Monday, February 13, 2006

Updated Career and Job Search Links

Folks,

I have updated the list of Career and Job Search Links to incorporate a combination of my contacts and Brian Enyeart's contacts. Some do not have web sites. For these get in touch with me or Brian to get contact information.

Cheers,
HDShea

Problems with Employment and Compensation Verification

Brian Enyeart passed along a note about using TheWorkNumber.com to verify employment and compensation. For those of you who do not know or may not yet have read your separation information, this is the means by which our previous employer has decided to allow future employers to verify employment and compensation. That is, your future employer cannot call HR and get these data validated. I agree with Brian's a priori assumption that there was no possible way that this was going to go off without event. I can also validate his empirical analysis showing that he was completely founded in his a priori assumption.

To validate your data yourself, you have to jump through a few hoops ("the system is not set up to allow you to view your own data") and it takes 45 minutes to an hour. First, you have to get on the systems and go through the initial set up. This is explained in your separation documents. Then you have to set up a validation key just as if you were going to allow a future employer to verify your employment and compensation. Then you have to call customer service at TheWorkNumber.com and tell them what you want to do. They will ask for some identifying information and the validation key.

My data were wrong in exactly the same manner that Brian's were -- indicating that the problem is systematic and probably initiated with our previous employer. I am calling HR right now to indicate this problem. Brian had already done so and indicates that "HR thinks its related to the acquisition payroll system transition problems, and they are looking at the problem."

You will probably want to double check your own data prior to having a future employer verify your compensation.