What do you do when you KNOW your previous employer is giving you a false bad reference?

Question

I worked in the same Physician's office for 6 years with only 2 other co-workers and the doctor. At the end of my employment, the 2 co-workers went behind my back to tell the doctor that I was taking classes to further my education. I had no intention of telling him until I was SURE I wanted to leave. They knew that, but told him anyways and things got tense right before I did eventually quit. Now I HAVE to use this job as a professional reference because it took up the last 6 years of my life, but I have been told I am getting a BAD review from them. What do I do?

Answer 1

Two things:

First, you could have a friend call your employer, saying that they are considering you for a position with their company and they want to ask a few questions about you. Legally, they can only ask certain questions, such as how long you were employed, did you leave voluntarily and would they re-hire you (I believe this is what they can legally ask). I believe they are not allowed to ask about your work performance or ask the employer to give out personal opinions about you. You could call up your state's employment development department (employment office) to find out what prospective employers can legally ask about you when checking on references, and what past employers can legally divulge about you. I do not believe that having a friend pose as a potential employer is illegal, especially since it would be entirely feasible that you and your friend could someday decide to go into business together and your friend would want to know about your work history before making such a commitment with you.

Second, who says you have to include this doctor's office on your resume? Yes, it has been 6 years of time. Do you have children? If so, could you have been taking care of them? You mentioned that you have been taking classes to further your education. Could you not account for this 6-year timeframe by saying that you pursued an education and took personal time honing in on your job skills? There are creative, yet truthful ways to account for gaps in employment which do not make you look like someone who has done nothing for that span of time. The trick is to come up with a creative way to account for the gap while making your gap look productive and useful. Obviously you did not have a 6-year gap in employment, but if indeed your employer is giving you a bad reference and you don't want to list him on your resume, then you really don't have to. Just realize that if it turns out that you omitted information and a new employer found out and had a problem with it, then it could jeopardize your job. Employers are mainly concerned with finding out what your qualifications are for the job you are applying for. They also want to know if you have a history of reliability/stability. That is really the purpose of checking up on employer references.

Good luck to you. I've been in your shoes (different circumstances of course, but same scenario), so I understand your dilema.

Answer 2

under the information protection Act you have a criminal precise to work out any counsel approximately you hung on record. This contains your workers record at your guy or woman organisation and likewise the effect of job applications held at different companies. you are able to request to work out those documents, the organisation might make a small admin fee, yet whilst it extremely is well worth £10 to then you definately circulate forward and make the request. Many HR departments will luckily communicate your application with you and inform you reason why you have been unsuccessful so which you ought to in basic terms attempt phoning many of the companies and asking. by the way, it is no longer unlawful to write down a foul reference no remember if it extremely is authentic. An faulty undesirable reference in basic terms opens the organisation as much as criminal action.

Answer 3

Have been told. Check your sources of these tellings. If you know it in your heart what they relay to you as being true, ask yourself "Does this information that they are smearing about me really hurt me?" And if you feel it does hurt you ask how much truth there is in this. If the next job/profession you are seeking is looking at the good in the matter and they see your advancement as a positive step in your life, then all that will not matter. And if it does then i would strongly look for employment elsewhere.

Answer 4

Make nice, talk to the Doctor and tell him that you've been getting a bad reference and you want to know why. Also if the doctor is fine and it's your old coworkers, put on your resume that they should ask for the doctor, not the coworkers(he was your real boss anyhow so they should talk to the employer not the employees).

Answer 5

I'm not a sue happy person, but I'd say sue for deformation of character. I'm pretty sure the same thing happened to me a few years ago. There's no way for me to know for sure. Good Luck.

Answer 6

I would confront my boss about what I suspect he is doing and then I'd kindly tell him/her that if they continued I would take them to court for defamation if they kept say false truths.