Should I make a move?

My background: I graduated from a top 30 school 5 years ago and since then I've landed jobs at asset management firms/hedge funds without problems. My record however, was not very good when I was back in school. It took me a little over 5 years to finish school in which I was suspended for poor grades for a year in between. I got hooked up with a job during the suspension year and then came back to finish school the year after. On my CV I list out my year of graduation as well as my FT job in between school but either it's been too long ago or people just assume it was an internship so they never asked.

Now I just received an offer to go to a bank but throughout the process no one has asked me about school/grades/transcript. Honestly, if anyone ever did during the process I would've made up some excuse about wanting to stay put with my current job. But luckily (or unlucky as this is stressing me out) everyone really liked me, almost to the point that they think I'm too good for the job, and I do think I'm very capable of this particular job based on my previous experience. The problem however, is that although I hear background check is really lite at this particular bank (the background check form itself doesn't ask me to fill in grades and obviously I never put my grades on my CV), the background check company/HR will eventually need to verify my degree and there's a chance they would see how much of a bum I was in school if they ask my school for a transcript (the check begins after I start working). I still have a couple days to decide if I should stay put at my current firm or take the offer and the risk but obviously the worst case scenario would have myself going to the bank and then HR calls me and asks me WTF a couple weeks into the new job. What should I do?

10 Comments
 

What was your overall GPA? Also, did you re-take the courses that you performed poorly in? I really don't see any issue in graduating in five years. As for the suspension due to poor grades, you could always attribute to a death of a relative or close family member.

If the suspension does not appear on your transcript, you can always state that you changed your major and hence needed an additional year. Alternatively, you can play the "I had excruciating financial circumstances" card and hence you had to miss out on a year.

I win here, I win there...
 

My overall was bad, barely graduated. It does say academic suspension on my transcript so if anyone sees my transcipt I don't know what I can say really except blame it on a death in the family but it might not be good enough with my overall grades. I wish I would've went to an easier school but I can't turn back time.

During the whole interview process we never talked about grades and nowhere do I see fill in GPA/send in transcript on any of the forms (diploma only; I've got all the documents). I guess I'm just afraid the background check company might ask for my transcript to verify my major and then decide to let HR know how much I screwed up in school even though it might not be part of the check.

 

Don't you have to sign a release form or consent of some kind in order for your school to let anyone else get your transcripts? If they're not asking for it then I'm guessing they won't see it.

This might also be heresy but I was told this one guy got fired like half a year into the job when his firm found out he didn't even graduate... So apparently BG check isn't that tight?

I don't accept sacrifices and I don't make them. ... If ever the pleasure of one has to be bought by the pain of the other, there better be no trade at all. A trade by which one gains and the other loses is a fraud.
 

Depends which company it is.. if it is KROLL background check you are screwed.. those fuckers check everything in very very detail

 

Well I did graduate at a top school with a technical degree and I never lied on my CV. I just did a good job hiding my weakness and maybe they won't bother to investigate about my grades. Fingers crossed.

 

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