Safer Recruitment Policies

[Pleasebeavailable]

I'm going back into the paid workplace after raising, and caring for, my (now adult) children, who have additional needs.

I'm being asked for my whole employment history, and to explain any gaps. The employers apparently need the exact dates, months & years, due to these policies. I'm really struggling with this as I left school over 30 years ago, and although there's nothing dodgy in my history, I just don't have this information and I'm concerned it actually looks like I'm trying to hide something.

Is there any way I could get these precise details or is there another way that a potential employer could check my past? I have contacted HMRC and they say they can't help me.

If you were a teacher abd in the pension scheme you can get dates from there

I work in the same sector and just guessed the dates from the jobs I actually remembers ensuring there wasn’t any gaps.
The people recruiting don’t actually care, they just want the dates to roll over.
I really can’t see why they want to know I worked in a computer cafe 20 years ago for 6 months when it has long gone.

Thank you for sharing your situation. It must be upsetting to think you'll not be able to do something you enjoy/love/want to. I do think I'll need to use personal references also.

Apologies, I really should have clarified my position with not being able to take the job. Both the Managers and the HR lady that were there, all wanted me, however, the lady from HR told me that I'd really need the precise details for this particular position and there was no way around it - which is why I've turned the whole house upside down looking for my CV/record of achievement files.

Maybe this job is just not meant for me, and I'll have a similar experience to your friend.

There’s nothing they can check against for historical jobs, just fill it in so there isn’t a gap until you get to the years you do have information on.

My biggest gap is after my miscarriage, which is when I got pregnant again soon after, so decided to do some temporary work every-so-often. I can obviously explain that to them but I still don't know precise dates. Then I think there was another one from what I've worked out - again, I don't know dates.

When you say specifics, do you mean ask the employer what or why they need the information? (sorry if it's obvious and I'm not understanding)

OP the reason they ask is that predators can have gaps in their employment because of suspension, being sacked or even being subject to bail or other legal restrictions that they are trying to conceal. They are aiming to ascertain that you can account for every period of your life because the gaps are often when dodgy stuff has gone on.

For the type of job you are applying for, no one is going to check. You just need to approximate to the nearest month or two.

I used to recruit from overseas eg nurses and care assistants. Some countries (eg Zimbabwe) had very low employment rates and it was normal for candidates to have gaps of months or even years between jobs. That was acceptable as long as the candidate had documented it. So don't overthink this.

I wasn't a teacher, but I did manage to find out this way for 1 of my previous jobs. Thanks for the suggestion.

I've actually managed to whittle it down quite well, so I'm in a better position than this time yesterday. Only 2 companies I previously worked for are still around, which isn't helpful!
I do know I have gaps, so maybe that will cause me problems (I can explain them but can't obviously prove it any way)

One of the companies I called said they checked with HMRC, but I wasn't brave enough to ask why or what information they were checking for.

Thank you, I have been told not to overthink a couple of times now, and I will try. I just don't want to make myself look dodgy so am taking everything employers are asking, very literally.

I had a feeling that's why they wanted to know, but given that the job is subject to checks, I (maybe wrongly) assumed they'd find out I was just a boring and busy Parent Carer.

The government has records of every penny you paid so tracking that will fill in most of the blanks.

Then it's a case of cross referencing any education courses. They will be available also.

I will be honest I helped my late mum so it and it was a full time gig for a bit but once done she had it. If I may suggest go backwards, we found it easier and it made the task feel more achievable.

Hopefully with a bit more joined up thinking and digital records things will be easier going forward. Best of luck in securing a job in the sector you want.

DH had this issue last year, about a 2 month gap between finishing university and starting a job several decades ago. 'Seeking employment' was suggested to him by HR, and accepted by the vetting service.

I've contacted HMRC again and apparently I can make a SAR and ask for all my employment/tax/ni history - not sure why I wasn't told that initially?! Anyway, I've put the official request in and they take at least 28 days to get back to me. Once I receive it all it should make everything much clearer.

Working backwards is a good idea, and I managed to remember most things. Thank you for the suggestions and luck.

Do you mean that by your DH seeking or getting a job, it helped with vetting checks and him being employed? (sorry if that's a silly question)

Would anyone know how this could be looked into further?

I've just managed to log in and see a record of NI Contributions.

It's the only year that isn't full, but it's not the year that I was pregnant and miscarried then took some time out,

My biggest gap is after my miscarriage, which is when I got pregnant again soon after, so decided to do some temporary work every-so-often. I can obviously explain that to them but I still don't know precise dates. Then I think there was another one from what I've worked out - again, I don't know dates.

When you say specifics, do you mean ask the employer what or why they need the information? (sorry if it's obvious and I'm not understanding)

I'm sorry to hear about your miscarriage. It makes total sense that you would choose to focus on your health and wellbeing. By specifics I was referring to the way in which the organisations you are applying to choose to interpret the rules. In Healthcare, there as a phrase about reasonable attempts to verify job history (Not the actual words) and the interpretation can vary quite widely.

I'm used to seeing CVs with gaps for childcare and am usually happy to accept that if I have no other concerns.

In your situation, I would be suggest something like April 2016 - June 2018 series of temporary jobs, adding the sector/s and agency if you used one. You can include skills gained in a paragraph below, emphasising your ability to learn fast and fit in with a range of different teams blah blah

Then you can add maternity leave / childcare as the next phase.

I'm going through it also and have been asked for exact dates going back 25 years. I have given them to the best of my ability and luckily did various roles at one employer for 19 years. They will only check x2 employment references (normally last two jobs and a character reference. Luckily I am still friendly with people from my previous roles but wouldn't worry about it too much. I did get asked to explain a weekend gap in emplyment, where I finished one role on a Friday and started the new one on a Monday though, which I thought was a bit extreme!