References

ukmartian

My wife lost her job recently ......She lost it not because of the standard of her work which exemplary before she left but because of a technical discrepancy in the company rules ...it was nothing criminal just a unfortunate incident and circumstances.....Now she is trying to get a job in the same field again she has found that her ex company is refusing point blank to give her a reference. She has admitted her mistake to the potential employers and has draughted a letter to attach to her CV explaining the circumstances but without a reference it is very difficult to secure a interview...Has anyone got any ideas on how to get round this .....or can the company do this...

LittleVoice

She should not attach that drafted letter to the CV.

What sector is she working in that she cannot get an interview? Most employers don't contact referees until they are at least about to offer the job, not deciding whether to interview. The CV is to get an interview, not the job.

There is no need to include a statement on the CV that "references are available on request" or something similar - better to use the space to provide more useful information about skills or experience. I'm assuming though that references would be available from earlier employers.

dandelionclock30

So basically she was sacked and they are refusing to provide her with a reference.
Have you seen a solicitor to see if the dismissal was lawfull? If they made a mistake your wife may be able to get a negotiated reference off them as part of a settlement.

Re References legally there is nothing you can do to make them provide you with one. Your wife could do some voluntary work in the meantime and use that reference and a reference from a previous employer.

Vejovis

does your wife have a colleague who could voucher for her, she could put her down for a reference rather than the company as a whole.

dandelionclock30

You cant always get away with the above, it will depend on what line of work shes in.Sometimes employers go straight to HR.

ukmartian

My wife was a carer ...she broke a protocol as she was offered a gift / tip of cash from a client ....she refused the money as a gift but accepted it as a loan as the client was getting very angry and stuffed it in her pocket as she left and said pay it back....cash gifts were strictly forgiven and loans were technically a breach of trust ...we left for holiday the next day and when my wife went into work 2 weeks later she was suspended pending a enquiry despite returning the money on her return ..to avoid further unpleasantness she resigned It was her only slip up in 2 years with the company and was simply a bad misjudgement on her part....