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.

contact the hiring manager and tell them you have a deadline for another offer. they will take it from there.

I just wondered if coke is now mandatory

Yes, I could try to do that but I don't even his email/ phone.

That's why I was hoping somebody in my same situation could throw some light on this.

No way would UBS have asked you to provide a urine sample - ridiculous

Yes, yes...that was just a joke.

I wanted to update PS1 to make it more clear..but I'm not allowed to.

Did you not see where the OP clearly wrote that that was a joke? It's a bit harsh to groan him for that!

AND negative rep as well? Seriously? What's up with you? The guy made an obvious joke, then stated that it was a joke, and you've gone freaking Jack Nicholson all over him!?

And welcome to the forum, Diego! Sorry that you ran into someone having a bad hair day on your first outing here.

It sounds like you are a candidate for enhanced screening given your role and the data you will have access to. As pointed out, contact the HR person or the hiring manager and highlight the delay and that you're happy to go through the enhanced background checking and interview.

It costs the bank a decent sum to do this so if you can get that ball rolling, it should be a positive sign.

good luck.

really? i have provided urine samples for all 3 'proper' jobs i've had in my life.

Really? What job do you do?

UBS HR is one of the worst I have encountered. Let the hiring manager know you have another offer and you need a decision ASAP....nothing gets the wheels moving like a kick from someone internally.

That's why its pronounced Oops!

Hey there,

thanks for your answers.

I must admit I was expecting though to hear from someone who had passed through this process

In the end I've decided to accept the other offer (a bird in the hand...).

I'll try to update my questions in a couple of weeks. So far is a "No" for 2.

Cheers,

Diego

I hesitated about replying to your thoughtful post. But after a pleasant post-dinner beverage, I thought, why not.

Hmmmm, seems like more than just a bad hair day for you. Nevertheless, I'll try to help you out.

If you'd actually read the whole of the original post, you'd have seen "PS1 No urine samples involved, as of 2020 that was still a joke..." The clue is in the word "joke". All you have to do is rearrange the letters, without moving any of them, to form the word "joke", to see the OP's true intended meaning.

As for the rest of your post, that's a great riddle of your own! You've really got me stumped; I have no clue what you're on about. I've no idea which statistics you're referring to. And I'm sorry to hear that you're experiencing problems with your skis and your seasoned dickhead. My recommendation is you look for someone more your own age.

I hope this helps.

Doesn't matter - use a tool like https://hunter.io and you should find their email address in seconds.

As a courtesy you might want to message him/her anyway - you don't know if your paths might cross in the future and always best to part on good terms. Also there might be someone else he/she can offer the job too who is 'desperate' for the good news of a job offer before Xmas.

When I went through this process as a new member of the UBS senior management team in Nov 2018, there was no feedback. I actually started in the office without returning all the documents, which I submitted about 2 weeks into the job and I'm not sure if anyone read.

Enjoy the gig.

So in the end did you get the offer and how long have you waited? Thanks, cause I am in a similar position now.