References

Sidney77

I left Ireland 3 months ago and im currently trying to get work in New Zealand. I have put down my previous job on my CV and any application forms and prospective employers have contacted them but arent getting any reply. I have contacted them myself and was told they dont issue references but the Head Office in the UK can issue and 'statement of sercive and reason for leaving only' which can only be issued by post, I still havent recieved this either.

Am I entitled to a reference from a previous employer if the work I did was good?

dade

Sidney77 wrote: »

Am I entitled to a reference from a previous employer if the work I did was good?

I think you are entitled to a reference even if your work was crap.

even if you are the the best worker in the world i believe all they legally have to say is Sidney77 worked with use for X date to Y date.

CatFromHue

is it possible to put the name and email address of your supervisor or the person you reported to on your c.v.
Your supervisor should be able to say such and such a person worked here for such and a such a time.
Whats the job scene like in nz at the moment?

Eoin

Sidney77 wrote:

Am I entitled to a reference from a previous employer if the work I did was good?

You're certainly not entitled to a reference that gives you an opinion one way or the other, and contrary to popular opinion it's also not illegal to give a bad reference.

A lot of companies will only give the bare minimum reference, which is why you quietly talk to someone you know and ask them if they will take a phone call and not get the HR dept involved unless necessary.

dade

eoin wrote: »

You're certainly not entitled to a reference that gives you an opinion one way or the other, and contrary to popular opinion it's also not illegal to give a bad reference.

.

i thought otherwise. i mean if you were a good worker and there are no issues then surely if they give you a bad reference just because you are leaving there should be something you could do?

that said if you were an absolute **** then they by all means they are entitled to spell it out

Nody

The very simple rule with references is that if challenged they need to be able to back it up. This is why most companies will only give start date, end date and position name in a reference.

This is also why many references state that the personal oppinion of the person is and not the company view.

Eoin

dade wrote: »

i thought otherwise. i mean if you were a good worker and there are no issues then surely if they give you a bad reference just because you are leaving there should be something you could do?

that said if you were an absolute **** then they by all means they are entitled to spell it out

I should have qualified my post saying that they need to be able to back up a bad reference with factual information. But some people think that it's absolutely illegal to give a bad reference, which is not the case.

Dave!

dade wrote: »

i thought otherwise. i mean if you were a good worker and there are no issues then surely if they give you a bad reference just because you are leaving there should be something you could do?

that said if you were an absolute **** then they by all means they are entitled to spell it out

You could possibly do something about it yeah, and that's why alot of companies will give the bare minimum reference (often just confirmation that you worked there, without commentary on how good/bad you were)

leeroybrown

As pointed out above a lot of companies will give a bare minimum reference of 'X worked here between dates Y and Z'. Staff inside these companies are generally told not to issue a reference and to refer any calls to HR. In reality what happens quite often is that a manager/supervisor will do the person in question a favour by giving a proper reference. On a number of occasions where the manager/supervisor sticks to company policy I've seen this taken one step further with a co-worker assuming the role of the manager/supervisor and giving the reference.

dade

eoin wrote: »

I should have qualified my post saying that they need to be able to back up a bad reference with factual information. But some people think that it's absolutely illegal to give a bad reference, which is not the case.

ok grand that was my understanding too. it's not illegal to give one if it's true. guess I'm screwed if i ever try move jobs with the current situation going on then LOL

Eoin

dade wrote: »

ok grand that was my understanding too. it's not illegal to give one if it's true. guess I'm screwed if i ever try move jobs with the current situation going on then LOL

I'd imagine it has to be backed up as well if it falls under libel law, but I think that's probably not a concern for the OP.

Sidney77

they did say they only sent the length of service one, but they havent sent me that, so not sure if its them not giving me one or just putting it on the long finger, but thanks for the opinions guys