New job - HR asking strange questions

Dublin_Gunner

Hi all,

I will be starting a new job soon (hopefully) yet I am being inundated with questions regarding work history (which is fine) but also questions surrounding what I was doing during small gaps on my CV.

Whats troubling me is they are asking if I was on JSA at certain times, and to provide supporting documentation.

Can an employer ask for this? Do they have any right to this information?

Seems very odd to me, I've never had an employer / potential employer ask this before.

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Dublin_Gunner

Just 'supporting documentation' - they haven't stated what exactly. But are they entitled to know if I was claiming JSA in the past?

silent_spark

I would think they're looking for an explanation of employment gaps to ensure you haven't left out a job where there was a problem. I've heard of people being asked to submit documentation of travel for the same reason. I don't think it's about you claiming JSB as such, but that JSB would explain your gaps. Alternatively, it could be that they're hoping you qualify for that jobs scheme where companies receive up to €5000 of a rebate per year when employing someone who has been unemployed for a certain number of years. Was your period of unemployment running up to this new job?

Stheno

Yes they can ask for this, I've been asked for it when I was having a background check done for a job.

THey required a letter from social welfare stating the period I'd claimed social welfare for. Social Welfare have a pro-forma letter they give you.

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Mrs OBumble

The only valid use they have for the data is if they were potentially able to claim a wage subsidy.

Dublin_Gunner

silent_spark wrote: »

I would think they're looking for an explanation of employment gaps to ensure you haven't left out a job where there was a problem. I've heard of people being asked to submit documentation of travel for the same reason. I don't think it's about you claiming JSB as such, but that JSB would explain your gaps. Alternatively, it could be that they're hoping you qualify for that jobs scheme where companies receive up to €5000 of a rebate per year when employing someone who has been unemployed for a certain number of years. Was your period of unemployment running up to this new job?

Not more than a couple of months each gap.

Stheno wrote: »

Yes they can ask for this, I've been asked for it when I was having a background check done for a job.

THey required a letter from social welfare stating the period I'd claimed social welfare for. Social Welfare have a pro-forma letter they give you.

So I can ask social welfare to give details of particular years etc?

Stealthfins

And yet another post about HR in a company making it difficult for all in sundry.

Paper work and more paperwork.

Why can't people be employed on their CVs alone without telling their prospective employees they need to set a trap for themselves ?

Reading these posts are really enticing me to do a course on employment law and legislation.

It's being broken left right and centre in this country.

Another lady I know who's a highly qualified in horticulture and an accomplished garden designer was left go from her new job because she wasn't up to the standards they were hoping for.

When I employed her she was one of the best I ever came across.

This bullsht has to stop.

Dublin_Gunner

Stealthfins wrote: »

And yet another post about HR in a company making it difficult for all in sundry.

Paper work and more paperwork.

Why can't people be employed on their CVs alone without telling their prospective employees they need to set a trap for themselves ?

Reading these posts are really enticing me to do a course on employment law and legislation.

It's being broken left right and centre in this country.

Another lady I know who's a highly qualified in horticulture and an accomplished garden designer was left go from her new job because she wasn't up to the standards they were hoping for.

When I employed her she was one of the best I ever came across.

This bull**** has to stop.

Allegedly because the company is highly regulated, and this is the norm for all prospective employees. Not that it makes it right IMO. Its a PITA. I should have had my contract sent out by now but because of all of this I'm still waiting.

Dial Hard

Stealthfins wrote:

And yet another post about HR in a company making it difficult for all in sundry.

Paper work and more paperwork.

Why can't people be employed on their CVs alone without telling their prospective employees they need to set a trap for themselves ?

Because people lie on their CVs.

Mrs OBumble

Stealthfins wrote: »

Why can't people be employed on their CVs alone without telling their prospective employees they need to set a trap for themselves ?

Because people tell lies on their CVs.

If there were no checks, there would be a lot more lies told.

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Stheno

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Im kind of failing to see why some gaps of a couple of months at a time could not be verified by phoning the employments bracketing each side of the gap rather than asking to see someones financial information?

The social welfare letter i got just said in receipt of benefit and the dates

Dublin_Gunner

I've never had to go through this level of scrutiny before for any other job. Seems very intrusive.

TallGlass

Dial Hard wrote: »

Why can't people be employed on their CVs alone without telling their prospective employees they need to set a trap for themselves ?

Because people lie on their CVs.[/QUOTE]

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Because people tell lies on their CVs.

If there were no checks, there would be a lot more lies told.

Considering you can tell within one week if someone can do the job or not CV's to me can be irrelevant. You can get people that haven't lied on there CV but are totally useless at there job and haven't a fúckin clue what they are doing! You can get liars also but they will be found out fairly quick and should be sent packing.

AndrewJRenko

Have they offered you the job yet? Is it a conditional offer?

It would be strange to ask these questions after getting an offer.

