notaclue

So I've applied for two big jobs that would double what I earn right now. Back in the UK I worked in this role for years without hassle. I've been called in for an unexpected final interview for 'some more questions'.

If my legal name is 'John Smith' but for the sake of bringing my heritage to the US with me I adopted 'John Smith-Jones' (Both of my parents last names conjoined). My reason for this is keeping the clan system alive (I'm from Scotland and wanted to continue both of my families names here in the US).

So for example - everything passport, drivers license and USCIS wise is 'John Smith' but utility bills and so forth use 'John Smith-Jones'.

It turns out that a criminal named 'John Jones' in the UK, of a similar age and near by city was convicted 10 years ago of a crime in relation to the very job I do to this day and thus shows up on Google when searching my 'adopted' name. Newspaper articles display 'John Jones' in their gibberish.

How would you approach this with a US employer? Would they prefer to be told up front about this or leave it alone as it is nothing to do with me and is just unfortunate circumstances.

I've no hesitation in passing a UK or US background check but I am concerned that it may affect this job offer as it did with a previous who did not give me an opportunity to deflect this inaccurate comparison.

Thoughts?

tom169

I'd personally not bring it up.

BritInParis

Don't mention it. It's a pretty spurious reason not to offer you a job without evidence. If they bring it up then an ACRO Police Certificate would clarify the situation.

petitefrancaise

Just be glad your name is not "Fred West"!!

Rete

Curious that you were told that you were denied the position because of the dubious connection of your name to the name of a known criminal in the UK and you were not given the opportunity to correct their assumption. Would have thought they would have rejected you for some other reason other than an assumption that could be proven to be erroneous.

Personally, I would not say anything but perhaps you might to start using the new surname you have adopted or at the very least start using your middle initial or name on your job search.

MidAtlantic

Rete: I don't think she has been denied the position.

OP: Do you know this is the reason for calling you back? If not, let them take the initiative and ask you whatever further questions they have. In the event of this being the issue you have the answer and the ACRO Police Certificate to prove it.

Pulaski

But he seems to think that it was the case for a previous job application - last paragraph of post #1.

Personally, I think you might want to reconsider your decision to "keep a family name alive" by tacking it on to your legal name, because voluntarily adding it to your own name is fake, almost as fake as me choosing to double-barrel the same name onto my last name.

tom169

I agree with this.

Rete

Apparent he was as per the above.

Since the OP uses the example of "John" in their name description, I'm assuming the OP is male, as well as the use of the male symbol.

md95065

It's not "fake" at all - just confusing.

Rete

My thought is that if the parents were so inclined to want to preserve their family names they would have hyphenated the surnames when they married or at the very least the mother would have hyphenated her surname and then either seen that John had a hyphened surname or given him her maiden name as a middle name. There are many cultures that use both parents surnames and some where the female does not take the husband's surname upon marriage.

notaclue

Hi all,

Thankfully the reason for the meeting was good and I was offered the position. But yes, it is an unfortunate adoption of the family names now that I am aware of this that I'll probably have to stop using!

MidAtlantic

Congratulations

BritInParis

If you have yet to produce then you could always pass it on as a middle name for your eldest child. Congratulations on the job offer

Steerpike

I've never thought it was terribly logical for the woman to adopt the man's surname, but then as I thought through the alternatives, I've never figured a way to preserve both 'lines' indefinitely. If John Smith marries Jill Jones, their child might be bill 'smith-jones' perhaps. But then what happens when Bill Smith-Jones marries Mary Watkins .. does their child become Adam Smith-Jones-Watkins ... ? Where does it end? So I don't see how one can realistically preserve a 'name' or a 'line' in any meaningful way, unless you inter-breed with the same families all the time ....

(cue Monty Python sketch
(Tarquin Fin-tim-lin-bin-whin-bim-lim-bus-stop-F'tang-F'tang-Olé Biscuitbarrel)