Job references and burning bridges

[Vince S.]

What would you do in a situation in which you were on good terms with a former employer who gives you permission to list them as a reference, but due to a falling out, you're no longer on good terms? The falling out would occur while you're in the process of getting a new job and have already listed the former employer as a reference.

Thankfully I'm not facing such a problem (yet), but figured it would be good to ask in case it escalates to that point.

[Munjibunga]

[robinson's robot]"ROLL WITH THE PUNCHES, WILL ROBINSON!"[/robinson's robot]

[Marcury]

"Vengeance is mine" Saith the pissed off Boss!

[Steve]

Actually, bad reffing a former employee can generate all kinds of bad legal juju even if the employee was fired for stealing and destroying company property.

Most companies I know with any brains at all won't provide a reference beyond dates of employment and job title.

Call my company to check a reference and all you'll get is a confirmation or denial of information given by the candidate.

"Those dates of employment are consistent with our records"

"That job title is not consistent with our records"

[fenderhutz]

Most companies won't even give the new prospective employer any information beyond confirming dates of employment due to the possible legal issues with defamation of character.

I went to school with my old boss, so he had no issues with a good referral.

[FL Knifemaker]

Make up new references, that's what everyone else seems to do these days

[MJ5150]

It would be highly unprofessional of a former employer to let a current problem you are having with them interfere with a review of your performance while employed by them.

But at the same time....the whole business world does not operate professionally. I come from the construction world, where there really wasn't business etiquette to follow. Personal opinions and relationships always affected a reference even after the person was gone. People in the trades know each other, so if you got into it with a former employer recently, he would have no problems telling a prospective employer about the run-in even if you did a great job while working for him.

Where I work now, an international financial institution, we have all kinds of rules and such to follow for references. It's pretty much how Steve and fenderhutz describe it here too.

-Mike

[Jared Lash]

I can't really help you here. I leave every job the same way, by telling my boss, "See ya later jerk-ass, I'm outta here." I try to call a few of my former colleagues mouth breathers on my way out as well.

Seriously though, a professional organization will not risk the repercussions of a bad reference. On the other hand, if you are working for a small business owner/independent contractor type, who knows? They are likely not well versed in such matters and may give an honest negative view or even a spiteful attack to your prospective employer.

The only person I know that the latter actually happened to is my younger brother who is a chef in an upscale wine country restaurant. His last job he was a line cook at a well regarded place, but his head chef was a noted a-hole and coke addict. He constantly belittled my brother in the kitchen and physically threatened him when he gave his notice.

My advice if you think you will get a bad reference from this guy is to do what my brother did. He said nothing negative about his old job or old boss in his interview despite knowing what crap was likely being spewed by his old boss. In the end, he got the job and the only person who looked bad was his old head chef who just increased his reputation for being a bad leader in the kitchen and a jerk.