Job References Issue

JOM34

Hi all

I'm in a bit of a quandry. I'm pretty confident I'm going to be offered a job I recently interviewed for. I really want this job too!!! The problem is I left my last employer, approx. 6 years ago, on bad terms. It was a small company & the boss / MD was a bully. When I told him I was leaving he blew his top & basically called me every name under the sun. I worked really hard there & in my opinion did a really good job for him. My problem now is trying to get a reference. What is the the standard requirement. Does it have to be your last employer? What other was is there to address this request when it comes around? I probably get an excellent reference from my current employer but do you normally ask them in this type of situation? Any suggestions greatly appreciated!!!!

J

Kimbot

Your Last employer would be your current employer cos you will be leaving them!! Just get a reference off them!!

Tom Dunne

What if you don't want your current employer to know you are considering leaving? What if you don't actually get the job?

That would make work interesting, to say the least.

Is there somebody senior (not your boss) in your current role that can give you a reference ?

Malice

My CV states that referees are available on request. When I am asked for referees, which is usually after I have done the interview, I say that I will provide them on condition that I will be made an offer as obviously I do not want to compromise my current situation. A prospective employer should make you an offer at that point. If they don't, then it's better that they didn't get to talk to you current employer.

juanveron45

When an employer looks for references, is it at your discreation which of your last employers you give as your referee or can they choose who of your last employers they want to talk to?

Nody

malice_ wrote:

My CV states that referees are available on request. When I am asked for referees, which is usually after I have done the interview, I say that I will provide them on condition that I will be made an offer as obviously I do not want to compromise my current situation. A prospective employer should make you an offer at that point. If they don't, then it's better that they didn't get to talk to you current employer.

Standard offer when I make a offer is offer the job under the condition that the person's references check out.

juanveron45 wrote:

When an employer looks for references, is it at your discreation which of your last employers you give as your referee or can they choose who of your last employers they want to talk to?

Depends on the company and the position, we usually ask for references for the last three to five years, regardless if that is one or five references.

Malice

Nody wrote:

Standard offer when I make a offer is offer the job under the condition that the person's references check out.

I take it to mean that you make an offer to the applicant only if they supply references that check out? Where does that leave an applicant who may not want to necessarily leave their current job or want their current employer to know that they have been exploring their options? Or also like the OP, someone who may get stabbed in the back by a disgruntled ex-boss?

It's a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation

leeroybrown

malice_ wrote:

I take it to mean that you make an offer to the applicant only if they supply references that check out? Where does that leave an applicant who may not want to necessarily leave their current job or want their current employer to know that they have been exploring their options? Or also like the OP, someone who may get stabbed in the back by a disgruntled ex-boss?

It's a situation you have to legislate for yourself. In a situation where a potential employer wishes to check references I don't see a cleaner way to do it. They've given you an opportunity to state references of your choice and have said that they are happy to offer you a job so long as they check out.

I'd actually be interested in figuring out what percentage of employers actually bother to check references these days given the potential for incorrect references in either direction and a lot of larger companies 'official' unwillingness to offer anything other than basic confirmation of start and end dates.

Nody

leeroybrown wrote:

It's a situation you have to legislate for yourself. In a situation where a potential employer wishes to check references I don't see a cleaner way to do it. They've given you an opportunity to state references of your choice and have said that they are happy to offer you a job so long as they check out.

What he said. If you have not lied about your references (place, duration, position and if applicable duties) the job is yours. On the other hand if you have lied and "polished" up your CV with positions/duties/companies you never worked for the job offer is not valid as you have lied to us. Note you don't turn someone down who said he worked as a manager for 2 years but actually only worked for 20 months etc. rather people who claim to have worked as Project Manager for a company and the company has never heard of said person.

I'd actually be interested in figuring out what percentage of employers actually bother to check references these days given the potential for incorrect references in either direction and a lot of larger companies 'official' unwillingness to offer anything other than basic confirmation of start and end dates.

Personal experience is many try for reference but will settle for confirmation of employment (standard letter saying person X worked from A to B as Y which any company must give by law).

py2006

malice_ wrote:

My CV states that referees are available on request. When I am asked for referees, which is usually after I have done the interview, I say that I will provide them on condition that I will be made an offer as obviously I do not want to compromise my current situation. A prospective employer should make you an offer at that point. If they don't, then it's better that they didn't get to talk to you current employer.

That is good advice!

I saw a job ad recently which clearly stated they wanted a written reference from "your current employer". I couldn't believe what I was reading.

seamus

The place I'm in looks for a reference from your last two employers. This is regardless of whether your last employer was 25 years ago, it's company policy.

I would worry about any reference from your former employer. If he badmouths you about stuff that he can't prove, take him to the cleaners. win-win.

Malice

seamus wrote:

I would worry about any reference from your former employer. If he badmouths you about stuff that he can't prove, take him to the cleaners. win-win.

How would you know that the former employer said anything? If you get the courtesy of a PFO letter from the company that you applied to (which is rare in my experience but that's a topic for another thread) they usually just say something neutral like:

We regret to inform you that we will not be proceeding with your application.

They wouldn't put down:

We regret to inform you that we will not be proceeding with your application because the reference we received from Mr Y leads us to believe that you would be about as useful to us as a chocolate fireplace

If they did put something like that down in writing then you would be able to prove that the previous employer had bad mouthed you.