Premature offer?



  • From an offer letter:  "We would like you to begin working on or about 1/6/14 provided all reference/background check results are satisfactory, in Initech’s sole opinion."

    Does this qualify as an offer? I thought that this kind of stuff was usually completed prior to making an offer?  Is this common nowadays?


  • ♿ (Parody)

    I think it's fairly common to get conditional offers where there's some sort of extra checking required that costs money. In this case, it sounds like a background check, could also be things like a drug test. They don't want to spend the money unless you're accepting their offer, but they don't want (or maybe legally can't) to hire you if you fail those things. I would think that they would have already checked any references you provided, but who knows with HR departments.



  • The background check I sort of understand, but it's not a government contract, and it's not high security, so it shouldn't be that expensive.  No drug test has been mentioned.

     It was the references that I would have thought they'd have asked for earlier. As far as I can remember, I haven't given them references yet.  Get this:  after I send my acceptance to the HR recruiter, I'll be sent a link so I can "apply" for the job, and that's where I'll enter my reference info.

    If they had sent me a more unconditional offer, I would have already signed it and sent it back.  But I have another interview this morning that's very close to an offer, so maybe I'll put off sending it in until close to the deadline of the expiration of the offer.



  •  ... drug test?

    what?


  • ♿ (Parody)

    @dhromed said:

     ... drug test?

    what?

    drug
    noun
    a medicine or other substance which has a physiological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body.
    test
    noun
    noun: test; plural noun: tests
    an examination of part of the body or a body fluid for medical purposes, esp. by means of a chemical or mechanical procedure rather than simple inspection.

    HTH



  • @dhromed said:

     ... drug test?

    what?

    I hate studying for tests.

     



  • @dhromed said:

    ... drug test?

    what?

    He's applying to some company that hates its own employees.

    My last job they did some kind of pointless "background check" (except they didn't, because I never sent in the form, and nobody ever cared or brought it up the entire 18 months I worked there). But they didn't do it until after I was hired and the salary was decided and I'd come to the office for my first day.

    I don't know where you are in the process, so I don't know if that helps. I've also never worked anywhere that does drug testing.



  •  Thanks.  Good to know.

     

    For this job, there is no drug test. 

     

    A long time ago, for a (temp?) position at a local bank, I did have to take a drug test.  But then I lost the job after four days.  I was typing stuff into Excel.  After two days, I went to print it.  My computer froze up.   They had disabled AutoSave.  They let me to stay a couple more days to re-enter the data.

     Even worse, in the early '80s, I was an actuarial assistant at a pension company.  One day they brought in plastic medical containers and told us to take them home and bring back stool samples.  (I did not.)  



  • @tharpa said:

    I was typing stuff into Excel.  After two days, I went to print it.  My computer froze up.
    Well obviously the problem was that you were high on drugs.

    But seriously . . . . I'm probably more strongly anti-drug that just about anyone but I just don't get the obsession with drug testing. It's just pointless crap that that allows managers to pretend that they are somehow doing something to "protect" the company. Sure, there are a few jobs where you need to scrutinize people a little more closely -- if I'm flying on a plane or going into surgery it's nice to know that they probaly aren't drunk (although sometimes they are and things still come out OK) But for most jobs, WTF? Even if you are high on drugs, what are you going to do?  Write shitty code? Overcook a Whopper?

    I work in a chemical plant and a few years ago they instituted a policy of drug testing anyone who got hurt on the job. Forget the fact that the equipment is a thousand years old and an entire building might fall on you if you look at it wrong -- if you get hurt it's obviously because YOU ARE HIGH ON DRUGS!! OMG!!! 

    Part of the procedure is that you are suspended from work until the results of the drug test come back (it used to be 3 days, might be less now) and if the test is negative you get paid for all the time you are off work. The policy has never been officially stopped but nobody has been tested in quite some time. Probably because nobody ever tested positive and management eventually got tired of giving people 3 days off with pay.



  • @El_Heffe said:

    I work in a chemical plant and a few years ago they instituted a policy of drug testing anyone who got hurt on the job.

    This is a pretty standard thing as if an employee was high then the company's insurance doesn't have to do a payout to the employee (basically require the test for the insurance company and get a lower rate).



  •  I'm kind of thinking that the reason for testing after an industrial accident is that the company was hoping that they could escape liability.  They were probably hoping that the victim had drugs in their system.  They were disappointed when people didn't.

     At banks, I think the reasoning was like this:  bank employees are in a position of trust.  Addictions are sometimes the motivation behind embezzling, etc.  Also, in banking, you want the image of your employees to be dull and square.  



  • @El_Heffe said:

    I work in a chemical plant and ... the equipment is a thousand years old

    That's not chemistry; that's alchemy.



  • @dhromed said:

     ... drug test?

    what?

    It's where you open a bag of white powder, dip your little finger in and then taste it. With this test you will be able to identify the drug and determine the level of purity.



  • @RTapeLoadingError said:

    It's where you open a bag of white powder, dip your little finger in and then taste it. With this test you will be able to identify the drug and determine the level of purity.

    Icing sugar again!? Ripped off.

    Seriously though, I have a friend who works as an accountant at one of Australia's biggest mining companies. It is a company wide no alcohol/drugs/etc. They even ban strong foods like anything with garlic in it. The guys on site don't get it so the people in the offices in the city shouldn't either!



  • @Zemm said:

    I have a friend who works as an accountant at one of Australia's biggest mining companies. It is a company wide no alcohol/drugs/etc. They even ban strong foods like anything with garlic in it. The guys on site don't get it so the people in the offices in the city shouldn't either!
    The nice thing about working for a Mormon-owned company is they'll never ask you come in on Sunday.  But you can't drink coffee, so there's that.



  • @Zemm said:

    @RTapeLoadingError said:
    It's where you open a bag of white powder, dip your little finger in and then taste it. With this test you will be able to identify the drug and determine the level of purity.

    Icing sugar again!? Ripped off.

    Seriously though, I have a friend who works as an accountant at one of Australia's biggest mining companies. It is a company wide no alcohol/drugs/etc. They even ban strong foods like anything with garlic in it. The guys on site don't get it so the people in the offices in the city shouldn't either!

    Is your friend's boss a vampire?


  • Considered Harmful

    @Ben L. said:

    @Zemm said:
    @RTapeLoadingError said:
    It's where you open a bag of white powder, dip your little finger in and then taste it. With this test you will be able to identify the drug and determine the level of purity.

    Icing sugar again!? Ripped off.

    Seriously though, I have a friend who works as an accountant at one of Australia's biggest mining companies. It is a company wide no alcohol/drugs/etc. They even ban strong foods like anything with garlic in it. The guys on site don't get it so the people in the offices in the city shouldn't either!

    Is your friend's boss a vampire?


    Vlad is most definitely not a vampire.



  • @joe.edwards said:

    @Ben L. said:
    @Zemm said:
    @RTapeLoadingError said:
    It's where you open a bag of white powder, dip your little finger in and then taste it. With this test you will be able to identify the drug and determine the level of purity.

    Icing sugar again!? Ripped off.

    Seriously though, I have a friend who works as an accountant at one of Australia's biggest mining companies. It is a company wide no alcohol/drugs/etc. They even ban strong foods like anything with garlic in it. The guys on site don't get it so the people in the offices in the city shouldn't either!

    Is your friend's boss a vampire?


    Vlad is most definitely not a vampire.

    I used to think he was a vampire, but then he told me he wasn't. Boy, was I mistaken!



  • @Ben L. said:

    I used to think he was a vampire, but then he told me he wasn't. Boy, was I mistaken!

    Now THAT'S entertainment!


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