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Would background check check your performance at the previous firm?

background check
New answer on Jan 29, 2022
7 Answers
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Anonymous A asked on Oct 06, 2020

Would background check check your performance at the previous firm?

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Allen
Expert
replied on Oct 07, 2020
Ex-McK Experienced Hire and EM - I show you how to perform at your best

To the best of my knowledge, no. They only check things like criminal records, etc.

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Robert
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Content Creator
updated an answer on Oct 07, 2020
McKinsey offers w/o final round interviews - 100% risk-free - 10+ years MBB coaching experience - Multiple book author

Hi Anonymous,

In regular cases no, and even employers are on thin ice legally to answer those sort of questions to your disadvantage.

However, if there are reasonable doubts about something explicitly mentioned in your application documents, recruiting can at least try to reach out and get some kind of confirmation on that.

Hope that helps - if so, please be so kind to give it a thumbs-up with the green upvote button below!

Robert

(edited)

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Ian
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replied on Oct 07, 2020
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi,

If they're deciding about whether or not to offer you the job, they may call your referees to check to see if you did a good job.

However, if they've made you the offer, then a background check is really just to check that you were indeed employed at the firm. They won't check performance, but they may check that you weren't fired for something egregious (harassment, embezzlement, etc.)

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Gaurav
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replied on Oct 28, 2020
#1 MBB Coach(Placed 750+ in MBBs & 1250+ in Tier2)| The Only 360 coach(Ex-McKinsey + Certified Coach + Active recruiter)

Hi there,

Only if recruiters have any doubts, they can ask your previous employers for references. Basically, security companies check on the criminal records and that’s it.

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All the best,

GB

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Anonymous replied on Oct 29, 2020

As far as I know, no. But they might reach out to confirm that you have worked where you claim you have.

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Pedro
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replied on Dec 31, 2021
30% off in April 2024 | Bain | EY-Parthenon | Roland Berger | Market Sizing | DARDEN MBA

No. They just confirm that you worked there and for how long / when. They may confirm job titles/rank as well. Performance is not part of the background check (in some countries it's not even legal / could get the previous firm HR into legal trouble).

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Clara
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replied on Jan 29, 2022
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

Not at all!

Background checks are nothing to be worried about, as long as you haven´t lied (e.g., saying that you graduated from Uni X when you didn´t, or that you worked in Company Y 2 years instead of 6 months). Minor things, such as 1 month differences, etc. don´t matter. 

Most of the times, they are done by 3rd party companies to which the job is externalized. If they find any discrepancy, they contact you first and clarify it with you. 

For instance, with the MIT background check I had the issue that the external name of my Amazon job is not the same as the one Amazon uses internally -and that was the name given in the certificated that Amazon gives oficially-. It was easily solved by an HR doc that explained that both were the same thing. 

Hope it helps!

Cheers, 

Clara

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Allen gave the best answer

Allen

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