Applying for a promotion and noticed I have work history missing from initial application

Question

I am applying for a promotion. I have been with the company for 3 years. I had a background check to get the position, which I assume I passed, since I have the job. The company claims they are not with the government, but it is a public position and according to Google, it is technically a government job.

While I was updating my information I noticed that my job history wasn't complete. There were two jobs that were not included in my initial application. These jobs were short-term, lasting only a few months, and were 8 and 10 years ago. My manager mentioned being thorough in the application for the promotion.

There is a form at the end to sign saying that nothing was omitted, and if there was there are grounds for termination.

My concern is that by applying for the promotion with the completed job history, my employer will see that my initial application was not honest and terminate me.

Is this something HR will check up on, or notice the difference in my application history? Should I include the jobs that were initially omitted?

Answer 1

My concern is that by applying for the promotion with the completed job history, my employer will see that my initial application was not honest and terminate me.

No, rather they should be welcoming that addition, since

• They themselves failed to find out that in the previous background check.
• You are being honest now, by spotting the mistake / gap and willing to bridge that.

I'd not think a couple-month stint pulled off 8~10 years ago will have significant impact on your background check anyways (unless there was something serious that had happened during those jobs), but given that you spotted the gap, it should be reported / updated accordingly.

In other case, they might also have actually find out in the previous background check and chose to overlook/ ignore the fact. If that's the case, nothing to be worried, at all.

Solution: Update the new application with whatever information was missed previously. You'd avoid showing up as someone who did not correct a mistake when they had a chance.

Answer 2

People leave out jobs in their work history all the time, for various reasons, some of which include:

• The job was too short term to matter
• The job has no value to your career as a whole and is irrelevant regarding the job you're applying for.

It's unrealistic to expect applicants to remember every single position they've ever held, no matter how short term, unless you want some sort of security clearance.

My concern is that by applying for the promotion with the completed job history, my employer will see that my initial application was not honest and terminate me.

While that is a possibility (more unreasonable things have happened) the more likely reaction is that your manager notices you took his instructions of looking more closely to heart and will be ambivalent to the whole situation, maybe positively surprised (although that's unlikely).

Should I include the jobs that were initially omitted?

Yes, because you were asked to be thorough and now you know about them. You weren't dishonest then, so don't start being dishonest now by omitting them on purpose.