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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be gobsmacked that an interviewee openly told dh that he had looked at our accounts…

989 replies

ChampagneWorries · 24/05/2021 18:40

On companies house?

Dh did an interview today via zoom and the interviewee openly told him that they had looked at our company accounts on companies house to see if we were a healthy company!

Our dividends are on there and I'm really shocked that he basically admitted to being so nosey.

I know they are public information (which i disagree with) but they do show the company income, how much cash was in the bank and our salary etc.

Dh wants to offer him the job as he had some good qualities, but this has really put me off him.

I know people do look at peoples companies on the companies house, but you don't bloody tell them surely?!

Would you still offer him the job?

OP posts:

antidisestablishmentarianism · 24/05/2021 19:49

When I did my MBA part of the accountancy unit was looking at financial statistics and ratios to make sure a potential customer or employer was financially viable.

I would give them extra marks for being diligent. You could hope they would be as vigilent in their job.

Ninkanink · 24/05/2021 19:49

Wow you are being very weird about this.

Makes me think there is something off about you, tbh.

friendlycat · 24/05/2021 19:49

I concur with everything said on here in reply. My own company accounts are obviously on Companies House. I regularly look up competitors, suppliers, clients etc. It’s all in the public domain.

I would expect a professional person to look me up as well. If I was attending an interview it’s certainly something I would do as well. Completely normal.

I’m baffled as to how you can even suggest whether you should still employ the candidate on these grounds of doing some due diligence.

flowery · 24/05/2021 19:49

@ChampagneWorries

Its the fact he’s told dh that he had looked at them.

Fine to look for your own security but i think it was off to admit it.

I would of thought he would of said that he had looked at our website, reviews etc not bloody financial information!

I hate people knowing our salary and how much is in the business bank etc.

I would never say that to an interviewer.

So you don’t mind him looking, you just would prefer him to pretend he hadn’t?

Ok....

Why not file abbreviated accounts? Very difficult to tell much from those anyway.

HalzTangz · 24/05/2021 19:49

@ChampagneWorries

On companies house?

Dh did an interview today via zoom and the interviewee openly told him that they had looked at our company accounts on companies house to see if we were a healthy company!

Our dividends are on there and I'm really shocked that he basically admitted to being so nosey.

I know they are public information (which i disagree with) but they do show the company income, how much cash was in the bank and our salary etc.

Dh wants to offer him the job as he had some good qualities, but this has really put me off him.

I know people do look at peoples companies on the companies house, but you don't bloody tell them surely?!

Would you still offer him the job?

So he took the time to throughly research the company he's interviewing and you think that's a bad thing. Surely that shows he's really interested and really wants the job

mumsiedarlingrevolta · 24/05/2021 19:50

@GreyhoundG1rl

I would of thought he would of said Low blow, perhaps, but you're a company director?

Beat me to it @GreyhoundG1rl

person6743 · 24/05/2021 19:50

I would never say that to an interviewer

It's completely normal and expected to name drop what you've found on line to demonstrate you've researched the company to show your enthusiasm and to help form any potential questions. It's your personal opinion about the transparency of accounts being online that is clouding your judgement.

SwanShaped · 24/05/2021 19:51

I’d take it as a positive. And it shows that he’s an up front kind of person and is trying to show that he cares about your company. I would always look at accounts and talk about it.

Taliskerskye · 24/05/2021 19:51

What.?!
You can’t see salaries on companies house?
What kind of business are you running

Booksaremylife · 24/05/2021 19:51

For smaller companies I would absolutely check out their public financials! Esp. moving from a big, maybe boring but safe/good benefits company to a smaller one. I'd want to know they're established, not about to go bust and aren't going to struggle to pay my wages or be the kind of penny pincers who make employees bring in their own milk because they're barely profitable.

Dishwashersaurous · 24/05/2021 19:52

you do realise that potential business partners, customers and other people that you deal with will all do the same to establish if the business is financially viable

backtowasteanotherhour · 24/05/2021 19:52

If you know people do it, it's probably a bit silly to mind that someone acknowledged having done it. Unless they said something insulting or came right out and commented specifically on your personal income, it seems like a non-issue to me.

