Employer requesting phone call to ask questions related to DBS

Stedsco

Hi there,
I had an interview for a role in the kitchen of a care home at the end of May and was offered the role. Communication from the company was very poor and I also had another job offer so I went for the other job instead. I subsequently saw the role advertised again (and it still is being advertised).

However, at the beginning of July after not hearing from them in weeks, the care home contacted me to follow up on the onboarding admin. I have been getting email correspondence from them too - but from a different person from the original contact.

Wanting to keep my options open, I have been providing them the information/documents they have asked for but the communication is still very poor. I've had to provide many forms of ID many times for them to do a DBS check. Now they have called me and asked to arrange a phone appointment to 'ask me questions for the DBS'. When I queried this, they said that they need to ask for my share code, about my right to work etc. I pointed out that I've provided all of this already, and they said 'we need to make sure you can readily provide the information'.

This seems very weird to me, and I'm starting to worry that this is all strange/potentially a scam. I've never heard of someone having to repeat answers to questions they've already answered for a DBS check over the phone. 

Has anyone ever been in a similar situation? Is it normal to be asked for a phone appointment to discuss a DBS?

Thank you in advance!

Dakta

Are you happy in your new role? Just asking as unless you had doubts I would be a bit surprised you're going on with the onboarding for the original job you applied for especially as they're making you jump through hoops and it sounds like you had doubts even before now due to their communications.

It could be something untoward but it also could be just a bit of a disorganised company - they exist. If you have doubts can check if the company is reputable, check who you're emailing or the phone numbers used for contact maybe search for the person you're dealing with on facebook/linkedin (though in the latter the person may be aware of your search).

Personally though unless you think you might not be happy where you are though, I'd just cut it - if they are legit then they are onboarding someone who is going through the process simply to keep their options open even though they have a new role, unless it's the case that you are going to their company then that's going to impact their business as they will have to restart the process, so consider that as well. 

Marcon

Stedsco said:

Hi there,
I had an interview for a role in the kitchen of a care home at the end of May and was offered the role. Communication from the company was very poor and I also had another job offer so I went for the other job instead. I subsequently saw the role advertised again (and it still is being advertised).

However, at the beginning of July after not hearing from them in weeks, the care home contacted me to follow up on the onboarding admin. I have been getting email correspondence from them too - but from a different person from the original contact.

Wanting to keep my options open, I have been providing them the information/documents they have asked for but the communication is still very poor. I've had to provide many forms of ID many times for them to do a DBS check. Now they have called me and asked to arrange a phone appointment to 'ask me questions for the DBS'. When I queried this, they said that they need to ask for my share code, about my right to work etc. I pointed out that I've provided all of this already, and they said 'we need to make sure you can readily provide the information'.

This seems very weird to me, and I'm starting to worry that this is all strange/potentially a scam. I've never heard of someone having to repeat answers to questions they've already answered for a DBS check over the phone. 

Has anyone ever been in a similar situation? Is it normal to be asked for a phone appointment to discuss a DBS?

Thank you in advance!

Doesn't bode well in terms of their efficiency. I have a nasty feeling that if you do take up a role there, you'll be back here posting in a couple of months about not being paid, or paid the wrong amount.

If the job you took instead is generally OK, I'd call time on this charade.

DullGreyGuy

Are you unhappy in the new job you took? Why are you wasting your time/effort and costing them money doing onboarding process for a different job that you aren't taking?

Is it definitely a telephone call and not a video call? Normally an employer need to see the original documents for ID etc and cannot just take a photo/scan of them. In the height of covid it became the norm to send an image but then have a 2 minute video call where you held up the live document/passport etc so the employer could see the file you sent hadn't been doctored. 

Stedsco

Thank you for the responses.

Dakta said:

Are you happy in your new role? Just asking as unless you had doubts I would be a bit surprised you're going on with the onboarding for the original job you applied for especially as they're making you jump through hoops and it sounds like you had doubts even before now due to their communications.

DullGreyGuy said:

Are you unhappy in the new job you took? Why are you wasting your time/effort and costing them money doing onboarding process for a different job that you aren't taking?

The job I'm currently doing is zero hours and generally the organisation has been poor. The new one is full-time permanent so it seems like a better idea to go for it. 

Is it definitely a telephone call and not a video call? Normally an employer need to see the original documents for ID etc and cannot just take a photo/scan of them. In the height of covid it became the norm to send an image but then have a 2 minute video call where you held up the live document/passport etc so the employer could see the file you sent hadn't been doctored. 

Definitely phone call, not video call. I would have thought a video call is more normal, too, for the reasons you said but this is a phone call. 

Marcon said:

Doesn't bode well in terms of their efficiency. I have a nasty feeling that if you do take up a role there, you'll be back here posting in a couple of months about not being paid, or paid the wrong amount.

If the job you took instead is generally OK, I'd call time on this charade.

This is a good point - even though my current role has been disorganised, pay has been fine/on time/right amount. 

I just need really need to make a decision and then cut it or not. Seems that others agree the company is probably just disorganised and maybe a bit incompetent, and it's probably nothing nefarious. Thanks for the help, everyone.