References

lisajane

Is there anyway around company policy not to give references? Is it worth asking someone else? Or would be seen as cheeky of me after being told it was companies policy not to.

I asked for a reference last week and my manager agreed. He back to me a day later and told me it was company policy not to. He's been a manager there for years, surely i wasn't the only that ever asked. He should know if it was company policy or not.

I feel so let down and don't know where to get a second refernce from. Its my first job since college for the past 6 years. Other employments has been for the summer and i cant ring them up after 7/8/10 years. They wont remember me and a few of them are closed.

I feel so let down especially after being told i would get one. Feel like going in and doing everything half-arsed. Its the same thing!

Max Power1

you are entitled to a reference. They must provide written confirmation of your employment, the lentgh of time you worked there, pay, and location. Anything after that is optional, apart from they cannot say anything false

Welease

I would speak to your manager again (or maybe HR if you have one), it may be a misunderstanding.
Companies (including my own) don't really like people giving a personal reference, but a standard reference, saying you worked there between the dates x - y, should be available as MaxPower said.

chocgirl

I've heard of certain companies, big healthcare business, that won't give references either so it must be alright legally. Was it mentioned in any contract you signed? Did you work closely with a supervisor at college? Academic reference?

lisajane

chocgirl wrote: »

I've heard of certain companies, big healthcare business, that won't give references either so it must be alright legally. Was it mentioned in any contract you signed? Did you work closely with a supervisor at college? Academic reference?

It wasn't mentioned in any contract i signed. Should it have been? And as for college, i was in a big class - don't think any of them knew my name! So that's no use.

Mrs OBumble

Have you got a senior colleague who'd give a personal reference?

Seriously, most big companies have policies like this, but you'll find that many managers are willing to take phone calls - not to "give a reference", but to "answer questions to confirm the claims on your CV".

A written statement confirming your job title(s) and dates of of employment is useful (and you should always ask for one when you leave a company). A written reference isn't worth the paper it's written on, as there's no way a company will tell the truth on paper if the truth is bad.

Oh - and in the same way that you should always keep your CV up to date (put courses etc into the master copy the day you get back to the office after them) - you should always keep your eye out for who might be a good referee. Doesn't have to be a manager, just someone credible.