AlternativePerspective · 24/05/2021 19:53

Based on your attitude I would assume you were a load of crooks.

You wouldn’t disagree with this information being out there unless you had something to hide.

fruityorange · 24/05/2021 19:54

I always look at Companies House before an interview. The interview is a two-way process. And if you have an issue with that I would not want to work for you.

ilovesooty · 24/05/2021 19:54

@GreyhoundG1rl

I'm guessing your dh is a little more business savvy than you appear to be, op, which is why he took no notice of your bizarre stance on this?!

That was my thought too.

The OP will probably try to get the thread deleted as no one agreed with her.

FrozenVag · 24/05/2021 19:55

He sounds savvy and a decent hire

onetwothreeadventure · 24/05/2021 19:56

Another YABVU. I’d hope most candidates would have the sense to due their due diligence.

And even if he did see your salary it means very little. I would assume that every company director has a good accountant and salary is just one way to get money out of the company.

SpeakingFranglais · 24/05/2021 19:56

Look I’d do it but I wouldn’t say so. I’ve looked up DDs BFs dad on companies house because I’m a nosey shit, he’s an accountant so I bet he’s looked up DH on companies house too.

I dare say if we ever get as far as meeting it will not be mentioned!

Malbecfan · 24/05/2021 19:56

Have you never watched "The Apprentice"? Claude often berates candidates for not being aware of what Lord Sugar does/has invested in. It's all publicly available.

I agree with all the others. This is a candidate who has done their homework. Obviously it's your choice whether or not to hire them, but this would impress rather than upset me. Plus, I also agree with the grammar corrections. It hardly smacks of professionalism writing "would of" instead of "would have" in your opening post.

Purplestorm83 · 24/05/2021 19:56

Did you or your DH look this candidate up on social media? It’s the same thing IMO

Anonymouslyposting · 24/05/2021 19:57

YABU - I would do this if I was applying for a job unless the company I was applying to was a household name. Whether I would tell the interviewer that I had done it or not would depend on whether I felt I had done enough to demonstrate I’d done my research and really understood and wanted a job with this company rather than just any old job. I would possibly judge someone who hadn’t done this check adversely depending on the company, it is very reasonable to check whether your potential employer is legit, fulfilling legal requirements and solvent.

Separately, your suggestion that accounts should not be public is not reasonable. Your suppliers and customers should be able to check that your company has the financial resources and stability to be a good business partner. Dividends and directors’ salaries can be an important part of that. For example, if the company had no cash I’d be worried but if it had paid out big dividends I would be less concerned because it could not pay those out in future if the company went through hard times, similar pictures with salaries (though I thought you only had to include the highest paid director). Conversely, if the company had a lot of cash but was paying its directors peanuts I might worry that wasn’t a sustainable situation. Clarity as to who you are dealing with and that they are solvent us hugely important to business which is why it’s preferable for the info to be public.

bridgetreilly · 24/05/2021 19:57

The OP will probably try to get the thread deleted as no one agreed with her.

I expect it's outing. You know, because her company is listed on the internet. At Companies House.

Feedingthebirds1 · 24/05/2021 19:58

The OP will probably try to get the thread deleted as no one agreed with her.

I very much doubt she's going to be back.

ClareBlue · 24/05/2021 19:58

If you employ him he will be checking out all your clients and contacts which will save you bad debts etc in the long term. I would be the exact opposite to you and put this as a positive.
As a Ltd liability company you have plenty of protection in law which can impact on those doing business with you, so of course accounts should be public records to enable risk of doing business with you to be assessed by others.

GreyhoundG1rl · 24/05/2021 19:58

@bridgetreilly

The OP will probably try to get the thread deleted as no one agreed with her.

I expect it's outing. You know, because her company is listed on the internet. At Companies House.

Wouldn't want us all having a nose at her salary, now would she?

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