Is It Safe to Share Personal Documents Before Receiving a Job Offer? Seeking Advice on Security Measures

Hello, I have been interviewed by a company, and they are asking me to submit my personal documents before sending me an offer letter. I need help to understand if it is safe to submit documents like a PAN card, Aadhaar card, address proof, and bank details, etc. Please advise on the security measures in place for submitting confidential information. Thank you.

Normally, all companies will ask for address proof, ID proof, PAN, education, and experience documents once the candidate is selected. They may request Xerox copies or ask you to upload them to their portal. This is a standard procedure, but do not hand over original documents anywhere to anyone for various reasons.

You may show originals for verification if they insist and retrieve them immediately. However, never hand over or deposit originals to anyone. Keep them only in your custody. Many candidates have faced significant difficulties in the event of certificate loss.

Take care,

Dr. P. Sivakumar
Doctor Siva Global HR
Tamil Nadu

Concerns About Document Submission Before Offer Letter

It is a little strange for them to ask you for these documents before giving an offer letter.

Aadhar Card, they may ask as it has proof of your ID and address. The rest, I am not sure why having a PAN Card is that critical to them or why they need your bank details before you join.

If the company is a well-known one, then you may do it, if not, you need to take a call. It is (to my knowledge) not normal to ask for these before you join.

More than anything else, the Bank Account details worry me.

Ownership of Original Documents

All original documents are your own property. Companies can ask for verification purposes only. Please do not submit originals.