background check

i just completed a week long windows 7 project for a branch of a large company.

the recruiting firm that hired our local crew contracts out the background screening.

the contract work is complete and i am informed i flunked the background screening because i cant provide w-2's from 2007, and 2008 and also a 1099 from 2011.....I provided w-2's from my last year and a half of employment, business references and all.

this has never come up in any of the longer contracts i have had in the last couple years and three of the five people hired were having similar issues from the background check company..

the recruiter is stuck in the middle as he has me as failing the background check, but telling me he wants to use me on other projects that arent as strict

i am waiting till i get my paycheck tilll i respond to the reruiter (in a few days, i hope)

of course i dont even have a w-2 for 2010 as i was unemployed the whole year..

incidently i noticed a year long gap in the recruiters resume that i managed to locate..

once i get paid i will probably just tell the recruiter about the actully nearly 2 year gap due to unemployment, it will probably blacklist me for some projects. But i have never encountered this type of problem which is why i am posting....ideas???

Hi Elvis,

Sorry to hear this Elvis. I'm sure it's a wide-spread problem amungst 99ers everywhere as we attempt to hide or explain away huge gaps in our employment histories, as we know people who were lucky enough to have stayed employed in this bad economy don't take kindly to it, and refuse to hire because of it.

What irks me the most are these people and/or companies who act as if no one should have lost their jobs in this depression we're in when millions of people were let go through no fault of their own in order to keep these same companies from going under.

At this point, you have no choice but to explain it to the recruiter. It sounds as if the recruiter is still willing to use you, as I'm sure you proved you are an excellent employee and an asset to his firm. I would not bring up his gap quite yet. He may be willing to work with you knowing from his own experience how hard it was for that year for him to find work. If he suddenly can't seem to find work for you going forward, then you can bring it up.

I actually got a phone call on the second to last day on my way to work from the background people....it went to voicemail and i just ignored him and finished the contract...

yes i will get back to the recruiter with the couple of w-2s i have, and no i wont mention HIS unemployment...

actually there are many staffing firms and it probably wont matter either way, but who wants a strike against them? i will do my best to explain.