29 Comments
 
Whiskey5

BBs use third party employment verification contractors but will never call them directly

how would they know without calling? so they can't verify the position you held in your internship? so you can say you did IB when you really did ER?

what about boutiques? i'm guessing most of them will not use a 3rd party.

 
Black Jack

BBs probably not (unless some circumstantial thing where it makes sense). Smaller places most definitely, particularly if they know someone at the former employer.

I disagree. Most boutiques' HR is very limited and lazier than BBs. No way in hell are boutiques more thorough with background checks than a BB.

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).

 
Yankees993

Yes, they do check; keep in mind how small the industry is. Once one place checks, everyone else will find out (has happened before).

This a little bit overexaggerated. It depends on a lot of factors; mostly regional. If the OP interned in the southeast and is applying for jobs on the west coast, I fail to see how it would go wrong.
 

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.

 

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

 

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.

 

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.

 

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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