boy89_2

But what about my employment gap? Will the screening company make note of this, or will my new employer realise that when this gap is reported from screening, it doesn't match my CV? It's only 2 months but I don't know how strict they tend to be with these things.

hanger_boy89_2

They wanted a 2-year employment history on my screening form, and this falls within the last 2 years. I just don't know if it will get compared to my CV, which states I was at that job for the duration of those 2 months.

JReacher1

There's not much you can do about it now so I wouldn't worry about it.

I do think it's very very unlikely they will contact any employer from before your current employer.

hanger_boy89_2

Do you think I should contact my new employer to explain the discrepancy, just in case they check it against my CV and see the difference before they question me over it? I know that they have already contacted my previous employer and are just waiting for a reference, which will be absolutely fine. It's literally just that employment gap that I'm worried about - I don't want to go handing in my notice and then find they retract the job offer because of it!

cr1mson

The usual advice is to not hand in notice until you have an unconditional offer.

hanger_boy89_2

That's what I'm thinking - my only other issue there is I'm going on holiday a week today and don't know how long these final checks will take. And my new employer wants me to start a week after I get back!

JReacher1

hanger_boy89 wrote: »

Do you think I should contact my new employer to explain the discrepancy, just in case they check it against my CV and see the difference before they question me over it? I know that they have already contacted my previous employer and are just waiting for a reference, which will be absolutely fine. It's literally just that employment gap that I'm worried about - I don't want to go handing in my notice and then find they retract the job offer because of it!

No don't tell them anything now!

Wait until you get the formal offer then resign.

hanger_boy89_2

Thank you. I think I'll just have to wait until I know that everything is cleared, then I can resign. I just hope it doesn't take long otherwise my new employer won't be happy about my start date being pushed back.

Undervalued

hanger_boy89 wrote: »

Thank you. I think I'll just have to wait until I know that everything is cleared, then I can resign. I just hope it doesn't take long otherwise my new employer won't be happy about my start date being pushed back.

I would agree that you should definitely wait for a so called "unconditional offer" before resigning. Frankly it is unreasonable of any new employer to expect you to do otherwise.

However I would be more concerned about the gap given the nature of the industry and the depths of checks they tend to carry out. I agree in many other "ordinary" jobs it probably would not be noticed. Maybe somebody with direct banking experience will be able to offer more definite advice but my reaction would be to come clean and tell them. I suspect if you don't and they pick it up it could be game over. Worst case would be if that happened after you started as you have no employment protection in the first two years.