References from existing company.

armstrongracer

Any way I can legitimately refuse permission for reference from existing company even if I have job offer.

This is situation. I am doing a contract role and have been offered another contract role closer to home. My boss is about to get married and is planning a big honeymoon. I'm supposed to be covering for her. As its a contract I'm only on 4 weeks notice. If she gets wind I am looking to go she will (a) slag me off for messing up her plans and (b) Replace me sharpish. I cannot afford not to transition directly from one contract to another.

I've been offered a really good contract and the agency is asking to contact my existing employer. I can provide 3 perfectly good references from my previous employers and in fact these refs will be more relevant to the role I would be going to. As it is, the interviews were very technical and fitness to do the job is not an issue. In fact I think I'm probably already known to them. I think this is probably just a requirement of the recruitment agency because I've never had a new employer contact an existing one in 25 years of work. How do I get out of this one, I don't want to risk losing the job I have and not getting the new contract.

L1985

You are perfectly entitled not to use your existing employer as a reference.thats going to jeopardise your position so don't do it.explain to the recruit company your reasons and they should understand. At the end of the day as long as you have other strong references it shouldn't be an issue.i would think they are just pushin. To see if they can get it. Other option is there a previous manger from your existing co that has left you could use?it would be a compromise?

Stheno

L1985 wrote: »

You are perfectly entitled not to use your existing employer as a reference.thats going to jeopardise your position so don't do it.explain to the recruit company your reasons and they should understand. At the end of the day as long as you have other strong references it shouldn't be an issue.i would think they are just pushin. To see if they can get it. Other option is there a previous manger from your existing co that has left you could use?it would be a compromise?

And the recruitment company are perfectly entitled to insist on a reference from an existing employer as a pre-requisite prior to employing the OP.

This has happened to me as far back as 2004, usually with American companies, or those who want a full background check, hard to do a five year background check without contacting an existing employer.

My last but one job required such a background check, and stated that refusal to provide the info/references required would result in an offer being withdrawn.

armstrongracer

I see both views here.

I'd actually interviewed for the client 2 years ago, was given an offer but opted to stay where I was at the time. Some ex-work mates have worked for them in the past and my gut feeling in the final interview was that they knew me, and it was just down to technical grilling. Offer came within 2 hours. Problem is this, I've been messed around before and the project I was being interviewed for has been started and stopped twice now. If I'd accepted 2 years ago I would have been looking again after 6 months because it got pulled. I want to go straight from one to the other without any break, or risk. My professional references with be ok for the client, and I have an ex-workmate from my existing company that I could use. I think the issue is the agency, they are Uk based and have a formal screening process. I've worked for big pharma companies before that had tough screening, including full medical and blood tests, they never went near my existing employer.

Stheno

armstrongracer wrote: »

I see both views here.

I'd actually interviewed for the client 2 years ago, was given an offer but opted to stay where I was at the time. Some ex-work mates have worked for them in the past and my gut feeling in the final interview was that they knew me, and it was just down to technical grilling. Offer came within 2 hours. Problem is this, I've been messed around before and the project I was being interviewed for has been started and stopped twice now. If I'd accepted 2 years ago I would have been looking again after 6 months because it got pulled. I want to go straight from one to the other without any break, or risk. My professional references with be ok for the client, and I have an ex-workmate from my existing company that I could use. I think the issue is the agency, they are Uk based and have a formal screening process. I've worked for big pharma companies before that had tough screening, including full medical and blood tests, they never went near my existing employer.

UK/US agencies and screening requirements are the only circumstances I've encountered the "we must speak to your current employer" issue.

Seems it's a cultural issue. If you want to work for the company you'll have to do it. In the last place I worked in where they do it, a colleague started with an incomplete check that was finalised eventually, and in another role I took another offer as they never finalised due to delays in the check.

RainyDay

Is there anyone in your existing company other than your direct line manager that you could trust to give you verbal reference? Would the new employer accept this?

Stheno

RainyDay wrote: »

Is there anyone in your existing company other than your direct line manager that you could trust to give you verbal reference? Would the new employer accept this?

The key thing here is if they will accept it. FOr my last background check I gave personal references, and due to the disclaimer on the form I signed they rang HR in each company!

armstrongracer

No one I would trust. They employ a lot of contractors and theres rumours of cutting back so its a bit dog eat dog and a lot of a*se protecting going on.

seamus

Bit of a catch-22 really.

Companies of course want to speak to your most recent employer. If you're offering only older references, they're a bit stale. The referees may no longer work for that company any more, they may not remember you all that well, etc.

Speaking to your current company means they may get insight to your current state of being - were you fired, has your behaviour become erratic, have you been taking a lot of illness time off, etc etc.

I would be inclined to be honest - tell the recruiter that you're concerned about how your current boss is going to react. Explain that she's expected you to cover her honeymoon and might lose the plot when you tell her you're leaving.
You have to get to the punch first - you have to give notice before anyone contacts your current boss. Explain to her that you're leaving, give her time to process it. Getting a phone call out of the blue looking for a reference is a sure way to poison your relationship with an employer.

Once you're reasonably sure how she's going to react, then either give the recruiter permission to get a reference or tell the recruiter that your boss is so annoyed she's not willing to give a reference.

Although your boss is relying on your presence, I'm guessing that her honeymoon is more than four weeks away. Which means the sooner you do this, the more time she has to find someone to fill your boots for that time.

livedadream

best way to do it is ask,
say you are concerned due to her plans re: honeymoon that the reference may be slanted towards the negative.

See what they say.

one trick is to ask her to give you a written reference, in passing before she heads away or approach HR for it.

Then you can give that to the new company.