Has my OH been given a bad reference?

purplegirluk1 · 29 May 2005 at 10:09PM

Since Feb my OH has been looking for a job but has had no luck at all. He has applied for a wide variety of positions and is highly qualified but seems to get knocked back before interview. I am begining to wonder if he has been given a bad reference from his previous job and was hopeing that someone might be able to tell me how I might go about finding out what they are writeing in his refence? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

aliasojo · 29 May 2005 at 10:18PM

Maybe a direct approach is called for here? I think if it was me, I would call whatever company I had applied to and ask if they could spare a moment to let me know why they hadn't considered me worthy of an interview. I would emphasis that I would be glad of some feedback for future applications.

Is his old employer likely to be honest if asked directly about having possibly given a bad ref? If so, it's always worth a call to query?

Good luck, hope he gets something soon.

Bun · 29 May 2005 at 10:46PM

Are you sure it is before interview that he is knocked back? I would have thought that few employers (unless the field he is in is very specialised) would get a reference before interview. Is there something on his applications that is maybe possible to misconstrue so he is not getting any further forward?

Savvy_Sue · 29 May 2005 at 11:56PM

I'd agree with Bun, not many organisations now will take up refs before interview. Plus normally you can specify whether referees are to be contacted without you knowing first - that's a useful ploy if you don't want your current employer to know you are job-hunting!

Curry_Queen · 30 May 2005 at 1:51AM

I don't know exactly how true this is, but I've always been told that an employer can't actually give you a bad reference (something to do with defamation of character laws) but they can refuse to give you a reference if they don't feel they can give you a good one

Fran · 30 May 2005 at 3:09AM

Curry_Queen wrote:

I don't know exactly how true this is, but I've always been told that an employer can't actually give you a bad reference (something to do with defamation of character laws) but they can refuse to give you a reference if they don't feel they can give you a good one

I remember it a bit differently - that they have to give you a reference and it can be bad but it has to be true. This came up on another thread not so long ago but I can't find it!

Lyndsay_21 · 30 May 2005 at 8:38AM

i know it is in fact 'illegal' to give someone a bad reference you either give a good one or dont give one atall, i know this because my mums friend is going through court proceedings as an employer wrongfully gave her a bad reference.

Bun · 30 May 2005 at 9:03AM

From what I know, you have to give the correct factual details, not write anything personal or judgemental or give it a bad slant if they don't like you. I believe you are allowed to see anything about you on your personnel file. Obviously enquiries can be made about a prospective employee to clarify the given details- ie was the 22 days off sick in one bunch ,say, as opposed to every Monday taken off. You would have to make your own deductions rather than them telling you why they think you were off. I think many companies ask specific questions nowadays rather than accept a blanket reference ie about time keeping, attendance/sickness and whether they would employ you again. Telling a new employer that they had to discipline you when it has all gone through the proper channels and is all on your file is not a bad reference if that is what happened. If you lodged on your file that personal differences were a cause of a problem at the time then that would be admissable too I think.

Many years ago I used to have a friend who was regularly promised a sparkling reference in exchange for leaving pretty sharpish, as she excelled at interview but wasn't actually as good at the job as she appeared, but seemed to scrape through probationary periods. The new rules that apply are to protect new employers being duped like this, as well as to protect the employee against bad references.

I would imagine that Al Mac would know if you needed to know in any depth - he has several employees and regularly posts about these sorts of things.

Bun

MommaCC · 30 May 2005 at 9:48AM

Unless asked, do not give references. By putting "References Available on Request" or even "Excellent References Available on Request" you remain in control at all times, giving you the opportunity to "prep" any referees before hand. When acting as a referee, I like to know details of the post that is being applied for so that I can answer accordingly (some information on prospective employers will be more applicable than others). For the same reason do not put full company address / telephone no. on CV / application form unless asked. Most companies will usually asked for 2 references, always look for the 2 people that would be most applicable for each post - not necessarily an employer, character references are often acceptable, or has your husband been involved in any voluntary work or community projects (these often reflect well).

MommaCC · 30 May 2005 at 10:02AM

Getting feedback from an employer is very helpful. A friendly letter or phone call to ask why you have not been successful in this instance to aid you in future jobsearch can give valuable feedback. Maybe he was not as qualified as other candiates, not enough experience in that field, had spelling mistakes on his application or simply that there were other people just had the edge and in other curcumstances he would have been considered. Alternatively, could he contact his previous employer, and ask if they have received any correspndance from potential employers.

Rejection goes hand in hand with recruitment. Average figures are 100 applications = 1 job, so encourage him to keep going.

purplegirluk1 · 30 May 2005 at 12:16PM

Thank you all for your help and encouragment. From what you have said I think it would be worthwhile him calling a few of companies he has applied to recently and asking for a little feedback. He is not keen to contact his previous employer as they parted company under difficult circumstances but he was assured that he would be given a good reference. Athough he seems to be knocked back before interview there was one occasion where he was asked back for a second interview for a job and then found out he didn't get it, i'm still worried that they may be giving details that make him sound like an unreliable person. I guess the only way to know it to talk to the people who read his CV.

Has my OH been given a bad reference?

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