Direct Placement Freak Out! Need your help.

I recently placed a candidate in a position within a large Defense Company. The candidate went for his interviews, did great and was offered the position. The candidate got an offer letter with a very nice relo package. All was well on both sides and the candidate is scheduled to start 2-23. The company came to his house and appraised his stuff for shipping; they even measured the length of his dog to size for a crate. The whole nine.. I just go a call and they told me that his status has been changed to indefinite and his application is under review in legal. What do you think this means?

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Comment by See_Jane_Recruit on February 13, 2009 at 11:34am: It means someone in the Defense Company didn't do their job right. Before they extended an offer this client should have done a thorough background check. Probably someone didn't wait to get the results in to make an offer. Good time to ask your candidate if he has a criminal background or if he can think of any reason why they would but him on hold. Could just be a hoop HR forgot to jump and it's really no big deal. If you are on a friendly terms with your contact just ask him/her what the hold up could be. Good luck! Let us know what happens.

Comment by Greg Amerault on February 13, 2009 at 11:38am: Ot oh... back ground related:(. He came up clean for us but we didn't do a national. Do DUI's show up on criminal or driving record?

Comment by See_Jane_Recruit on February 13, 2009 at 12:50pm: From what I remember only felonies show up on criminal backgrounds. Usually first DUIs are misdemeanor offenses and won't show up on your record but I think that law varies from state to state. Google it. Also, I think most criminal background checks only go back 7 years. Now, a big defense company might put out the extra bucks for a more extensive background check. If your candidate has a DUI offense and you haven't mentioned it yet to this point, I wouldn't bring it up. Just wait to hear back from your client.

Comment by Omari on February 13, 2009 at 1:30pm: It could also be credit related. An important factor of the background checking process for DoD related positions is a good credit history. Your candidate may have a recent bankruptcy or other undisclosed credit issues.
You could tactfully question your candidate about their credit history to shed some light.