Background Check - Unpaid Internship?

I interned for a month at a boutique bank before starting my PE internship this past summer. The banking internship was unpaid and informal in the sense that there was only a single formal document I signed saying I agreed to work there. It ended due to potential privacy problems between working at an IB and PE firm simultaneously. When filling out background check forms, would leaving the unpaid internship off my past experiences affect anything even though it is listed on my resume?

 

Prob not.They probably wouldn't show up on a background check anyway if you didn't get paid. The only way they can verify that stuff is by calling your references, and aint nobody got time for that.

 

Doesn't matter dude, you're thinking way too far ahead. As long as you got solid WE from both of these shops you should be fine. I was in your position not too long ago (summered at tech startup / boutique PE) both unconventional shops, and still ended up in BB MO this summer. Just stress that you gained relevant work experience on your resume and you'll be good.

 

thanks guys.

@youngmonkey: i'm not worried, i'm mostly concerned that they might ask my previous employer to provide some kind of documentation, which would be really troublesome for them, especially since it's been like two years and i'm not particularly close to her either :/

 

Hello guys again,

I finally had a chance to negotiate directly with the employer (bypassing the agent) for better compensation. So I accepted the offer and we move to background check process. Since I have not been in financial sector yet, I have no idea how strict the backgound check could be. I read several posts in here about the checks and realise they are quite tricky and scary.

Please help me with these questions:

  1. I had listed some working experience in the CV that I had by working with my friends. Basically, we are a group of 3 best friends. One of us had a client, he communicated with the client to get the job. Then we worked together to complete the task, lump sum money was shared equally between three of us. So, all the contact with the client were handled by one guy (not me) and the client just knew only him, but the actual work was shared equally between 3 of us. My questions are:

      * should i write these experience down on the employment application form in order to make sure the application and my CV are matched up? If I write is down, should I put my friend as a referee?
      * If I do not mention it in the application form, will they find out inconsistency between the application and my CV? If so, is there any harm to my offer?
    
  2. I gained my undergraduate cert in an Asia developing country for many years ago. My university and highschool are just small, so they might not keep records about me, since it was more than 15 years ago. I came back to the UK with my family, so I have not had any contact with the university and highschool since then. All information I can provide is dated back to 15 years ago. What happen if the background check team contacts my university and hight school but receives no response?

Thank you very much for your help to answer my questions, I am really worry.

 
Whiskey5:
Don't worry about it. There's no way for PI firm to verify an unpaid internship (no W-2) unless you provide contact. Just tell them you no longer keep in touch and don't know their contact.

thanks

any other opinions?

I don't want to get screwed over this

__________________________________________________- get on my level
 

I had a (somewhat) similar situation when my bank did my background check. This revolved around a short (poorly) paid internship and the background check lady couldn't get a hold of the guy I worked for. He had moved out of the country and no one could get a hold of him. Didn't think it was a big deal, due to the internship being very minor, however they weren't going to let me start until they verified with this guy. Thank god he emailed them back out of the blue, otherwise would've been fucked.

Ace all your PE interview questions with the WSO Private Equity Prep Pack: http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/guide/private-equity-interview-prep-questions
 
Stringer Bell:
I had a (somewhat) similar situation when my bank did my background check. This revolved around a short (poorly) paid internship and the background check lady couldn't get a hold of the guy I worked for. He had moved out of the country and no one could get a hold of him. Didn't think it was a big deal, due to the internship being very minor, however they weren't going to let me start until they verified with this guy. Thank god he emailed them back out of the blue, otherwise would've been fucked.

would they take the word of an associate?

__________________________________________________- get on my level
 

if it's legit, don't worry about it.

for my recent bb internship, they couldn't verify my previous unpaid internship themselves so I gave them a signed letter of recommendation of the person i worked closely with, with his e-mail on.

the guy said he never received an e-mail from the bb.

 

credit check is make or break once they are preparing an offer for you, they dont want to hire someone who cant return a library book on time.

Still not sure if I want to spend the next 30+ years grinding away in corporate finance and the WSO dream chase or look to have enough passive income to live simply and work minimally.
 

no, background checks are done after you accept an offer and most likely not until you start working.

you will be asked to provide contact information for your former employers. the background check company will call your former employers and ask for the dates you worked there and what your title was when you left.

 

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