I start training at my new job, and I wish I could say I’m really excited, but I’m actually nervous. The funny thing is I’m fairly confident I will get the Class-B license that I need to do my job, the main thing I’m uptight about right now is paperwork.
See, the problem is that the process for applying for this job is really slow, and there are a ton of steps involved. This past month I had to get a physical, drug screen, fingerprinting, dmv report, and also fill out and send paperwork to my new employer. So far everything is fine, just for some reason I have this really uneasy feeling I’m going to go to Orientation tomorrow and the HR guy is going to say something I’m dreading like, “Mr. Incubus, the Santa Clara Sheriff’s department never submitted your fingerprinting/background check info. I’m afraid you can’t do the training until we get that. You’ll have to get fingerprinted again and come back in January when the next training class starts” :eek:
Obviously this is all in my head. Things will probably be fine. I imagine if there were any problems, they would have contacted me (since the deadline for the drug test and criminal background check was Oct 8). I guess its just because I’ve had problems in the past with some technicality through no fault of my own getting in the way of what I want, and I don’t want to spend 3 months anticipating a job only to be turned away on the first day.
One thing you can do is call before you are scheduled to start and confirm that all aspects of your application paperwork are complete. I did this when the deadline for my application to grad school was close. That also had a lot of pieces, GRE scores, letters of recommendations, official transcripts… Don’t necessarily expect the person who takes your call to drop everything to check on it, or to even necessarily call you back to confirm everything’s OK. However, write down who you speak with and when so that if something does go wrong you can show you were proactive about it. That might come in handy if something did go wrong.
Professional Driver here … Not to worry. I’ve gone through all this so many times it’s really starting to get old. Had to submit to yet another background check just last week 'cause my employer got a new contract with one of the railroads and Homeland Security has these rules …
PDs are very good about getting background checks and such done. In the rare case that something is delayed, and assuming it is merely a paperwork thing, the employer can call to verify prior to starting the actual training.
Yep, I missed out on a job that I was supposed to get through a placement agency because one of the drones didn’t complete the paperwork on time. I called and bitched (calmly and professionally) and ended up speaking with the president of the agency, who got me another placement. A couple of years later when I was looking again I went back to the agency (which had a different name and largely a different staff) and the president not only remembered me but was so impressed by how I’d handled the situation last time that she personally shepherded my paperwork through for another placement.