What can future employer ask when they call my current employer?

IHAVEAQUESTION

Golden Member
Nov 30, 2005
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Well...tell me what you know about it. I don't want the jobs I apply for keep calling my company asking about me. Let me know how I should handle the situation. Not that I have such problem, but if I do, i will know how to handle.
 

RCN

Platinum Member
Dec 31, 2005
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They can verify the info you provided and ask them if they would hire you again. Actually I guess they can ask anything they want. I think the only limit is on how a previous employer can respond. Not sure on that though...........

Tell them not to call your current employer.........
 

IHAVEAQUESTION

Golden Member
Nov 30, 2005
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Well...whether I have bad reference kinda depends on who they talk to. Not that I have bad reference but I wouldn't know what my manager or boss is going to say behind my back.
 

iamaelephant

Diamond Member
Jul 25, 2004
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Generally I have found that when I give an iffy reference that I'm not really sure about it works out okay. Most employers won't speak too badly about you unless they are good mates with the next potential employer and really didn't like you. If you left your previous employer on very bad terms then don't even mention them.

I recently got sacked from a job I held for about 10 months and completely left it off my CV (thats a big gap for a 20 year old). I told my current employer that I was travelling.
 

OhioState

Golden Member
Jan 6, 2006
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One time i had another employer call me for a refrence for a past worker. I told her " Are you aware that i can say nothing bad about *persons name here*, but i am at liberty to say positive things ?" She responded yes then i said " i have nothing at all to say about *persons name here*." She got the point.

Point being leave them out if you can. They can get the point across with-out breaking the law.
 

IHAVEAQUESTION

Golden Member
Nov 30, 2005
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Well...I haven't left my job yet, so if I do it will be voluntarily. Do I have good relationship with my supervisor? Well, it's kinda cold...when they do evaluation on me, they actually don't know what to talk about because they simply don't know me enough. And I am afraid that they sound unenthusiastic about me when on the phone with my future employer. maybe I should have another person's name for them to contact instead of my supervisor.
 

IHAVEAQUESTION

Golden Member
Nov 30, 2005
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Originally posted by: OhioState
One time i had another employer call me for a refrence for a past worker. I told her " Are you aware that i can say nothing bad about *persons name here*, but i am at liberty to say positive things ?" She responded yes then i said " i have nothing at all to say about *persons name here*." She got the point.

Point being leave them out if you can. They can get the point across with-out breaking the law.

How bad was this person for you to get the point across like that?
 

Ctrackstar126

Senior member
Jul 14, 2005
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My boss at work says that he can only give a good reference and he cant give a bad one. this is in ny so i dont know if its different state to state. He said pretty much if someone calls and its not good he cant say anything and that speaks for itself.
 

PokerGuy

Lifer
Jul 2, 2005
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I deal with this fairly often. It's different in each state, but most companies have gotten very wary of providing any information for fear of getting sued later on when someone doesn't get a job. Where I work, nobody is allowed to provide any references for anyone. If someone calls to verify a reference, they are connected to HR, and the only thing HR will say is "we can verify that <persons name> was employed here from xx/xx/xxxx to xx/xx/xxxx as a <insert position name here>. That's it. The callers don't even get to talk to the supervisor or manager of the person.

The company asking can ask for anything they want, and the employer can provide whatever information they want, but they run the risk of then getting sued if they provide negative information. Each state is different in their regs though.
 

bigrash

Lifer
Feb 20, 2001
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Since I'm in HR and handle this all the time, I figure id reply here.

Most companies have a policy on what information they're allowed to release. Most of the companies that I have worked for are only allowed to release your job title and dates of employment. Some companies can release more information, but it should be in the company policies and procedures on whether they're allowed to release this or not. It depends on the type of company that you work for.
There's a lot of legal issues involved when someone receives a bad review from a past employer so that is why most companies don't relase more info.
 

Stuxnet

Diamond Member
Jun 16, 2005
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Originally posted by: OhioState
One time i had another employer call me for a refrence for a past worker. I told her " Are you aware that i can say nothing bad about *persons name here*, but i am at liberty to say positive things ?" She responded yes then i said " i have nothing at all to say about *persons name here*." She got the point.

Point being leave them out if you can. They can get the point across with-out breaking the law.

Owned... care to elaborate? Sounds interesting.
 

DougK62

Diamond Member
Mar 28, 2001
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A reference can say anything that they want as long as it's the truth. However, many will say very little just to avoid the possibility of getting sued. It's a pathetic world that we live in.

 

tyler811

Diamond Member
Jan 27, 2002
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Originally posted by: PokerGuy
I deal with this fairly often. It's different in each state, but most companies have gotten very wary of providing any information for fear of getting sued later on when someone doesn't get a job. Where I work, nobody is allowed to provide any references for anyone. If someone calls to verify a reference, they are connected to HR, and the only thing HR will say is "we can verify that <persons name> was employed here from xx/xx/xxxx to xx/xx/xxxx as a <insert position name here>. That's it. The callers don't even get to talk to the supervisor or manager of the person.

The company asking can ask for anything they want, and the employer can provide whatever information they want, but they run the risk of then getting sued if they provide negative information. Each state is different in their regs though.

That is it in MIchigan, only name what position and how long you worked there. Cannot ask about if you actually showed or how late you were or anything. If you think this happening then have a friend ( pretending to be a company that is checking your app) call up ask the real questions first then try to nudge them for their personal opinion.

 

xit2nowhere

Senior member
Sep 15, 2005
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In CA, if I'm not mistaken, your potential employer can only ask if you really worked at that place of your reference and in what capacity and if they would hire you back. That's all.
 

GhostDoggy

Senior member
Dec 9, 2005
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Q1: Would you do it again? Hire and fire him?
Q2: What adjective would best describe your former employee?
Q3: Did you feel you compensated him well, or do you now regret you paid too much?
 

IHAVEAQUESTION

Golden Member
Nov 30, 2005
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Yeah, I am in CA too. My company has about 120 people, and it's not clear who does the HR. There is one lady who does a little bit of everything but she is in operation. Mmm...mmm.
 

Phoenix86

Lifer
May 21, 2003
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In general, companies are limited to: position, length of employment, rehire status. Anything else could be construed as slander so anyone with a brain between their ears will not release any more information.

OhioState's post shows how you can dance around that.
 
May 16, 2000
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It's so easy to get around it, they really need to change the law so that rehire status doesn't come up. For instance, one company I worked for has a company policy against rehiring anyone for any reason. You either stay with the company or your done. If someone calls them and asks about rehire, the answer makes it sound like I did something wrong.

It's all very silly really. Unless you can establish a pattern of negative employment, even a horrible firing doesn't necessarily mean anything. Boss could have been a bastard, might have been a totally wrong fit for you, you might have had umpteen billion bad breaks of luck in a single week, etc.
 

IGBT

Lifer
Jul 16, 2001
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..they can verify anything on your resume..attendence and weather or not you were fired or left in good standing. They can also do a credit check.
 

IHAVEAQUESTION

Golden Member
Nov 30, 2005
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So is voluntary resignation = leaving in good standing?

It probably doesn't matter. If current employer says they are not going to rehire you that's bad. Full stop.
 
Aug 23, 2000
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Originally posted by: OhioState
One time i had another employer call me for a refrence for a past worker. I told her " Are you aware that i can say nothing bad about *persons name here*, but i am at liberty to say positive things ?" She responded yes then i said " i have nothing at all to say about *persons name here*." She got the point.

Point being leave them out if you can. They can get the point across with-out breaking the law.

Though, if the employer calling you is a rival, then talk the person up. Sell them on them, so they can go there and screw that company up too.