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appletini7
Joined: 12 Mar 2006
Posts: 16
Location: Riyadh, KSA
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 Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 5:11 pm Post subject: Certificates of Employment from AMERICAN jobs?? |
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I'm new here so please.. be gentle!
I've been offered a job as part of a training team at a hospital in KSA. They have, however, asked me for 'certificates of employment' from my previous jobs, stretching back 15 years!
What do they mean by this?? I can supply contracts for consulting work I've done but certificates of employment in the US??
Thanks to all ... |
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mouse5
Joined: 11 Jan 2006
Posts: 142
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| Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 5:41 pm Post subject: employment certs |
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| Letters with a fancy letterhead stating how long you were there and what you did, signed by somebody who is still with the company/alive in case they check. |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 6:01 pm Post subject: Re: Certificates of Employment from AMERICAN jobs?? |
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| appletini7 wrote: |
What do they mean by this?? I can supply contracts for consulting work I've done but certificates of employment in the US?? |
The problem is, of course, that there are no such thing as "letters of employment" in the US. When you leave a job, you leave... one never gets any kind of piece of paper.
It would be utterly impossible to get such a thing going back 15 years with the normal employment patterns in the US. I "might" have been able to get most of them as I had stayed in the same geographic area for the 15 years before I went overseas. But still, some of the companies were long gone. At most places, none of the people that knew me would still be there. I had also changed careers, so almost none of my previous employers were related to education.
Personally I would inform them of the problem... and if they have hired Americans before, they should be aware of this reality. Get ones from you last 2-3 employers if you can, and tell them the previous places no longer exist or something - or perhaps like me, were unrelated to your current field.
VS
(BTW... I suspect that the moderators will send you a PM regarding the fact that your avatar is large. It takes up a big chunk of the screen for people using smallish laptops.  ) |
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appletini7
Joined: 12 Mar 2006
Posts: 16
Location: Riyadh, KSA
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| Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 6:14 pm Post subject: |
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| BTW... I suspect that the moderators will send you a PM regarding the fact that your avatar is large. It takes up a big chunk of the screen for people using smallish laptops. |
Yes, but didn't know it until after I'd posted (didn't show up in my preview of my post). I'll dump it pronto!
And.. thanks for the reply. You understand the situation perfectly  |
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Sheikh N Bake
Joined: 26 Apr 2007
Posts: 1307
Location: Dis ting of ours
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| Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 9:04 pm Post subject: |
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I worked at two places in the KSA and applied to a number of others successfully...not to mention several others in the UAE. I have always just used my letters of recommendation for "proof of employment" or "certificates of experience." Every letter is dated and almost every one says how long I worked there. That's enough. Most people keep all their reference letters no matter how far back they go, and mine go back 22 years. During 13 years in the Gulf with 5 employers, not to mention countless other applications, no one ever disputed my "certificates of experience."
If you're missing a letter or two to prove crucial experience, you can even use your income tax return, which is perfectly acceptable. |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 2:13 am Post subject: |
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That works if... and that is a big if... you get a letter of recommendation. Not every job provides such. It is common in education, but if you had been working in say... business... you don't get letters in writing nor do new employers ask for them. You give names and phone numbers to the next employer if they want them.
I started out in the Gulf with -0- letters of employment. I'm not sure about giving copies of tax returns... 
appletini7, is your employer being helpful and answering questions? I suspect that your contracts may work for those time periods. How much of the last 15 years can you substantiate? Then, ask the employer if that is acceptable.
VS |
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freesoul
Joined: 09 Mar 2009
Posts: 240
Location: Waiting for my next destination
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| Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 10:31 am Post subject: |
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It is called "letter of experience". Potential employers in the Middle East are sometimes touchy about these letters. It's somehow similar to a UK 'job letter'. Basically, it's no more and no less than the " TO Whom It May Concern" letter.
In the so-called letter of experience, you will probably need:
Your FULL name:�.
Start and End of contract:��..
Position:��
Duties and Responsibilities: �..
Overall assessment of your performance ( academic and behavioral): �.. |
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Stephen Jones
Joined: 21 Feb 2003
Posts: 4124
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| Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 7:46 pm Post subject: |
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They are normally needed where your salary depends on your previous accredited experience. The guy at HR needs some proof that you haven't just made the experience up and thus something on paper does the trick.
I may add that I have never known anybody check the authenticity of said letters. |
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