Sorry to hear about your experiences. One reflection I have: I wouldn't worry so much about "negative" performance reviews from former colleagues. After all,

Sorry to hear about your experiences. One reflection I have: I wouldn't worry so much about "negative" performance reviews from former colleagues. After all, you did give notice on that job, so that in itself is a a kind of a negative review of their "performance." Also, you're more than within your rights to ask the HR contact to "confirm dates of service, and my reason for leaving", only. Most anyone would be more than happy to comply with such a request, even if they didn't exactly see eye-to-eye with you while stuck in the same boat with you, job-wise (since hardly anyone particularly likes saying negative things about other people unless they really have to). Or if you do feel compelled to let them continue to give their negative review -- you can either preface it ("We had a difference of viewpoints about certain things, which is why I left"), -or- provide another colleague from the same shop who viewed you more positively (or whom you can at least trust to not outright badmouth you). I once had a "negative" review backfire against me once, many years ago. Someone said some stuff about me in a reference call that they never said to me in person while I was there -- so I brought in another co-worker who quit shortly after I did, as a counter-reference. I ended up getting the job, and it was one of my more pleasant working experiences actually.