HELP Interview today ADVICE NEEDED URGENT

Morpheus

Hi

ive an interview today,

i was let go in my last job because basically i was on 6 months probation with the company, the IT manager and I never saw eye to eye, he just didnt like me, he was the type who liked going to pubs after work most days and liked to play squash and constantly got on at me cos im not a great GAA fan and wouldnt shell out to go to dub mathces,

Now i play soccer and love going to the pubs like anyone else but i traveled quite a bit to and from work most days and was never in the mood for heading out in town. Anyway i found him a boring prat, and not very helpful to me, he left me to sink or swim and did not make it easy for me when he realised i wouldnt be pubbing with him, he was single, im in a relationship, he was a bit of a bully.

In my review he basically cited that I didnt complete enough work, however i always met my deadlines, suffioce to say im out of the job now a week and have never been happier.

I was just glad to get away from them but NOW I NEED A REFERENCE!!! what should i do, the interview is today and the only references i have are from my old old company whom i finished with LAST year. i need one from my most recent employers however.... should i give his name or will he royally screw me, i was gonna put the HR officers name down, shes sound enough but if they ask IT stuff she'll have to pass them on to him.....

please please please reply ASAP im in a major predicament.
im leaving the house for the interview in 1 hour!!!!!!!

come on boards peeps, help me out here!

Yavvy

firstly it should be illegal for any employer to give you a bad ref, however that doesnt help you much does it.

Try honesty, Some ( most) employers like and appriciate that.
Tell him what you just told us ... and just ask for a chance to prove yourself.

if your uncomfortable with that you will have to waffel about the previous job. But steer the conversation away from companies and stick to your skills and knoledge

eirebhoy

I'd advise you to give your old boss a call and tell him that someone is going to be ringing him to ask for a reference for you and that you really need this job. You should know from the phone call whether he will help you out. I don't think a few disagreements about your social life is going make him hate you for life.

Sleipnir

Originally posted by Alany
firstly it should be illegal for any employer to give you a bad ref

What?!?!? That's ridiculous. So, as the interviewer, you call the interviewee's last place of work and they give the person a shining reference even though you were crap, always late and never did anything worthwhile?
That's a great idea.

The one time I was asked to supply a reference for someone crap and extremely lazy i just said.
"I cannot give you a reference for that person"
Your ex-employee can't come back at you as legally, you didn't say anything bad about that person. But the interviewer can read between the lines.

A lot of companies won't give references now anyway, or will just give factual ones.

Morpheus, Even though the guy didn't take up your contract, he probably won't screw you around if you're trying to get another job.
Just ring and say something like

"Look, I know we didn't really get on well but I'd like to ask you if you would provide a reference for me"

WizZard

What?!?!? That's ridiculous

Not at all. Correct me if I'm wrong but to my knowledge you are not allowed to give someone a bad reference.

The worst reference that you can give is "Person X worked here for Y length of time"

Sleipnir

You are 'allowed' to give someone a bad reference, It's just not a good idea from a companies perspective.
Basically, if you call up a referee and they don't give a good reference, you can assume it's a bad one!

Yavvy

I was under the impression that an ex employer cannot give a bad ref, however its accepted that if they decline to give a ref then its a bad one

I dont know for sure thats just my understanding

Imposter

Ask him to give you a refernece. Then you know if it's good or bad and if it's bad don't use it (and/or sue him)!

Or alternatively get a friend to ring up from ACME Software and get a copy of the reference he'll give that way!

Beruthiel

Originally posted by Morphéus
please please please reply ASAP im in a major predicament.
im leaving the house for the interview in 1 hour!!!!!!!

you are probably gone, but this may help for next time.

Something very similar happened to me, I was in a job for six months, the boss was a total asshole, I couldn’t leave fast enough.
When in the interview I was asked why I was leaving after such a short time, I told the truth, I cited one or two examples of his behaviour toward me (he followed me into the jacks one day to tell me there was a phone call - total loolaa)
I told them this was the first time this sort of thing had ever happened to me. I told them if they wanted references then they should talk to all the previous employers I had worked with as I had never had any problems and I told them that all of these people would give me glowing references as I was great to work with and they had been a pleasure to work for.
I got the job….

pebble

Originally posted by Alany
I was under the impression that an ex employer cannot give a bad ref, however its accepted that if they decline to give a ref then its a bad one

I dont know for sure thats just my understanding

It is not illegal as such to give a 'bad reference', however, you can be sued for deformation of character if you do. a character reference is just that, your opinion of a character.
It does not nessecarily reflect what others think of that person.

What most people will do is just give the exact details of the persons employment.
X worked here for xx years.
X's title was 'yadda yadda'

and so on and so forth.

If someone id given a 'bad reference' these days, basically it means that someone refuses to give a reference.

on the topic at hand however, I would just give the company, and the HR person who deals with references. They may ask someone more specific (IE. your manager) for details, however if it is a bad one, then all the HR person will do is give the specific details of your time in the company.
Your main problem is to tell your prospective employers why you were let go during your probation.

Also, good words there from Beruthiel.

On another note, for things like this, Sun Tzu said in the Art Of War, 'when you fight a battle, it should already be won'
Apply it to situations like this.
If you have to give a reference, give the reference of someone you know is going to give you a glowing one. Arrange for someone to be your referee, and make sure your stories are straight, don't just arrange some last minute thing.
Make sure you have a job winning reference before you even need one.