Hello,

my name's Diego and I wanted to ask whether any of you guys have recently passed the background test at UBS.

I applied for a permanent non-managerial data science position (Zürich) and got the HR interview last week where we agreed on terms.

The background test is "supposed" to have been initiated but my HR contact at UBS has gone on holidays for a couple of weeks so I'm a bit cut-off.

I've been living in Switzerland for about 6 years and I'm a "law abiding citizen" so everything should be alright. I've received however another offer and I really need to give an answer as soon as possible.

My questions:

1) I submitted the disclosure form and provided them with ids, references, urine samples and so on. Sorry to ask: do you know how long the process takes?

2) Is there any way to know whether the process is ongoing? Will anybody contact me to ask for additional documents? Do they update the "UBS application dashboard" with any relevant information?

3) Do you know whether they make an offer directly (contingent on passing the ongoing background check) or they just wait until the background test is ok to put a contract in black and white.

My main fear is that nobody does anything until the HR person goes back and that they end up sending an hypothetical - if any - contract in January.

That makes me think I should maybe take the first offer and sleep better during Christmas.

Thanks in advance for any help you're able to provide,

Diego

PS1 No urine samples involved, as of 2020 that was still a joke...
PS2 I promise to answer my own questions at the end of the process.