Getting fired from BB (compliance)

Hi - used to work at a BB in IB a few years back. I was terminated on the spot due to a compliance issue (breach of my bank's policies) but my performance was solid. I switched industries after that and then went to grad school. Now I am finally looking to move to the buyside (a few years later) and I may need to provide reference / employer check from my time at the bank. I am on good terms / am in touch with some mid-senior ppl (who were sympathetic to my situation) can list them down as references but I am concerned that if HR was to be reached, they would disclose that I was fired for this stupid compliance reason. What do you think my strategy? I am convinced that HR may screw me over and given how pointless this thing was for which i was fired (though deeply regret it!!) ill get good reviews from my MDs / Directors (I was on track to be a 2nd bucket analyst). PLS CHIME IN ! REALLY CONFUSED

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Someone can correct me if I'm wrong here, but I believe that most (all?) firms for a background check will call HR to confirm dates of employment, no? I believe that HR can say anything during a background check, but most will typically keep that narrowed down to dates of employment, title, and sometimes salary. It's probably not the answer you're looking for, but HR technically can say that you were fired for cause. Others may have a differing opinion on how to handle the situation, but if you were to get to the reference check stage with a new firm, I personally would disclose the incident by stating the objective facts, why it happened, and provide reassurance that it's a lesson learned scenario. To me, getting ahead of it is better than getting caught with your pants down, which would plant the seed in my head that the candidate may not be as trustworthy as they're letting on.

EDIT: I'll also say it's pretty contextual depending on what the offense was. I would disclose to the new firm if you forwarded a proprietary email to a personal gmail account, but I would absolutely roll the dice on them finding out if you embezzled money, willfully distributed MNPI, etc

 

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