3 ms·

Depending on your industry, you may not get any reference anyway. My references for the last 3 jobs over 6 years has been "Yes, he was employed here from $star

Depending on your industry, you may not get any reference anyway. My references for the last 3 jobs over 6 years has been "Yes, he was employed here from $startdate to $enddate as $jobtitle" And that's it, to avoid any risk of there being any liability issue. It's gone from "you're not allowed to give a negative reference" to "why bother doing anything more than the bare minimum" in a number of industries I've been in.

sokoloff 11y ago
That's the official policy at a lot of places. IMO, as a manager, you're an AH if you aren't willing to give more information than that in a reference check, regardless of company policy.
- 15155 11y ago
  The negative PR for you and your company when it's found out and publicly exposed that you're out making disparaging remarks about former employees? No matter how true, good luck.
  - sokoloff 11y ago
    No one says I make disparaging remarks about former employees. Ask me for a reference on a good former employee: you get a lot more than dates and titles. This is where I'd be an ass to not talk about them more. I don't walk around afraid of my own shadow. Ask me for a reference on a poor former employee: you get dates and titles.
- oarsinsync 11y ago
  A lot of places with those policies also have a policy that all reference requests go to HR, even if they're received by your manager, again, for liability reasons. EDIT: just noticed that you expect former managers to risk their job to provide a positive reference for you, despite the fact that you left them. I'd gladly write recommendations on former employees linkedin profiles if requested, but when my former employee's new employer is contacting my employer (via me) for a reference, I'm not risking my job for theirs, and I don't think that makes me an AH. If they do, I've sorely misjudged them.

3 ms·

Depending on your industry, you may not get any reference anyway. My references for the last 3 jobs over 6 years has been "Yes, he was employed here from $star

by oarsinsync 11y ago

sokoloff 11y ago
That's the official policy at a lot of places. IMO, as a manager, you're an AH if you aren't willing to give more information than that in a reference check, regardless of company policy.
- 15155 11y ago
  The negative PR for you and your company when it's found out and publicly exposed that you're out making disparaging remarks about former employees? No matter how true, good luck.
  - sokoloff 11y ago
    No one says I make disparaging remarks about former employees. Ask me for a reference on a good former employee: you get a lot more than dates and titles. This is where I'd be an ass to not talk about them more. I don't walk around afraid of my own shadow. Ask me for a reference on a poor former employee: you get dates and titles.
- oarsinsync 11y ago
  A lot of places with those policies also have a policy that all reference requests go to HR, even if they're received by your manager, again, for liability reasons. EDIT: just noticed that you expect former managers to risk their job to provide a positive reference for you, despite the fact that you left them. I'd gladly write recommendations on former employees linkedin profiles if requested, but when my former employee's new employer is contacting my employer (via me) for a reference, I'm not risking my job for theirs, and I don't think that makes me an AH. If they do, I've sorely misjudged them.