that person does, indeed, offer negative commentary about you, it may also ensure you don’t receive a second look. Again, what to do? Your best course is to always advise an employer that they can, indeed, contact your former supervisor. However, you can improve your odds by having a reference checking organization like Allison & Taylor Reference Checking check out your supervisor beforehand to determine what they will say about you to your potential employers. Even if you parted on unfavorable terms with this supervisor, they may take the “high road” by simply confirming your employment dates and title and invoking company policy that they are unable to offer any further information. This is what is known as a “neutral reference” and potential employers understand that this is all the input they are supposed to receive from your reference. They will not (or should not) hold such a response against you. In this scenario, you may freely offer up the name of your former supervisor, already confident they will not offer any damaging commentary about you. However, what happens if you have a reference check conducted on your supervisor and find out that they are offering negative remarks about you? You could (to the best of your ability) try to keep them off an employer’s “radar” by not offering up their name (unless, again, you are specifically asked if they may be contacted). Or, you could attempt to preempt their negative input by proactively advising a prospective employer of your challenges with that supervisor, framing the difficulties in your own words. However, this latter approach might work against you in calling unwanted attention to the particulars of your less-than-stellar relationship with your former boss. The ideal recourse is to discourage your negative reference to ever offer up negative input about you. Having identified that your reference will be unfavorable, you can have a Cease & Desist letter issued by an attorney, typically 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 will likely be cautioned by management not to offer additional comments and – out of self-interest – is unlikely to offer negative commentary again. Allison & Taylor Reference Checking advises that the success rate of such letters approaches 100%. So, take heart – your former bad boss need not threaten your employment prospects indefinitely. Take action to preserve your employment prospects by checking your references yourself , and control your own destiny. CHAPTER 41 Did They Really Say That? Negative References Can Ruin Your Chance at a New Job When Former Employers Comment on You, What Will They Say? Searching for a new job? The job market is tough and, believe it or not, your biggest hurdle may not be finding that perfect new position ... it may be surviving the vetting process of your new employer, says reference-checking company Allison & Taylor Reference Checking. In today’s politically correct age, many job seekers mistakenly believe that former employers are working under a “gag order;” that company policies prevent them from giving any employment information other than the standard “dates and title”. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Even if your former employer’s policies dictate what information can be given (not all do), there’s no guarantee that an unhappy former co-worker or manager will adhere to them. And if they offer negative input, theirs may be the reference that ruins your chance for a great new job. When former employers comment on you, what will they say?
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