Background check in MBB

Hi there,

Background checks are basically to confirm dates of employment and also whether there is any criminal record. I think it's illegal for an employer to share any ratings or reviews, with anybody else.  

Also, since they only go through the trouble of doing a background check after they are ready to make an offer, meaning that you've done well in all the interviews, they'll never change their minds because of a bad rating at a previous employer, or even what your reason was for departing that employer. If they find out you lied, however, it may be a different story.   

Bottom line, if you told the truth, and don't have a record, you have nothing to worry about.   

Hope that helps,

Allen

Hey there,

The purpose of the background check is solely to confirm that the information in your resume is accurate:

• Employer
• Position
• Dates

This also depends on the country and not all MBBs in all countries do this. For instance, in the German-speaking world, official reference letters are very common, which makes background checks obsolete.

Cheers,

Florian

Hi there,

I was contacted by companies doing background checks for some of my previous employees who then worked in consulting.

What these companies normally ask are:

• Confirmation of period of work
• Confirmation of title
• Reason for leaving

That’s it ;). They won’t ask about performance specifically.

The company doing background checks may also conduct research if the candidate has a criminal record. This won’t be asked to former employers though.

Best,

Francesco

Hi, I confirm they do - through an external dedicated company - a check of dates, companies and grades

Best,
Antonello

Hi there,

No, they do not generally ask for ratings/reviews. What they do check is that you worked at the place you said, in the role you've listed, during the dates you've indicated. They also check that you weren't fired for misconduct, negligence, etc.

They confirm

• You worked where you said you did
• You worked when you said you did
• You weren't fired/dismissed
• You did go to the university and at the time you said you did,
• You got the grades you say you did

They cannot share ratings / performance information

No, not at all. Ratings, reviews, reasons for termination are not part of the background check. 

If you worked there, when, and which rank/title you had are part of the background check. Nothing else.

Hello!

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

Background checks are usually done after the offer has been extended and accepted and they can be very comprehensive. They are not part of the evaluation whether or not to extend an offer.

Depending on country, checks often include police records, credit history, residential status for internationals, etc. Considering how thorough this process is, expect all your ex-employers to be contacted at this point.

Regarding the nature of the contact with your ex-employer, this will usually just be with HR where they confirm dates of employment and whether you did anything bad e.g. breach of contract, misconduct, etc. They will not discuss your performance with your former supervisor etc.

Please note that the above is very general and may of course vary between firms, countries, etc.