#JobOffer #BackgroundCheck #StartDate #Employment #HR #JobSearch
Congratulations on receiving a job offer! It’s completely natural to have some concerns about the next steps, especially when it comes to the background check process. In this article, we’ll delve into the importance of waiting for the background check to clear and how to navigate this situation without feeling paranoid or making yourself look bad.
Should I Wait for the Background Check to Clear?
The short answer is yes, you should wait for the background check to clear before giving official notice to your current employer. Here’s why:
– Importance of a Clear Background Check: Employers typically include a background check as a part of their hiring process to ensure the safety and security of their workplace and clients. By waiting for the background check to clear, you are demonstrating your commitment to the new role and the organization’s values.
– Potential Delays: Background checks can sometimes take longer than expected, especially if there are discrepancies in the information provided or if there are backlog issues at the screening company. Waiting for the background check to clear ensures that you avoid any last-minute complications or start date delays.
– Professional Courtesy: Giving your current employer a proper notice is not only a professional courtesy but also a way to maintain positive relationships in the industry. By waiting for the background check to clear, you can give your current employer adequate notice and leave on good terms.
I Just Received a Job Offer with a Start Date – What Should I Do?
Given that your start date is set for several weeks in the future, you have some time to address the background check situation without compromising your current job or the new opportunity. Here’s how you can navigate this process:
1. Requesting an Update from HR: Reach out to the HR representative who extended the job offer and express your eagerness to start in the new role. Inquire about the expected timeline for the background check and politely ask if they can provide you with an update once it clears.
2. Explaining Your Concerns: It’s important to communicate your concerns about giving notice to your current employer without the certainty of the background check being cleared. Let the HR representative know that you want to handle the situation with professionalism and integrity, and seek their guidance on the best course of action.
3. Flexible Start Date: If the background check process is anticipated to take longer than your start date, consider discussing the possibility of adjusting the start date with the new employer. Most organizations are understanding of such circumstances, especially when it comes to compliance and due diligence.
Emphasizing Your Clean Record and Honesty
As you mentioned, you have a clean history and were honest throughout the interview process. This should give you added confidence in the background check process. Here’s why that matters:
– Demonstrate Your Integrity: Highlighting your clean record and honesty reinforces your integrity and ethical conduct. This can reassure the new employer of your trustworthiness and diminish any concerns they may have about the background check.
– Confidence in Your Candidacy: Knowing that you have been forthcoming in all your interactions and disclosures during the hiring process can boost your confidence in navigating this situation.
Inquiring about the Background Check without Looking Bad
It’s completely normal to have questions about the background check process, and the key is to communicate your inquiries in a professional and respectful manner. Here’s how you can ask about the background check without making yourself look bad:
– Use Diplomatic Language: Phrase your questions about the background check in a tactful and diplomatic manner. Communicate your eagerness to move forward with the onboarding process while seeking clarity on the background check status.
– Highlight Your Enthusiasm: Reinforce your enthusiasm for the new role and your commitment to joining the organization. Express your desire to start off on the right foot and ensure that all necessary steps are completed seamlessly.
Final Thoughts
Navigating the background check process can be a nerve-wracking experience, especially when it comes to juggling your current job and a new opportunity. By prioritizing professionalism, honesty, and open communication, you can navigate this situation with confidence and without feeling paranoid. Remember, it’s always better to err on the side of caution and wait for the background check to clear before making any significant career moves. Congratulations again on the new job, and best of luck with this exciting transition!
Yeah, wait until the background check clears and then give your 2 weeks notice. If that leaves you with less than 2 weeks before your start date at the new place, simply request they push it back, like you said. It’s done all the time. If they say no to that, consider what you’re walking into.
Wait for bg never know what might happen.
Always wait!
I’d wait. I don’t have any issues in my background either but I read my last background check results and they correlated a bunch of info with a misspelling of my name to someone else. It was all cleared up but it definitely made me think about what could have happened.
You have a month in between offer and start date, should have at least 2 weeks to give to your current employer after your check is done.
Always wait for the background check. Also realize that your start date may move depending on how quickly the background check goes through. So if you need an extra week or few days, you can get that.
One of the last background checks I had took 2 weeks and I was scheduled to start a week later. I was in constant communication with HR and told them that I needed to at least give 2 weeks notice. So when the check came back late, they were very understanding of the situation.
You should wait for the all clear before giving notice. Just because you don’t have a criminal history it doesn’t mean you’ll pass everything.
