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Ask HN: Staffing company asking lots of personal details for a contract job.

5 points by mkrishnan ↗ HN
Hi,

i recently got a contracting job thru a staffing company and they are using third party background verification company to do verification. the problem is that the are asking too much details like w2's, paychecks, addresses, parent and family details, previous employment details like employee number and many other details for past 10 years.

it doesn't sound good to me. so want to know from fellow HN'ers about their experience in this scenario. what would you generally provide them. what is considered fair and what are all the details i am not supposed to give them?

thanks

12 comments

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rglover
Hm, that does seem a bit excessive. What type of worker are you set up as? A 1099 or are you running through a business (i.e. an LLC)?

There's nothing wrong with asking why they need all of that information. If they're just looking for references, get their clarification and provide as necessary.

Beyond that, they should only need a W-9 for tax info (this would have either your SSN or Employer's Identification Number).

Don't give away anything you're not comfortable with.

caw
That sounds more like security clearance paperwork, minus the W2's. If this isn't a security clearance, it's probably TMI.
ScottWhigham
W2s and paychecks? They're either doing it for security clearance reasons or to decide how much to pay you.
tptacek
Pretty common. Don't do it until you've got firm commitments on rate and stuff. A lot of these kinds of background checks are required by BigCo's before they'll allow contractors to work with their IT.
quietthrow
Respectfully disagree. Its Not common. Unless they collecting info to gain security clearance for OP. And from the way the OP worded it looks likes its not for security clearance.
tptacek
We deal with a lot of background checking. We don't do work for the USG, and so don't deal with clearances. I don't think intrusive questions are as uncommon as you think.

Generally, if the questions are coming from a background checking firm, I wouldn't worry to much about the use to which the contracting firm is going to put that information. (That doesn't mean I'd answer all those questions).

eip
Just say no.
quietthrow
Its Not common. Unless they collecting info to gain security clearance for You. And from the way the You worded it looks likes its not for security clearance. Have they told you what they are collecting this much info for ? Have they explicitly mentioned clearance ?
mkrishnan
No they did not mention clearance
dctoedt
They might have a LCD (least common denominator) policy -- they collect, from everyone, the kind of information they might need for (let's say) a government contract background investigation, just in case it turns out they need it for the particular contract that you'll be working under.
sdrinf
A lot of these sounds like typical headhunter scams, specifically by getting to know your previous employers, some headhunters make direct contact with them in hopes of scoring more clients; and by knowing your previous paychecks, they have massive leverage over you in payment negotiations (employee salaries are not comparable to contracting daily rates).

Reality check: do you have an offer on the table? If no, let them know these details are available once you do. If yes, consider including redtape into your contract days.

Also, and this might sound obvious, but Know Your Customers: specifically perform at least a handful of searches against both the contracting company, the staffing company, all the relevant decision makers, and everyone you know the name of so far. Do they look legit? Are there other contractors on their payroll? Can you contact them, and ask their experiences?

mkrishnan
Thanks for the information. They never mentioned anything about clearance. The end client is a big telecom company. Rate is not finalized and this is a 12 month contract (w2). And the staffing agency is also big company.