bad reference from last employer...

martyp

Hi all,

An agency advised me (off the record) that they had received a bad reference from my last employer who sacked me for very obscure reasons last August. I thought it might have been a contributing factor to not having even an interview since...
I called my last employer and spoke to my old manager and the HR manager and both told me they hadn't had any reference requests for me and that they thought I left on good terms and that they'd give me a good reference and wouldn't be able to justify or give any evidence to substantiate any claims for a bad reference.
It's quite bizarre but both the agency and my last employer won't allow me to know what my reference says. Any thoughts on what I can do about it?

Suzkin

According to the Data Protection Act, there is now a formal way of applying to read the reference. It may cost you £10 to do this. Check with Citizens Advice, or perhaps someone reading this thread will know.

However, who knows whether your former employer might write something for them (i.e the Agency) and something else/different for you...? That though has always plagued me...

starsinmycrown

Do you know anybody who could conceivably pose as an employer for you? Then to call up asking for a reference and perhaps have it sent to business premises. Friend of a friend did this once with his mate acting as a potential employer. its interesting what you may find!

nat87

I have had to do this, had a bad reference from an old employer which meant the job I was suppose to be starting got withdrawn. So I sent in a letter to the Human resources dept asking if I could see this reference and it came through the post not very long after recorded delivery.

Paparika

nat87 wrote: »

I have had to do this, had a bad reference from an old employer which meant the job I was suppose to be starting got withdrawn. So I sent in a letter to the Human resources dept asking if I could see this reference and it came through the post not very long after recorded delivery.

was it bad?

maninthestreet

martyp wrote: »

Hi all,

An agency advised me (off the record) that they had received a bad reference from my last employer who sacked me for very obscure reasons last August. I thought it might have been a contributing factor to not having even an interview since...
I called my last employer and spoke to my old manager and the HR manager and both told me they hadn't had any reference requests for me and that they thought I left on good terms and that they'd give me a good reference and wouldn't be able to justify or give any evidence to substantiate any claims for a bad reference.
It's quite bizarre but both the agency and my last employer won't allow me to know what my reference says. Any thoughts on what I can do about it?

Your last employer can't tell you what your reference says, as they haven't recieved any requests for a reference, so haven't sent any to any prospective new employer. You need to go back to the Agency and tell them that your last employer has stated clearly that no requests for a reference for you have been received by them. Given that references are not normally requested by a new employer unless they have actually offered someome a job, and you haven't even been offered an interview for a job, there is no way the Agency can have knowledge of any references relating to you. The Agency is telling you porkie pies.

123joe

maninthestreet wrote: »

Your last employer can't tell you what your reference says, as they haven't recieved any requests for a reference, so haven't sent any to any prospective new employer. You need to go back to the Agency and tell them that your last employer has stated clearly that no requests for a reference for you have been received by them. Given that references are not normally requested by a new employer unless they have actually offered someome a job, and you haven't even been offered an interview for a job, there is no way the Agency can have knowledge of any references relating to you. The Agency is telling you porkie pies.

I would tend to believe the above, in the last three months I have attained a very bad view on recruitment agents, they're worse than estate agents.
I have always been led to believe that the only bad reference is a refusal to provide one. It's not deemed professional to write a bad reference.

Woby_Tide

123joe wrote: »

It's not deemed professional to write a bad reference.

It's not the professionalism, it's the legality of being able to prove what you have written if someone takes you to task over it(libel/slander etc. or some such) IIRC

elljay

Woby_Tide wrote: »

It's not the professionalism, it's the legality of being able to prove what you have written if someone takes you to task over it(libel/slander etc. or some such) IIRC

Sorry to hijack the thread but I once had to write a bad reference for someone, I found it really scary and agonised for ages over it. I tried to give lots of positive spin on all the things he was good at but the cruncher was the question 'would you employ this person again?' I wouldn't and had to explain why. Basically his extreme racist views impinged on his ability to provide a fair service (this was in social services).The job he was applying for was to allocate housing and I knew his views on who should have priority for council housing. I'd had to pull him up when I was his manager about keeping his views out of work but he didn't seem able to do that, in fact he seemed to want to use every opportunity to do the opposite. I didn't couch the reference in so many words but I think it was obvious he couldn't keep to the employer's equal opps policies.
Having read this thread I'm now really worried he could ask to see the reference, even though I ticked the 'no' box where it asked if I would allow him to see it. Can he still see it?

Thanks

Liz

nat87

I think you are allowed to ask in writing to see the reference but the person who has written the reference can refuse.

ohreally

elljay wrote: »

Having read this thread I'm now really worried he could ask to see the reference, even though I ticked the 'no' box where it asked if I would allow him to see it. Can he still see it?

Have a read through...http://www.dur.ac.uk/data.protection/specialist_advice/references

Your biggest problem will be if a data access request is made for emails containing his details. I understand it's an offence to subsequently delete said emails.