# Employment history question (Need answer fast) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 23, 2015, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/employment-history-question-need-answer-fast/713420 "2015-02-23T16:24:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2015, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/employment-history-question-need-answer-fast/713420/1 "2015-02-23T16:24:44Z")
I was talking to my Navy recruiter today and he wanted me to start the paperwork to get a clearance. I couldn’t because I wasn’t sure what to put for the address/ phone number of one of my employers. I was a field technician for a healthcare company. I did Windows upgrades at facilities all over Maine, but my boss that I had to call was in another state at the corporate HQ. Do I put the address for HQ? For a random facility? My own house? ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2015, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/employment-history-question-need-answer-fast/713420/2 "2015-02-23T16:43:16Z")
Contact info for corporate HQ ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2015, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/employment-history-question-need-answer-fast/713420/3 "2015-02-23T18:33:45Z")
Yes - corporate HQ. They will have the employment records that may need to be verified. ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2015, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/employment-history-question-need-answer-fast/713420/4 "2015-02-23T19:14:54Z")
Does it matter that HQ was hundreds of miles away from where I was working and I never set foot in it? Won’t it raise a red flag if I say I was living in Maine but working in Pennsylvania? ---
**Author:** ![Celidin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Celidin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celidin)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2015, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/employment-history-question-need-answer-fast/713420/5 "2015-02-23T19:20:47Z")
It’s not uncommon to have an employee off site or far off site. If you’re worried, put the word “Remote” in parens next to your title. That’ll explain it – For example: Field Technician (remote) 2008-2009 Some Company, Inc. Wherever, PA Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2015, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/employment-history-question-need-answer-fast/713420/6 "2015-02-24T00:23:42Z")
I worked for the Keystone Tank ship company on the west coast. The company’s home port MD. My residence was CA. Under duties I put third Assistant Engineer shipping on West Coast. My last jobs were working for an Engineering Service Company head quartered in LA. I always put for employer ABM and LA address, working at then the name of the building and address in SF or San Jose. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2015, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/employment-history-question-need-answer-fast/713420/7 "2015-02-24T01:00:42Z")
This isn’t an unusual situation at all. As others said, just put down the corporate contact info (where HR is). You can also include succinct information that indicates your position and work location. As long as you are honest, there is no reason for anyone to even blink at that. All they are looking for is a contact address or phone number to verify your position, dates employed and reason for separation. Don’t worry about it otherwise. The real problem occurs when you are asked to provide contact details for companies that no longer exist. I have a number of those on my resume and have only gotten mild questioning about that but it can work out badly for someone who only had one or two such positions and no way to verify them directly. Your question is very straightforward and routine. My current job is in Massachusetts but my consulting company is in Ohio and I have never even been near their office. However, their HR staff will verify the details whenever I apply for anything that requires an income or background check. That is all they are looking for. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2015, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/employment-history-question-need-answer-fast/713420/8 "2015-02-24T01:04:37Z")
They only want to be able to confirm your work dates, generally. That would be confirmable from HQ. ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/employment-history-question-need-answer-fast/713420/9 "2015-02-25T21:33:17Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > The real problem occurs when you are asked to provide contact details for companies that no longer exist. I have a number of those on my resume and have only gotten mild questioning about that but it can work out badly for someone who only had one or two such positions and no way to verify them directly. Your question is very straightforward and routine. I’m an IT guy with the same experience. Many of the companies I worked for between 1997 and 2004 no longer exist. No employment verification is possible as far as I know. It was a problem for the job I got in 2004, (big financial company) but they were willing to reach out to an alternative contact to verify. Thankfully, they were willing to accept a personal friend as an employment history verification. As for a location of headquarters that is geographically separate from the work location(s), this is no problem at all. Happens all the time, and very often the employee has never even seen the HQ, much less been inside.