Don't say anything other than confirm the fact they worked there and the job position they were in.
Say anything else and they don't get the job, you can open yourself up to be liable.
And, make sure you're speaking in private, even saying this ^^ much. My last supervisor was phoned for a reference for a former employee when I was still working there. The entirety of our side of the office was privy to all sorts of details about said former employee, and the supervisor is incredibly lucky it never came back to bite her in the ass, the yapping she was doing. We were all looking at each other like
I finally went up to the front office and spoke to the assistant director and suggested that she have a private word because supervisor lady was going to land them in some deep dark by not only yapping her face off but doing so in public where the rest of us were privy to private details about a former employee.
When I was managing a store, how to answer a reference call was one of the first things our DM covered and hammered the point home, hard. Their position was to say exactly what Lance said, with DoubleK's addendum regarding company policy.
"Yes. Betty worked for us from X to X. That is all I am permitted to disclose. But if you'd like to chat about the "weather"... It was a ####ty year that year. Cold and miserable. And my "umbrella" was unreliable. I will never buy a Bettyville brand umbrella again!"
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If I would have been a good reference but the person didn't bother to ask first, I would only confirm employment. That's a big negative to me.
Really?
I don't hold it against the person, we're talking about somebody's livelyhood here. If they were a good employee I'll give them a good reference. If they sucked I'll give little info which is pretty obvious.
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Really?
I don't hold it against the person, we're talking about somebody's livelyhood here. If they were a good employee I'll give them a good reference. If they sucked I'll give little info which is pretty obvious.
If it's their livelihood, you would think they could spend a couple minutes to give me a quick call or email to let me know.
Putting my name as a reference without mentioning it to me shows poor judgement, so I would no longer feel confident giving the person a good reference.
That being said, the only people who have ever put me as a reference without telling me, weren't going to get a good reference in the first place.
Yeah, I am not sure why all the hand wringing over giving your opinion regarding a former employee. That is literally what a reference is for. I have provided many references and most are positive (why else would the applicant use me for a reference?), but occasionally, they have an obvious weaknesses that I will absolutely forward to the potential employer.
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From HFBoard oiler fan, in analyzing MacT's management:
O.K. there has been a lot of talk on whether or not MacTavish has actually done a good job for us, most fans on this board are very basic in their analysis and I feel would change their opinion entirely if the team was successful.
You ALWAYS ask the question, "Would you hire them again?" It is a direct question with a yes or no answer and you understand if you want that person or not.
The worst employee I ever hired was as a direct result of a reference letter written by someone I knew through the grapevine, was respected by people that I respected, but never worked with. As it turned out, both of them were phonies and terrible at their jobs.
Needless to say, the employee didn't last long and I lost total respect for the referencer. As a result, I give much less weight towards references and much more towards resume and interview.
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This is exactly the issue. When discussing your personal feelings towards an individual and their performance at work, it's nearly impossible to provide a non-biased opinion. Even if you think you are being objective, you are not.
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Putting my name as a reference without mentioning it to me shows poor judgement, so I would no longer feel confident giving the person a good reference.
Eons ago I managed a sporting goods store in the city. It was new and struggling at the time, so I wasn't given much of a budget for employees. As a result the daytime staff was mostly management, and we had one extra employee after schools/evenings. Due to the large amount of staff we had when I took over, instead of letting any of them go, the part time staff pretty much worked one shift a week each. As a result there were a few of them I actually never saw, or maybe saw once a month.
I was transferred to another store and about 6 months later I get a phone call from a company for a reference check. One of the guys that worked there part time had put me down as a reference. Not as a previous employer, but as an actual reference. I legitimately did not remember working a shift with him and felt awful because most of the staff there was pretty good. Being at another store, I couldn't even check his start date to confirm when he worked there (although I confirmed he did, as I remember putting his name on the schedule ).
So yeah, poor judgement indeed to not tell someone you're using them as a reference.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Red Slinger
As a result, I give much less weight towards references and much more towards resume and interview.
It actually amazes me references are still a thing, due to so many stories like that.
Reference Check
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