Help navigating background check window [closed]

manpreet Best Answer 2 years ago

I accepted an entry-level job offer from a fortune 100 company for after graduation. Throughout the entire interviewing process I knew that any offer received would be contingent upon passing a background and drug test. With this in mind, I am plenty clean of any drug use and can confidently say I would pass a drug test today.

My issue is that I was given an 80-day window during which I would have to start this background check. That 80-day window opens this coming Thursday. I reached out to the company the other day to ask a few questions about various things and one of those questions was 'when will the background check begin?'

I was told I would receive information about the test in about a month. This would fall squarely in the middle of finals and a post-graduation trip I have planned. Would I be able to ask her to expedite the process without it looking unprofessional? Does anyone with HR experience know about the process of background testing a new hire? Can the talent acquisition employee I have been speaking with easily push it through on Thursday or does it require a lot of paperwork? Is it a huge pain in the ass to give someone special treatment or does it not really matter?

manpreet 2 years ago

There's absolutely nothing wrong with politely informing them that you'll be unavailable during part of their proposed window due to school previously scheduled activities and ask if they could arrange the test for before then so that you'd have everything done and be ready to start as soon as you're back from vacation.

PS A company that pre-screens all of its hires with a drug test is likely to be one that regularly conducts random testing of their employees. Even if you do get tested before leaving for vacation, I'd strongly advise against partying with anything other than alcohol or nicotine in case they decide to conduct an additional test after you start.

You'd probably be safer looking for commentary from people who worked there on sites like glassdoor than asking up front. Interrogating your your hiring manager/hr contact/etc about their drug test policy runs the risk of raising red flags and if they do use a random testing policy at least in part to cover testing people they suspect are using controlled substances you could find yourself set up for frequent "random" tests.

PPS If as you questioning implies you do want to continue using substances that would result in your failing a drug test, I'd strongly advise you to reconsider your employment plans and instead look for an opening at a company (likely smaller) that doesn't care what you do for fun on the evenings/weekends. Starting your professional career by being fired for cause after flunking a test is not going to make finding your next job easier.