do banks call past employers?
do banks in the US call past employer/internships to check? Do they just check dates of employment or do they check position/division as well?
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BBs use third party employment verification contractors but will never call them directly
what about boutiques? i'm guessing most of them will not use a 3rd party.
bottom line, don't lie on your resume and you have nothing to worry about. if you did, you deserve to be fired
BBs probably not (unless some circumstantial thing where it makes sense). Smaller places most definitely, particularly if they know someone at the former employer.
Also to answer the OP, the position is only checked if they call. Most definitely the HR will mention the division you interned in, the only risk is in whether or not they actually call.
Yes, they do check; keep in mind how small the industry is. Once one place checks, everyone else will find out (has happened before).
You fail to see how lying on a resume to get a job could go wrong? Please, be my guest. If you have to lie on a resume in the first place, you shouldn't be considered for a job in IBD. My 2 cents.
They might if it's a high-ranked full-time position. If it was an internship it doesn't sound feasible for them to check.
What is it that you are concerned about? Did you say you had a position that you didn't?
The BB I did my SA position at checked with every single one of my previous internships. They just ship it off to a third party who calls your prior employer and confirms.
Do ibanks/consulting firms or companies in generally call past employers ? (Originally Posted: 03/23/2009)
my dad used to be a rather prominent figure in the finance field in Hong Kong (think mid 7 figures USD a year) but went bankrupt starting a business(dumb i know).
Before that happened, he was able to get me some really awesome private equity/boutique investment bank internships in hong kong. I made a point to get reference letters from all of them and "certified true copy"ed by solicitors . But now that my dad went bankrupt and they were actually investors in his projects, these "supervisors" i had really hate my dad i guess... so if a potential employer calls and ask about me i doubt they would have anything good to say....
so I am just wondering, are certified reference letters generally enough? or do they call?
In the US, they typically will not call for references (nor do they want reference letters)--- but they may call/send a postcard just to verify that you worked there
Plus, I'm pretty sure it's not legal for them to ask them anything other than when you worked there and under what condition you left without your permission
that sucks
If they are a big firm with a dedicated HR department then: you provide phone numbers/contact info and they (HR people) check the internet to find the company info/contact information. Then they call.
so get crackin' on setting up your complex faked websites (with high google hits and pages whose creation dates are somehow masked), hong kong phone numbers and convincing phone operators, bearcats. For all that effort you could have quite possibly gotten a real boutique internship.
wow philosopher, very mature.
wow, nice philosopher.
It is true US firms would do nothing more than confirm employment, but these internships were in HK, so those rules don't apply. Someone familiar with HK/Chinese libel and privacy (ha!) laws would probably be more help.
Urgent - Will boutique shops call your previous employer? (Originally Posted: 02/15/2007)
Just so I don't worry any longer about this. Will boutique shops (since they hire so few candidates) call your previous employer OR will they do the standard criminal, academic, and credit check? Anyone know or heard of others getting their offer rescinded because of a bad recommendation from a previous employer? I would REALLY APPRECIATE an uplifting answer.
Depends on the type of boutique. The small ones don't have enough resources to do that kind of thing. When I received my internship offer last summer, they didn't even ask for a transcript, and didn't call any of my references.
Could be different for fulltime though.
think of Evercore/Greenhill types. now am i in some shit or not?
well..
They might, but your previous employer is likely to keep their commentary limited to confirming your employment, title, and dates of service. This is pretty much SOP to avoid liability. The exception is that if you were terminated for cause, they may report that as the reason for departure.
Basically i knew interviewing wouldn't allow me to have much time to work there so I quit they but they were slightly unhappy for it. Also when filling out the background check form I didn't list this job on it (3rd party background check) but HR does have my resume so now what?
You were better off telling them about it, regardless. An undisclosed job is a red flag for third party backgorund checkers - remember, they get paid for this and like to prove they're worth the fees.
Now you just have to decide whether you can reasonably say "Oops, forgot to list this job because I barely worked there - I quit to have time to interview" versus the risk of raising the red flag by mentioning it. Personally, I'd disclose.
A classmate of mine was fired after almost a year on the job because a late background check showed that he had a very minor misdemeanor conviction he hadn't disclosed. Had he listed it upfront, they likely would have shrugged it off, but because he hadn't, it became a case of "misrepresentation" on his job application, and they fired him.
this is for a summer internship so should i still worry this much? also how would the 3rd party find this if I never got paid (because I quit so quickly) which means no pay stub to trace it to.
At our firm, we do full background checks on our summers. You'll most likely be ok given the fact pattern you described, but this situation is a lot like many you'll find in banking:
You'll probably be fine, and the risk is most likely minor - now are you willing to bet your career on it?
Your response implies that you aren't inclined to amend your application, so that's that. Cross your fingers, hope for the best, and use this anxiety as a decision-making guide the next time you face a similar conundrum.
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