I wasn't working for awhile-medical reasons. And now I've been interviewing since I'm over my sickness. But my ex-employer is giving me a bad reference. I did excellent work there, never got write ups, and was told all the time that if it wasn't for me, they would have to close their doors (which they did 5 months after I left). I left my last job because I was sick, there was nothing I can do. And it seems like all the interviewers understand that part. But I haven't gotten any jobs or call backs for second interviews if there are any. I had someone call my ex-employer to see what they were saying. It turns out they were saying that I had taken them to the labor board, in a derogatory way, and not saying anything else. I did have to but that was because they refused me my vacation pay after I left, and I did end up winning in the dispute. So should I start bringing up all of this in the interview on my own or if the person brings up references? Should I take legal action?
2007-03-09 08:00:19 · 8 answers · asked by MichelleAkaMich 3 in Business & Finance ➔ Careers & Employment
I don't think they can tell anything about you. The only thing they can do is verify you were employed. They are not allowed, by law, to say why you left or anything derogatory about you.
I would check with a lawyer for the rules on this.
2007-03-09 08:07:01 · answer #1 · answered by James L 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Former employers are allowed to release any information about you that is truthful, good or bad. There is no law against that especially when you sign a release form that releases them from liability for doing so. If you discuss illness and lawsuits against former employers in an interview chances are pretty good you won't go much further in the process.
Perhaps you should contact the former employer to talk it out with them. Put them on notice that you are aware of the "inuendo's" they drop about you in reference checks and that it is costing you from getting a job. Let them know that if it continues you will seek legal action against them through the appropriate channels. You can't give partial information about someone in order to stop them from getting hired.
2007-03-09 18:55:28 · answer #2 · answered by hr4me 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would take them off as a referance, or put a please do not contact. I had to do this because i left a job because of a sexual harrassment case and he would tell people that i was a horrible worker and made it up to get money because i was going to get fired..even though i won the case.
If the interviewer asks why not to contact them, say you left because of illness and while you were working there you had a good relationship but it seems that when you left your old employer took it in a sour way. Amicable stay, bad breakup.
2007-03-09 16:07:15 · answer #3 · answered by attila 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dont tell them you were sick. That leaves an impression that you are sickly, which no employer wants. Tell them that when you left your employer failed to pay you salary due to you and you had to contact the labor board to get it. And the company closed 5 months after you left, you can tell them that too. Leave it at that and if they call and get a reference, hope they say the same thing that you did.
2007-03-09 16:06:35 · answer #4 · answered by hirebookkeeper 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If this employer closed after 5 months I wouldn't consider them much of a reference especially if they couldn't even pay their employees. So maybe it's not the fact they are giving you a bad reference as much is it is a poor judgment on your part to use them as one. This is coming from an employer.
2007-03-09 16:29:45 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't think you have much legal recourse and I don't see that that would help you get a job.
Your prospective employer is not going to want to hear that you are suing your former employer or that you already sued your former employer.
The best thing is to tell the person interviewing you that you understand that you have a bad reference and that you can prove it is not true if given the chance.
2007-03-09 16:11:14 · answer #6 · answered by Ernie 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just get a friend or someone who has a business to put in a good word for you. Tell your friend you will volunteer to work for him/her for couple of hours on the weekend. Don’t put your ex employee on your references, if you know he will give a bad reference.
No reference is better then bad reference.
2007-03-09 16:06:02 · answer #7 · answered by J 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No that would be a red flag .
2007-03-09 16:04:22 · answer #8 · answered by chica 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