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The other news
Jul. 17th, 2012 11:49 pmI'm sure this will get less attention than the next post, so I'll write this one first.
Last Thursday I got confirmation of my start date with the new job, and that all of my references/CRB checking had gone through fine. Which is good, because the references had turned out to be a pointlessly awkward process.
So new job has a part time head of HR, and use BackCheck to do their reference checking. I'm making an assumption that these facts are related here. Anyway I had to fill out a 4-page form.
So first page is name, address and past address details. All fairly standard.
Next form asks for three references giving your last immediate manager names, so I put down the names of my two current project managers and my career development manager. All from the same company as that's the only place I've worked since graduating. Now I was aware that my company only do a standard boilerplate 'yes he worked here and on these projects' response to reference requests, but I thought that's all fairly standard that won't be a problem. Foolish me.
Anyway form three asks for my GCSE and A-Level results and the examining body. This to me seemed largely irrelevant, but thankfully my parents keep all the certificates so I could find it out. If they hadn't I'd have been stuck, I can remember the overall marks I got, and the 12 GCSE and 3 and 2 1/2 A-level's but I can't remember which mark goes with which subject let alone the examining body.
Finally form four wants my university mark, yep ok fine, and my student number... Yeah really glad my parents had kept an old letter about my course otherwise that would have been a headache to find.
So form is completed and posted off and I think no more of it. Until I get an email saying they'd like two more references, followed about an hour later (during which time they'd actually called my first reference) asking for three more references. Turns out they want to interview my references and don't deal with standard HR responses. For a company who do nothing but check backgrounds this seems like a fairly major flaw in their processes. So I reply stating that there aren't any other options for work related references (unless I track down people who have previously left) so what they want me to do? They reply personal references are also acceptable. Fine says I, would three personal references be ok then? Sure they reply as long as your new HR person agrees. Her reply; that she'd quite like to actually see the reference from my previous employer. So I get current job to email new job and bypass BackCheck entirely.
Now I unfortunately missed up a couple of numbers when giving the references, and from the sound of it the reference interviews were odd, but not too time consuming (thanks for doing them again).
Still though so much unnecessary faff.
Last Thursday I got confirmation of my start date with the new job, and that all of my references/CRB checking had gone through fine. Which is good, because the references had turned out to be a pointlessly awkward process.
So new job has a part time head of HR, and use BackCheck to do their reference checking. I'm making an assumption that these facts are related here. Anyway I had to fill out a 4-page form.
So first page is name, address and past address details. All fairly standard.
Next form asks for three references giving your last immediate manager names, so I put down the names of my two current project managers and my career development manager. All from the same company as that's the only place I've worked since graduating. Now I was aware that my company only do a standard boilerplate 'yes he worked here and on these projects' response to reference requests, but I thought that's all fairly standard that won't be a problem. Foolish me.
Anyway form three asks for my GCSE and A-Level results and the examining body. This to me seemed largely irrelevant, but thankfully my parents keep all the certificates so I could find it out. If they hadn't I'd have been stuck, I can remember the overall marks I got, and the 12 GCSE and 3 and 2 1/2 A-level's but I can't remember which mark goes with which subject let alone the examining body.
Finally form four wants my university mark, yep ok fine, and my student number... Yeah really glad my parents had kept an old letter about my course otherwise that would have been a headache to find.
So form is completed and posted off and I think no more of it. Until I get an email saying they'd like two more references, followed about an hour later (during which time they'd actually called my first reference) asking for three more references. Turns out they want to interview my references and don't deal with standard HR responses. For a company who do nothing but check backgrounds this seems like a fairly major flaw in their processes. So I reply stating that there aren't any other options for work related references (unless I track down people who have previously left) so what they want me to do? They reply personal references are also acceptable. Fine says I, would three personal references be ok then? Sure they reply as long as your new HR person agrees. Her reply; that she'd quite like to actually see the reference from my previous employer. So I get current job to email new job and bypass BackCheck entirely.
Now I unfortunately missed up a couple of numbers when giving the references, and from the sound of it the reference interviews were odd, but not too time consuming (thanks for doing them again).
Still though so much unnecessary faff.
