Job offer withdrawn - more than a little perplexed

Guest101

CalistoB wrote: »

First time poster, so please be gentle!

I was offered a job toward the end of last week. I verbally accepted over the phone and waited for my contract to be sent out.
Yesterday I received a phone call from the HR department advising that they had "received confidential information" and the job offer withdrawn. When I tried to press the matter, I was told it was strictly confidential and that's that. Naturally I am somewhat concerned.......

I don't know if this "information" came from a reference? I had not given consent to contact previous employees and was expecting to supply references when I received my contract. I've never had an issue with references in the past? I'm totally perplexed and feel very uneasy.

As luck would have it, I have been offered another (actually better) job this morning, but I am anxious that the same thing will happen and I'm clueless as to why?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Mainly in the context of seeking references without consent.

Make a subject access request, that will provide you with all the information they have.


Now there are obviously ways for them around this (eg verbal conversations aren't going to be provided)

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

Quite possibly just somebody in the company has worked with you and doesn't like you very much. It happens.

YouAsked

I agree, I'd want to know what so I could anticipate this in the future.

I'd be tempted to phone back the person I spoke to as they were daft enough to say "confidential information received" rather than something more non-committal and ask what it was. Person-to-person - you never know they might tell you!

Then if they were not forthcoming, I'd consider the SAR route. As other posters have said there's unlikely to be anything written down anywhere and it will probably draw a blank but you can ask.

I definietly think your best option is person to person though. Explain you're not interested in any action against them, but you've secured a job elsewhere and are concerned that something you're unaware of will be problematic - I know some people I've worked with would tell you unofficially. Appeal to their human side, you've nothing to lose it would seem.

Undervalued

Guest101 wrote: »

Make a subject access request, that will provide you with all the information they have.


Now there are obviously ways for them around this (eg verbal conversations aren't going to be provided)

Sadly you need to change "will" to "should" in the first sentence!

At the best of times it is a bit of a toothless tiger, particularly so when you don't have any proof that what you are looking for actually exists. If they had taken up references then they would not really be able to deny having copies and would have to provide them.

It may be worth a ten quid punt, some firms diligently provide all they have but realistically there is an 80 or 90% chance it would be a waste of money.

Guest101

Undervalued wrote: »

Sadly you need to change "will" to "should" in the first sentence!

At the best of times it is a bit of a toothless tiger, particularly so when you don't have any proof that what you are looking for actually exists. If they had taken up references then they would not really be able to deny having copies and would have to provide them.

It may be worth a ten quid punt, some firms diligently provide all they have but realistically there is an 80 or 90% chance it would be a waste of money.

Good point, some are better than others. Public sector 'should' ( ) be more transparent, but like you say it's easy to 'forget'

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

YouAsked wrote: »

I agree, I'd want to know what so I could anticipate this in the future.

I'd be tempted to phone back the person I spoke to as they were daft enough to say "confidential information received" rather than something more non-committal and ask what it was. Person-to-person - you never know they might tell you!

Then if they were not forthcoming, I'd consider the SAR route. As other posters have said there's unlikely to be anything written down anywhere and it will probably draw a blank but you can ask.

I definietly think your best option is person to person though. Explain you're not interested in any action against them, but you've secured a job elsewhere and are concerned that something you're unaware of will be problematic - I know some people I've worked with would tell you unofficially. Appeal to their human side, you've nothing to lose it would seem.

There's not much you can do about it. The new company is unlikely to have access to that same person. Even if they did what are you going to say? "Oh, I see John works for you now, he always had it in for me"?

If somebody you don't get on with works in a company you've applied to, you are unlikely to get a job there. Unless they don't think much of him or her; or the company is too big for them to make a connection.

Same goes if anyone involved in the recruiting process has a friend at your old/existing company that doesn't think much of you. Just one of those things.

Manxman_in_exile

Is it perhaps possible that the confidential information doesn't refer to you but to the job?


For example, HR have just learned confidentially that the company needs to cut back in certain areas and perhaps the job no longer exists. Or there's a vacancy freeze.


All things they might not want people (including their own employees) to know


Edit: in fact telling you the offer's withdrawn because of confidential information received seems a remarkably stupid thing to say if the information was about you. If it were about you I'm sure any half sensible HR person (if there is such a thing!) would have come up with a more creative excuse.

Tigsteroonie

Manxman_in_exile wrote: »

For example, HR have just learned that the company needs to cut back in certain areas and perhaps the job no longer exists. Or there's a vacancy freeze.

Or the chairman has promised the job to his nephew ...

steampowered

I wouldn't get too worked up about it. It could be anything - a bad verbal reference, an inaccuracy in your CV, a case of mistaken identity or an HR person just making something up because they have decided to withdraw the job.

It could be something they found on social media if you have said anything offensive or express very strong political views on facebook or twitter?

It is tough not knowing, but I think you just have to suck it up and hopefully not have the same issue with the next job.

shortcrust

I hope people on here don't take the advice of people who suggest they spend 10 quid on a SAR. If you're the sort of employer who's going to call up a contact for an informal reference you're not going to take a SAR seriously. It's not like they send a crack team of SAR operatives in to search the premises.