Dial Hard

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I was replying to Stealthfin's rather naive assertion that no-one's bona fides should ever be checked. Your suggestion is perfectly logical but presumably he'd have a problem with that too.

Dial Hard

TallGlass wrote:

Considering you can tell within one week if someone can do the job or not CV's to me can be irrelevant. You can get people that haven't lied on there CV but are totally useless at there job and haven't a fúckin clue what they are doing! You can get liars also but they will be found out fairly quick and should be sent packing.

Yes, but finding this out before the fact saves you the bother of having to employ them in the first place.

It's basic due diligence, I don't really understand the issue.

Dublin_Gunner

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Have they offered you the job yet? Is it a conditional offer?

It would be strange to ask these questions after getting an offer.

Offer already made, but this stuff is delaying delivery of the contract.

Dial Hard wrote: »

I was replying to Stealthfin's rather naive assertion that no-one's bona fides should ever be checked. Your suggestion is perfectly logical but presumably he'd have a problem with that too.

Personally have no problem providing all work details / contacts etc (though I'm having trouble with 1 from a few years ago as the company isnt in operation any more).

I just feel the asking for personal details such as if / when JSA was claimed, and providing proof thereof a step too far. Its intrusive, and I'm sure I'm not the only one that doesnt really like having to give details such as that to anyone.

Stheno

Dublin_Gunner wrote: »

Offer already made, but this stuff is delaying delivery of the contract.



Personally have no problem providing all work details / contacts etc (though I'm having trouble with 1 from a few years ago as the company isnt in operation any more).

I just feel the asking for personal details such as if / when JSA was claimed, and providing proof thereof a step too far. Its intrusive, and I'm sure I'm not the only one that doesnt really like having to give details such as that to anyone.

They wont issue a contract until their checks are done. One of the jobs i had who did this took ten weeks

Dublin_Gunner

Stheno wrote: »

They wont issue a contract until their checks are done. One of the jobs i had who did this took ten weeks

Christ.

The whole process from the initial contact about the position has been going on since August.

BlinkingLights

I don't really get the paranoia about gaps in CVs. Some people take a few months out between jobs for various reasons. It doesn't somehow make them incompetent or criminals.

I find some of this stuff way, way too controlling and very much coming from a US notion of wage-slave work ethic where any "lazy" periods must be punished by exclusion.

You have to take people at face value and on recent experience etc (last few years).

I have two masters, years of experience, a massive portfolio yet I had a HR department ask for my Leaving Certificate results and CAO points. I can't even remember what they were at this stage!!

There are really some "computa says no" jobsworths in HR.

These an element of trust involved in an employee employer relationship. It goes both ways.

Did you demand the company's audited accounts for the last 10 years and tax compliance certification for all the directors before you took the job?

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Dublin_Gunner

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Apparently very good. A fairly large company in the financial sector. I wouldnt be bothered going through all of this for months otherwise!

Dial Hard

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I was talking about doing a quick check of someone's bona fides as opposed to just taking it as a given that their CV is genuine or ignoring the CV altogether, as other posters were suggesting.

I agree that asking for proof that someone was in receipt of benefits is intrusive. Likewise asking for travel docs if someone had a travel-related gap, as was mentioned earlier. I've a gap of 6 weeks or so where I went over to my cousin in Long Island a few years back. I wouldn't be able to provide proof of that in a fit if I was asked.

eamor

Dublin_Gunner wrote: »

Hi all,

I will be starting a new job soon (hopefully) yet I am being inundated with questions regarding work history (which is fine) but also questions surrounding what I was doing during small gaps on my CV.

Whats troubling me is they are asking if I was on JSA at certain times, and to provide supporting documentation.

Can an employer ask for this? Do they have any right to this information?

Seems very odd to me, I've never had an employer / potential employer ask this before.

I have worked with various industry sectors including aviation. There was a 5 year ' where were you ' requirement, with any gaps longer than 28 days requiring explanation. If you were signed on, you needed supporting documentation to verify this. It may be just the specific industry.

Bandana boy

Some companies take in people and monitor closely at the start and let go if it s not working out , other companies put all that resource into before you start to try and best ensure only people who will succeed get in.
I see positives and negatives to both approaches and as long as they are consistent and not being discriminatory through this process let them at it , if its too intrusive then walk away .

pilly

If the job is in the financial sector I can kind of see where they're coming from. You could have left a job off your CV because you were sacked for fraud so they need proof that you were indeed unemployed. It's a pain in the arse I know but if they are good to work for it will be worth the hassle.

R.D. aka MR.D

You can also get a letter from Revenue stating that you weren't paying tax/no recorded employment. That might be less intrusive that getting the details of your dole payments.

livedadream

hit the nail on the head there mate, its either financial, secruity or pharma.

some of the most compliance heavy industries around.

pharma is the second more compliance and audit heavy industry in the world after nuclear!