Years ago I tried to hire someone and I got a call from HR a few days after the offer went out that we couldn’t hire him. He didn’t fail the background check because of any criminal history, but he failed the credit check. The guy messaged me a few days later and told me he declared bankruptcy a few months before interviewing with my company.
Give the new job’s HR notice now that you want to provide 2 weeks notice after your background check has cleared as to not burn any bridges with your previous employer. I’ve had to make specific notes in employee files upon separation as to whether or not they provided 10 working days notice for re-hiring purposes.
I once failed a background check because of name similarities. It got cleared up in time for my start date but ever since I never give notice without clearance to start. I explain this to the hiring manager and it has never been a problem
Always wait ’till you’ve and accepted offer letter, and got confirmed start date in writing.
Not so much to be paranoid or the like, but sometimes sh*t goes sideways or gets fouled up or delayed or whatever.
Cover your ass and wait. Any respectable company will push back your start date so you can give appropriate notice
WAIT! You never turn in a notice until EVERYTHING is cleared. No matter how clean you are.
I’ve had two jobs get delayed because of background checks. Wait for them to clear. One took a month past the initial start date. Another added a few days because I had to dig up proof of employment for a company I worked at 10 years prior.
100% wait for the background check to clear.
Then if some shit happens and the job falls through during your two weeks, you can rescind it or check your legal options.
These 3rd party background check companies are notoriously awful as well. Everything will likely turn out ok, but it may be delayed by them just being incompetent. All kinds of false positives, mistaken identities, and just general idiocy happens with these things. They’ve become a “checkbox” for many companies but the places they outsource to are horrid.
Wait for the background check to clear.
I had to do the same when I took my current job five years ago. I told them that there’s nothing in my background that was an issue, but the background check company was getting hung up on the education verification part because the major had changed titles and the school changed from college to university in its name. This is despite the fact that I never claimed a degree. I just could not give two weeks notice to my current employer without everything being finalized and they understood.
Wait. Your start date may be pushed back due to delays, or it all may fall apart.
I’ve been on both sides of this issue.
I took a job that required me to move 1000 miles to a different part of the country. I quit my job and took a couple weeks off to get everything ready for the move, and the Friday before I was set to start I got a call from HR telling me the background check hadn’t cleared yet and I couldn’t start. For three weeks I was hanging in limbo with no income coming in before the background check finally cleared – it was reportedly held up by a county clerk in Mississippi (and I don’t think I’ve ever set foot in Mississippi) being on vacation and/or incompetent in confirming that my stupidly common name being on multiple court cases in the county wasn’t me.
On the other side of this, the next time I changed jobs I told the new company that I wasn’t going to put in notice until the background check had cleared and would prefer not to set a start date until the background check had cleared. They told me that it wasn’t possible for me to not have a start date, but the compromise we reached was that the start date was set out 5-6 weeks and that the start date could be moved to ensure I could provide professional courtesy to my employer with a proper notice period. Naturally, the background check cleared in 3 days and I gave my soon-to-be-former employer a month’s notice. A month’s notice isn’t always a good thing, but my former employer definitely needed the time to backfill my role and appreciated the extended notice.
It is not unreasonable, in my opinion, to ask that you be notified when the background check has cleared and that you have two weeks to provide notice to your current employer from that time. The best time would have been when you were initially being extended the offer just to make sure everyone was on the same page, but it’s not a big deal if you bring it up in the near future. I would wait until everyone has been back from vacation for at least most of a week and then reach out to the HR team for your new employer and ask them if the background check has completed, as you prefer to wait until the background check has completed before putting in an appropriate notice with your current employer. To me, this is a signal of professionalism and shouldn’t be interpreted negatively.
If the background check is still incomplete, I would broach the topic of moving your start date to ensure you can maintain your professional relationship with your former employer while protecting yourself from risk – note to them that you’re not concerned about it passing, but you’ve heard stories of delayed background checks and you want to protect yourself from risk. If you know the hiring manager’s contact information, I would speak with them on the topic as well and cut out the game of telephone to make sure you’re up front about why you’re changing things – you’re trying to maintain professional courtesy (which shows that professionalism is important to you, and thus they’ll be benefitting from your professionalism in the future) and mitigate personal risk.
It can take a while to clear. My current job had to get fingerprinted and clear a financial records check. Took 3 weeks.
For my last job I gave my two weeks before my background check cleared for the new job.
Irresponsible, but I really enjoyed the additional time off between jobs
I got offered a job at a casino. I requested copies of the background check and received my copy before HR did. I felt confident that I was in the clear so I quit my job without notice only for the HR department at the casino to ghost me and never give me a start date. Stopped returning phone calls and emails.