reference’s negative input is or is not unlawful but is restricting your ability to secure future employment, it can typically be addressed through the transmittal of a Cease-&-Desist letter , issued by your attorney to the senior management of the company where the negative reference originated. The letter would alert management of the negative reference’s identity and actions. Typically the very act of offering a negative reference is against corporate guidelines, which normally state that only a former employee’s title/dates of employment can be confirmed. The negative reference is cautioned by management not to offer additional comments and - out of self-interest - is unlikely to offer negative commentary again. If you’re unsure as to whether a negative reference is impacting your job seeking efforts, whom can you contact? One option is Allison & Taylor Reference Checking, Inc., a reference checking service in business since 1984. This company will interview your reference(s) and document their input word-for-word. Approximately 50% of all reference checks they conduct uncover negative input from the reference; their report can be used for legal purposes or for the Cease-&-Desist letter described above. Note that a negative reference is likely to continue offering the same input to every prospective employer that calls unless you detect it and take steps to stop it. Like Jennifer, job seekers can lose many opportunities before they realize what is happening. It’s never too early to identify - and neutralize - a negative job reference in your life. CHAPTER 27 Career Sabotage: Negative Influence from a Past Employer The word was out on Sam Edwards. Someone was telling prospective new employers that they shouldn’t hire him. This single “bad reference” cost Sam at least seven job offers and forced him to tap into more than $50,000 of his retirement fund. This, in spite of his solid credentials. Edwards (not his real name) has since found work, but two years later he is still angry with a former boss for nearly ruining his financial life. Sam was able to stop his former boss from spreading more negativity, but he wonders how many other job seekers are not so fortunate. “For months I suspected that my former boss was saying something about me. The problem was I didn’t know what he was saying or how to prove it,” said Edwards. However, job seekers like Sam can now turn the tables on their former bosses. Many have begun to check up on former bosses, colleagues and even trusted friends, by using professional reference checking firms to see what those references will say about them to prospective new employers. “When you get right down to it, you don’t know always know for sure who you can trust. There is simply too much at stake - your job, your income, your family’s well being - to leave to chance that your references are positive and accurate” says Heidi Allison, Managing Director of Allison & Taylor Reference Checking, Inc.a professional reference checking firm. Ms. Allison states that about half of the references they investigate offer mediocre to downright negative input - often to the surprise and dismay of the clients. “People they believe will give them a good reference, frequently do not,” she says. “And the likelihood is that such references will continue to “poison the well” unless their negative input can be documented and addressed.” Causing further aggravation, it is not uncommon for references to pass out inaccurate information. Dates and title of employment, the reason for the separation and salary information offered by references are sometimes provided in error, and it is (unfortunately) often assumed by potential employers that the job seeker is being dishonest. The first step in counteracting such issues is to obtain third-party documentation, and Allison & Taylor Reference Checking , Inc. is up front with the people they call to check a reference. “When we call a reference, we simply state that
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