Previous employer refused to be a referee?

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

Why are you putting anyone's name anyway? He probably thinks you want a personal reference off him.

Just put down the company and let them contact it through the normal channels and they'll probably get back the usual "worked here from date X to date Y, no disciplinary matters", which is all they want.

I have never once used an individual within a previous company as a reference, always the company itself.

Slinky

Why not try and find another person to act as a personal referee. Then if they ask you about why you haven't put down your previous employer for a reference, tell them you've spoken to them, and they said 'it wasn't personal but it's their company policy not to give references.' (which is almost the truth). Seeing that it seems to be becoming a more common occurence these days, I would have thought your new employer is unlikey to query it? And unlikely to contact them.

DCFC79

OP what happened re the reference ?

You could have just put down the HR of your last place as thats what Ive been told do in the past ?

brians_daughter

Maybe it's company policy not to give refs? I worked for a company who responded to mine, and past co workers ref requests with a one liner that simply stated " it is company policy not to give employment references"

Is this not why in your case op?

Mistral001

The fact that the OP asked for a reference from the last employer before nominating them as a referee will be regarded as polite and trustworthey (many people do not ask first).

All the OP can do in my view is to give other referees. It is likely that the fact that they have not used their last employer as a referee will be queried, but then again you can just tell the truth which is that you asked them and they refused without giving any reason. you can also say that the new employer can contact them if they want because you have nothing to hide.

sniggings

Flora0987 wrote: »

You do not have to disclose that you plan of getting pregnant. However, your employer does not have to give reference. Try find someone else.

I didn't say they did! if you are going to quote me, it would be a good idea to match the quote to the point you are trying to make.

sniggings

ScorpiondeRooftrouser wrote: »

Why are you putting anyone's name anyway? He probably thinks you want a personal reference off him.

Just put down the company and let them contact it through the normal channels and they'll probably get back the usual "worked here from date X to date Y, no disciplinary matters", which is all they want.

I have never once used an individual within a previous company as a reference, always the company itself.

She didn't put his name down, have you read the thread? she rang him to ask if she put her past work down as a reference would he (as it would be going to him as he is the boss of the 3 people that work there) give her a reference, seems the right thing to have done after she had left on not the best of terms.

moominpops

Thank you for all your replies everyone. When i rang up (the third time might i add after having rang twice before and being told i would be rang back) i asked the receptionist if she could ask him just for a yes or a no as i had to email HR back with the referees details and she said "he said no" and that was it. By this point i didn't know that previous employees could refuse to be a referee i found that out after researching on the internet and asking on here so i didn't think to ask why.

I thought you always had to ask permission for someone to be your referee and that included your workplace? I didn't want to put the company's name and details down for HR to ring up and be told that he hadn't been asked as i thought this would look bad on me for not asking. It is my first job and i have never had to provide references before this so it was all new to me. I wasn't asking him for a personal reference, just so that he could tell my new job how i worked etc. I suppose he could have thought i was asking for a personal reference from him though hence why he said no.

The company is very very small, only my boss, supervisor, receptionist and me and no HR department so there was only him (my manager) i could ring and ask. It might be company policy not to give references but the receptionist didn't state this when she told me no, but it is a possibility what with it being such a small firm.

I have emailed the new job and told them i have two personal referees and asked if these would be sufficient as my old employer does not give out references for former employees. What with it becoming a common occurrence i hope they will accept my two personal referees as i don't have anyone else to give me one. I have tried to ring up the Assessor who helped me complete my apprenticeship but she has left the company, i thought as much when the email i tried sending to her would not deliver.

The HR lady needs my referees so she can request references, she said this in the letter she sent with my contract, so i think she probably will be getting in touch with them. The offer of the job is made subject to references satisfactory to them that's why it has been bugging me so much that i now don't have a professional reference and she is off work til next week so i won't hear from her for a couple more days yet. I will update as to what she says though, i hope my two personal referees will be sufficient enough for them.

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

A personal referee is a very different thing from a work reference. All that is expected from a work reference these days is confirmation that you actually worked there when you said you did, as this is all most companies will ever give out (barring serious misconduct etc). You do not have to ask for this, and it is not considered polite to do so, despite what people are saying to you above.

You just give contact details of your previous employment and let HR at the new place contact them. Let them find out themselves if it's company policy not to give any reference at all. If they refuse to say anything, that's pretty much good enough, as if you'd never worked there, they'd definitely say so.

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

sniggings wrote: »

She didn't put his name down, have you read the thread? she rang him to ask if she put her past work down as a reference would he (as it would be going to him as he is the boss of the 3 people that work there) give her a reference, seems the right thing to have done after she had left on not the best of terms.

As I said above, she shouldn't be contacting him personally. The reference is not from him, it's from the company. The secretary could provide it from records even if she had never met her.