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Am i entitled to a reference

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  • 01-12-2008 12:23am
    #1
    jaffa20
    Registered Users Posts: 4,536 ✭✭✭


    Ok so i was with an employer for 6 months until i was made redundant, i recently have got another 3 month contract with another employer. The old company gave a verbal reference for me for the new job i'm in at the moment but they have never given me a written reference even though i've asked them on several occasions. It took a month to even get my p45.

    Since then, the company has closed down so maybe it's not worth it but i need a reference to prove i worked there for future positions as im not very secure where i'm working at the moment.

    Even though the company has closed down, should i write a letter to a manager who has been employed by another company in a similar industry. She may not remember me though but i just need written confirmation that i worked there.

    Thanks for any help.


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    #2
    AvaKinder
    Registered Users Posts: 271 ✭✭AvaKinder


    some companies(mainly larger ones) will refuse to give written references.
    although if sent a form or contacted via phone/letter/online they are obliged to confirm the dates you worked for them and the job description.

    however if the company no longer exists then i'm not really sure what you can do. most places would appreciate the difficulty of getting a reference from certain places, particularly once closed down, and if you are aware of where your old bosses work you could let any prospective employer know.

    a place i worked in part time when at school were a very large shoe company and they wouldn't give references. about six months after i left the company changed my branch to an outlet for their sale stores so it wasn't even trading under the same name. i was lucky in that i was still on good terms with my supervisor, however my susequent interviewers were very obliging.


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    #3
    watna
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10,367 ✭✭✭✭watna


    In this day and age it is very unusual to get a written reference and even more unusual for a new employer to ask for one. Recruiters/HR prefer to speak verbally to a person and ask the right questions. Anyone could write a written reference for themselves and if you take that aside they often don't give you much information. HR/recruiters want to ask a former managers direct questions not read a generic written reference. If you do manage to get one it won't do you a whole lot of good in the future. Employers want details on your previous work performance not proof that you worked there.

    My advice is to stay in touch with your former manager or somebody in a senior position in the company you worked for. If you think they won't remember you give them some details to jog their memory.

    I've interviewed people in your situation where they really couldn't get a reference from one job - we just had to ask them to get references from elsewhere. If there were not very good than we would be suspicous. If they were fine then it would be obvious that you really had lost touvh with previous managers and there was a real reason you could not get a reference.


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