Navigating Background Checks: How Do Big Corporations Verify Family Business Experience?

Background Verification for Family Business Experience

This is a pressing question/concern for all those who are from a business background. I mean people who worked for a family business previously or started their career with a family business for a few years and then wanted to move into the corporate world.

There's a case here: What if the candidate (he completed his MBA and his internship/project with a famous leading Indian newspaper) supported/worked for his family business for 4.5 years in a small publication firm that publishes religious books and travel guides in both Telugu and English? He provided editorial assistance. The firm is owned by his father's brother. It is a licensed firm but not a registered company.

Later, he worked for two corporations, one being a top market research company and the other a leading British media house. He has a corporate experience of 4.5 years, making his total experience up to 10 years. Throughout his career, he has been in the same industry.

He is aspiring to move into big corporations. Big companies usually verify each and every detail of a candidate's experience. How will they handle the background verification of the candidate's family business profile? Of course, he has an experience certificate provided by the proprietor (his uncle). Will this suffice?

Please pardon me if the query is lengthy, but I need your advice urgently. One of the big IT firms is conducting his interview now.

Thank you in advance,

Regards,
Rishi

There is no harm in working in the family business and having a certificate. If the company goes for background verification, there will not be any negative remarks regarding the same family business organization. Hence, he need not worry about the background verification.

Is he going to do the same nature of work which he has done in his earlier concern? If it is so, then he need not worry at all.

I don't think it should be a problem. The nature of work remains the same, and the experience will only add on. So, as long as his experience in the family business has added value to his skills, there really isn't a problem. If he's a great candidate to have, companies will not want to lose him too.

Hope he gets the job soon.

Cheers

Further to what S. Bhaskar rightly pointed out, frankly, I don't see what the issue/problem is here. As far as the new employers are concerned, this person worked in a Family Concern for some time and has the relevant and verifiable documents to prove his experience there. That's all, I guess. It's just a coincidence that the owner of that concern happens to be his uncle. In fact, this person may not even raise the flag in any interview that it was his uncle's concern—let him focus on the concern's name...that's all.

Hope you get the point.

Regards,
TS

There will be no problem in the case of background verification unless the information is not provided correctly. However, the profile that the person is going to manage really matters. If the IT company is selecting him, it will be based on his 9 or 10 years of experience in the same field. He must possess the skills required for a person with 10 years of experience. The company will have high expectations for him. If he delivers perfectly, then he will be successful.

Regards

Are you giving any false information to the new employer? Are you cheating in any way with the new employer? If your answer is no to both questions, then I suppose you need not worry about anything. Do not view background checks with fear. It's just a formality if you are not a criminal. They will only check the details that are given and declared by "YOU" to determine if they are right or wrong, and this information will be brought to your attention.

So, I think this is not an issue that you need to worry about. Are you somehow concerned that your uncle would provide false information to the verifiers or something? If you do not have this doubt, you need not worry at all.

Regards, Bharghavi

Wow... Amazing... Your advice and replies addressed all the concerns at once. Thank you very much, seniors. I thank each one of you - Boss2966, nehz, tajsateesh, k_shenbagarajan, sunita meena, bhargavi D. It's so nice of you for the prompt replies and soothing answers.

I was informed by some people that candidates with a family business background are looked down upon by corporates, creating apprehension. It's my very cousin who is genuinely concerned about his career and is slipping into depression day by day.

You all are angels in disguise. Thanks a ton. I will recommend our forum to the millions of us who are silently struggling. Have a great day, all of you.

Regards,
Rishi

Thank you for your appreciations. I guess that's what CiteHR is all about: sharing knowledge and experiences. However, as I mentioned, please tell your cousin NOT to mention the EXACT nature of the relationship between the family concern and him—for the simple reason that it's not necessary. There's some truth in what you mentioned: 'family business backgrounds are looked down upon by corporates.' Though it can't be generalized, some corporates do have such mental blocks—for whatever reasons. While you can't change those mental blocks, you can DEFINITELY handle your response mechanism to pre-empt such a situation altogether.

Corporate Perception of Family Business Experience

Coming to think of it, I have also seen corporates giving 'more than normal' importance to those with family concern experience—since quite often such persons' experience is all-encompassing unlike those in a regular job. Please convey our 'All the Best' to your cousin.

Regards,
TS

Thank you, Bhargavi, for your appreciation. :-)

Hi Tajsateesh, thank you for the reply and my best wishes from all of you to my brother. After having seen all the background revolution raving in India, he says he wants to be open about it [saying it's his very family business] because all that he has in hand is an experience certificate of working there. As you observe, in family concerns, there's nothing like payslips and any other "corporate" standards followed, though the business at the end of the day is for profits just like corporates do. The modus operandi is different.

As you already advised, he mentioned the firm's name and his role and duties as his CV is a professional CV. However, references from family are what he is worried about. The nature of his job requires him to be at the desk or in-house, while the client interaction is done by his uncle (he is an ex-general manager of Deccan Chronicle who started his publishing business). Also, the book printing and designing are outsourced. From what I know, the firm had the proprietor, my brother, and some commission-based salesboys selling and distributing books. The firm has its office in a residential setting. So, the reference has to go from his uncle. That kept pricking him time and again, especially considering how ruthless these corporate giants behave sometimes and also the horror stories he heard from his friends...

Cheers,

Rishi

I think you got my point a bit out of context. Any situation of being 'open' includes the fact of 'necessity' also. I didn't mean that your brother has to 'hide' the fact about the family concern. All I meant was that it need not be the focus from his side. If and when that topic/issue comes up, he can then explain it.

There's a saying: Never lie, but if speaking the truth can put you into trouble, use the intelligence He gave you—by speaking the truth 'to the extent necessary' and without lying. A typical example of this [have heard it among advocates] is: what I say is completely true, but not the complete truth. Hope you get the point.

There's one thing that seems worth pondering—you mentioned '.....So, reference has to go from his uncle. That kept pricking him time and again.' Is he worried that his uncle won't give a good report in the BC? If yes, then that's a different ballgame.

Regards,
TS

Thank you for your reply. I now understand your point completely. That's what I am now going to advise him to do. Rightly and well quoted by you - "what I say is completely true, but not the complete truth."

His uncle is going to give a good report about him. After all, my brother worked day in and day out for him. No issues on that front. You all really helped us a lot. A special thanks to you, Tajsateesh. Your prompt replies have even addressed some new questions that arose.

Cheers and good luck,

Rishi

You are welcome, Rishi—after all, that's what CiteHR is meant for, I guess . But a word of caution regarding practicing the adage "what I say is completely true, but not the complete truth." If misused, this can land one in a lot of trouble—examples galore if you watch TV news nowadays.

All the Best.

Regards,
TS