Received an offer letter contingent with background check and previous employer check and now I'm going insane (employees, applying)

[Kate Spade]

I was let go from a position in June and started interviewing with this company that has about 500 employees in July. Every interview went great and it seemed like they were just as interested in me as I was in them. The best part is that the job is in Florida and I have been dreaming of moving to Florida for years now.

I received the offer letter via email a week ago and it took me 4 days to send it back because I really wanted to do more research on the company and I even got the chance to speak to a future team member and asked him questions. So I sent the signed letter back on Wednesday after business hours. Today is Friday.

Our lease is up in 15 days and I was hoping I would get a yes or no on the background check before then but I feel like now they are taking their time/disorganized at HR.

So my HR contact asked Thursday morning via email if we could set up a call for sometime Thursday to discuss next steps and start dates. I emailed her back times within an hour of her emailing me the first time and she didn't call at all on Thursday.

I called today (Friday) and she told me she didn't know how long the background check/previous employers check takes but she will send me the forms I need to sign to start the check today (this was at 2:00pm) and she didn't send them (its 6:00PM now).

She asked me if I would want to start in the state I'm in now and then come down to Florida when all of the stuff on their side processes but I just said I would but "I'm really looking forward to starting in Florida"

The other HR person I spoke to before was a manager and much more helpful and she told me the background check usually takes a week but now I'm worried that because she didn't send me the papers it will take even longer. (This was a week ago when I got my offer letter)



SO now I'm wondering if I even will get this job at all. Maybe someone told her not to run a background check on me because they don't need me anymore?

I just need an answer because our lease is up at the end of the month and I don't know if we should renew or ask our landlord for another month or what.

I also don't know if I should keep applying to other jobs. I was so excited about this job but now I feel like its not going to happen and I just wasted a ton of time on it. My SO & I have been so excited about moving an while I'm not worried about anything on my background check you never know if they will disqualify you until you are told a start date.



I don't get it....this is a large company that has a glassdoor page and everything but I feel like I'm being played. I don't want to contact them again on Monday because I will seem desperate but I can't just live like this waiting....and we may not be able to extend our lease by just one month because this is a student area and landlords have a strong preference for 9/1 leases.

I can't start my apartment hunt down there or let my SO put notice in at his job or anything.


What should I do? Is this normal? When should I wait to contact them about the papers they were supposed to send me today? Can I contact the HR manager without seeming like a pain in the ass? I was working with her for a bit while the associate who is working with me now was out of the office. Should I try to extend the lease by one month? IS this normal?

[Blondebaerde]

If they called you back Thursday after receiving a signed letter Wednesday, that is incredibly responsive (for HR).

Background checks can take a day, a week, or weeks. I've been through several that are "reasonably" thorough (criminal, detailed work history, calling references, verifying education). That was either one or two weeks, it's been years since.

What I'd do is extend your lease at the existing place, and eat whatever the balance is when all is confirmed with new company. That's life and part of the move. I assume there is a bonus and move package so hopefully that's a write-off. Unfortunate, but what can you do: beats homelessness. As I recall, I did something like that years ago when moving from CA to WA to work @ Big Tech Firm.

Not sure why they are sending you "papers," thought all that was done via eSignature (DocuSign or whoever) and Adobe PDF, but the world hasn't fully caught up to the 21st Century yet, I'm guessing. And I work for a tech firm that invents stuff like that, too. Inefficient and adds time to processes, though.

To pass the time, I'd start an apartment hunt in FL remotely. At least you'll have it squared away by the time something (or nothing) happens. Back in '08 I did that when extended an offer by a Silicon Valley major, that later fell through. Wasted time, but the organization process was not and it did pass the time/reduce the anxiety.

You'll "get an answer" when they're good and ready. That's just how it is these days, unfortunately. HR is, was, and always will be a monolith. I call them the High Priestesses of the Company Alter. They obey their own "gods", and that ain't you. Your problems (or mine, or any other candidate's) are not their emergency, so to speak.

Good luck with all that: it'll happen when it does, or it won't: sometimes things crash and burn, and that can't be helped either. Have a drink (or two), go see a movie, and take a walk. Nothing further to be done at this point.

[HeadhunterPaul]

Originally Posted by Kate Spade

I received the offer letter via email a week ago

So I sent the signed letter back on Wednesday after business hours.


She asked me if I would want to start in the state I'm in now and then come down to Florida

now I'm worried that because she didn't send me the papers it will take even longer. (This was a week ago when I got my offer letter)

SO now I'm wondering if I even will get this job at all.

Maybe someone told her not to run a background check on me because they don't need me anymore?

I just need an answer because our lease is up at the end of the month and I don't know if we should renew or ask our landlord for another month or what.

I also don't know if I should keep applying to other jobs.

now I feel like its not going to happen

I'm not worried about anything on my background check you never know if they will disqualify you until you are told a start date.

I don't get it....

I feel like I'm being played. I don't want to contact them again on Monday because I will seem desperate

we may not be able to extend our lease by just one month because this is a student area and landlords have a strong preference for 9/1 leases.

I can't start my apartment hunt down there or let my SO put notice in at his job or anything.


What should I do?

Is this normal?

When should I wait to contact them about the papers they were supposed to send me today?

Can I contact the HR manager without seeming like a pain in the ass?

Should I try to extend the lease by one month? IS this normal?

Whew. Just think- if you did not have this rental issue, most of what you have to say would not exist.

You'd just be waiting for the paperwork and reference checks to be completed.

Please keep in mind that HR does not have a rental issue, you do and they are not aware of it (I'm thinking) and you have let this issue take up most of the space in your thinking.

Calm down. They made you an Offer, you have accepted the Offer. The job is yours, pending reference checks and you assert they will come out positive.

Nothing you have said suggests they have pulled the job. You are making stuff up to fill in the blanks and in this case, it's an 'HR Blank' which is common enough. Who hasn't had to wait around for HR, before?

Also, since you have the job, what makes you think you would seem desperate by calling on Monday to check on the progress of your paperwork?

You are past negotiating; you have the job. 'Desperate' is no longer part of this.

Keep in mind you are sweating a balancing act that does not weigh on HR. They are oblivious to your situation and frankly, it could be said you would have had to deal with this issue anyway, right?

What if you did not have this new job? You would still be sweating the decision to extend or renew your lease.

Now, I know that does not make it easier to deal with this 'balancing act' but nonetheless, you need to create a Plan and c-a-l-m d-o-w-n. You can't think if you are panicky. Or "...insane...".


Is the job opportunity in your state local? If so, how long would you be expected to keep it and then be able to move to FL?

Maybe taking the [hopefully] local job, offering the leasing agent a ninety day lease agreement would solve your problem...?


You have cut this close and it could be said this stood to become an issue once you knew your lease was ending. Did you have a Plan for this or are you only reacting?

I'm not pouring salt, just saying you do not seem to have had a plan for this eventuality.

What were you planning to do if no offer came in by end of lease?

Well, anyway, never mind that- call on Monday and see what you can do to push HR along and in the meantime, offer the leasing agent a pro-rated amount for the next two weeks.




Paul...........

...