Blacklisting

Our man in Havana

What can I do if i think my former employer is blacklisting me? Ie giving a bad reference to prospective employers?

Is there any legal way to find out?

Thanks

Bond

Guy:Incognito

i had an experience like this a while back, i left my job and a couple of months later i was applying for a job, went through the interviews ok and the guy from the agency rang me to say that they wanted to offer me the job then ............nothing, he was supposed to ring me bac with details but here i am nearlyy 3 years later. I just let it go and everything is fine now, but i always thought i should have done something. i dont know the legal situation but im sure (not saying u did) if you were a f**k up and a lazy b@stard that they dont have to give u a glowing reference.

Lafortezza

Ring the next prospective employer that you give the former employer's contact details to.
Just inquire whether or not the reference given was satisfactory or not. He/she should tell you if it wasn't. Then you can go to your previous employer and ask why.

Or else get a mate to ring up your old company/boss and pretend to be a prospective employer.

WhiteWashMan

tell any perspective employers that while you worked at company x, you would prefer if you didnt talk to them because you left on bad terms.

that way, if they do ask, then they should just be able to look at the facts.
just an idea. i know its been used before.

eth0_

Originally posted by WhiteWashMan
tell any perspective employers that while you worked at company x, you would prefer if you didnt talk to them because you left on bad terms.

To me, saying something like that will always reflect badly on the applicant...

Our man in Havana

Originally posted by eth0_
To me, saying something like that will always reflect badly on the applicant...

How would you handle it eth0_? Leave them off the CV altogether?

Capt'n Midnight

You could ask for a reference in writing (and pigs might fly.)

Wern't there other people you worked with there ? - use one of them instead. - Were you dealing with people in other companies as a rep perhaps - use them.

Does the the employeer have a bad reputation - if so then it might not matter so much.

As to legal ways - unless it is a big corporation they can probably deny everything - data protection act won't cover phone calls etc.

Ryaner

Go with the friends idea. Get one of your mates to ring up pretending to be a prospective employer, BUT record the call. It is illegal for them to give you a "bad" reference. A most they can just say you worked from x to y and thats all. If the person on the other end asks were you fired then they can say but they are not allowed to slate you or anything like

Seth Brundle

@ Ryaner - you are not allowed record a phonecall without the other parties knowledge

Our man in Havana

You can record it for your own amusement.

Ryaner

No he's right about the recording thing although there is alot of give and take. I know on the phones I used to work on they are kinda meant to say calls may be recorded or monitored for training purposes and QOS but because it's 50p a min(uk stg) they cant put a message on the line so get away with it. Customers at times do it as well without saying at times so yeah. It can be done but it might cause problems if you go to court with it. But then how many businesses are willing to get their name dragged thru court???