fired her. She was stealing from the company.” What can be done: If your reference is discussing elements of your termination, they are walking a very thin line legally by providing details. If a wrongful termination is established, an employee then has the right to sue his/her former employer for damages. Scenarios #3 - Perhaps due to professional jealousies, a reference provides an unflattering, and untrue picture of your abilities. “Totally inept- he could not do anything correctly in the position he held with us”. What can be done: There is a very good chance that this type of commentary is prohibited by company policy, and for good reason. Many times a simple Cease and Desist letter will be enough to put an end to these statements. These scenarios, and many others ( see a list of actual comments provided by references here ), are unfortunately more common that the job seeker might imagine; Allison & Taylor Reference Checking estimates that 50% of their references can be categorized as “lukewarm” or “negative”. Don’t allow yourself to be surprised and sabotaged by an unfavorable reference. A simple reference check, conducted by a professional agency such as Allison & Taylor Reference Checking, can tell you definitively whether or not a reference is providing a positive, professional response to inquiries made about you. If they are not, you can take proactive steps to
prevent this continued spread of negative information, and you may even have legal recourse . To find out more about reference checking, please visit Allison & Taylor Reference Checking . CHAPTER 31 What Is Your Former Employer Saying About You? How To Prevent a Negative Reference From Costing You That New Job
Picture this scenario: you’ve been seeking new employment, but without success. Your employment credentials are excellent, and while you’ve been able to land the interviews - sometimes more than one with a prospective employer - that job for which you’re well qualified continues to elude you. Even more ominous, you may have been assured that the job is virtually yours and that completing the hiring process is a mere formality, and then...the trail goes cold, and the call-backs cease. Sound familiar? If it does, reference checking company Allison & Taylor Reference Checking says you likely have a negative reference that is limiting your chances for employment. What can you do about it? The first step is to confirm that you do indeed have a problem with at least one of your references. Do an honest self- assessment of your references that are most likely to be called by prospective employers. Did you depart on good terms with them? Is there anything unflattering that may have made its way into your personnel file, accessible by an HR representative? You may already have a good idea of who may be making your employment search a miserable one, and while you might be able to keep some former associates off of a prospective employer’s radar, it is unlikely that a former supervisor or HR department will be overlooked. The HR department is a traditional venue for reference checks, and HR reps of your most recent employers are almost certain to get a call from potential employers. Your former supervisors will also be high on an employer’s call list, as they know you better than HR, and may also be willing to offer a more revealing profile about you. If you sense there’s a potential problem, consider having a reference check conducted on select business associates from your past. But avoid the temptation to have a friend or associate call and pose as a prospective employer - this attempt could backfire, and any unfavorable input obtained in this manner would be inadmissible for legal purposes. Instead, have a reputable third party like Allison & Taylor Reference Checking conduct these reference interviews on your behalf to best
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