Refusing a Work Reference?

Zodiac2000

Company in the US have asked me for a reference from my last company. For a number of reasons i can't do this. Job has being offered and everything but of course they want references which i can provide, but just not for the last job.

Is there anyway i can say 'I'd rather not give a reference from that company', but here are two other fantastic references which i can and have provided. However they have asked straight out via email for an email address for my last company.

Thoughts on how to get out of this??? Like i have given two perfect references but i can't from my last employer - doesn't really matter why as that is irrelavant now. I can't give last company is the bottom line.

How the bloody hell do i get out of this one??? Is there a way out???

Dempo1

I'm assuming you can not get a ref from your current employer? it is unusual for a new employer to seek a ref from a current employer. I worked in America for a college and their main focus is on credentials. To be honest, i would just forward any written refs you have to hand and nominate employers who you feel will give good verbal references. Given the job has been offered at this stage, i doubt you have much to worry about.

It is important to note, Irish employers are no longer legally obliged to give written references but are required to confirm Position Held, Length and type of employment.

drive me mad

why can't you get a reference from last job?

if i was the employer i would be concerned, i'm sure you are good person but employer needs to know about your most recent job.

Did you ring your old job and ask for a reference?

I'm sure they would oblige

good luck

Zodiac2000

It's a tricky situation but the bottom line is i cannot give my last company as a reference - a number of reasons but bottom line is i can't.

I am just trying to figure out how can i refuse it? Is there a way around it?

I have provided 2 references already but then they asked 'Can we get an email address from Company X?' They are a bank in Canada - maybe they are a bit tighter on references.

Obviously telling one or two porkies is not ideal, but having being unemployed for a long time, facing a tough employment market and in a different country i took my chances being honest. It may well blow up in my face, but being 100% honest in recent times has certainly not paid off. I am not a bad person/employee but being long term unemployed makes you do desperate things.

Anyway coming back to the original question 'Can we get an email address from Company X? How the hell do i side step that? Or can i realistically?

Feeling pretty hopeless here

Fol20

Could you not just lie and say x was my last employer?

ie one of your good refs was x

Rowley Birkin QC

I may be reading between the lines here but did you make up the last position you held on your CV?

I mean if it was a case that you worked for a guy who is now dead or something similar to that then I'm sure your prospective new employers would understand.

Zodiac2000

Fol20 wrote: »

Could you not just lie and say x was my last employer?

ie one of your good refs was x

No they have seen my Resume and seen the last company was Company A we shall call them. They have asked for an email address to contact them.

Bloody hell, i have worked so hard to get this and it looks it will be spoiled - my own fault but in these times you have to take chances - some times they pay off, sometimes they don't.

My lie was only small in comparison to some - have a buddy who lied about her legal status in the US and it still worked out for her!

Zodiac2000

Rowley Birkin QC wrote: »

I may be reading between the lines here but did you make up the last position you held on your CV?

I mean if it was a case that you worked for a guy who is now dead or something similar to that then I'm sure your prospective new employers would understand.

Ok i will explain the lie but it makes no difference really. I have a great reference from my last job is the truth.

However i said on my Resume i worked for Company A when in reality i worked for Company B. Company B have being a contractor with Company A for the last 30 years and essentially you do work for Company A but my reference would say i work for Company B.

Why did i say i worked for Company A? Name is big and would attract attention.

I also added a month - i finished in Dec 2008 and i said i finished in January 2009 - just didn't want it to look like i had being out of work for years!!!

Now i have a great reference from this company via email, but as soon as i hand over email address to bank they are going to say 'I thought you said you worked for Company A?? Who is this Company B?? Like my email address at work was with Company A but i was definitely a contractor.

So i am a great employee!! but a little liar who after 2 years of hurt and frustration with unemployment took a chance.

Rowley Birkin QC

Zodiac2000 wrote: »

Ok i will explain the lie but it makes no difference really. I have a great reference from my last job is the truth.

However i said on my Resume i worked for Company A when in reality i worked for Company B. Company B have being a contractor with Company A for the last 30 years and essentially you do work for Company A but my reference would say i work for Company B.

Why did i say i worked for Company A? Name is big and would attract attention.

I also added a month - i finished in Dec 2008 and i said i finished in January 2009 - just didn't want it to look like i had being out of work for years!!!

Now i have a great reference from this company via email, but as soon as i hand over email address to bank they are going to say 'I thought you said you worked for Company A?? Who is this Company B?? Like my email address at work was with Company A but i was definitely a contractor.

So i am a great employee!! but a little liar who after 2 years of hurt and frustration with unemployment took a chance.

Ah ok, I get what you are saying. It's not the worst lie ever to be fair.

Maybe come clean and tell them that you were contracted in to work for Company A but were being paid by B.

Also if your work was directly for Company A why not approach the person who was next up the ladder in Company A, they must know who you are if you did so much work for them. If your work was as good as you say then you shouldn't have any problem getting a reference from him/her.

As for the timing issue, I don't know.

Best of luck.

Gloomtastic!

As the last poster said, give them a name of a person in Company A that you worked with. Send them an email as well and explain the situation. Hopefully you'll get through it.

Good luck!

Zodiac2000

Thanks folks but i don't think Company A is contracted into Company B. Company A has gone bust like so many companies.

I can't contact anyone from Company B really.

I have a great reference in my email from Company A but i get snookered there on two counts : company name is different and im out one month. Might just forward on email and say Company A are partners with Company B - not sure if that would wash though - at least they would see i have a great reference though from my last job.

Again though, back to the question please, anyone know how i can refuse a reference?????

Nody

Zodiac2000 wrote: »

Again though, back to the question please, anyone know how i can refuse a reference?????

You can't really; not with out raising some major flags which could cost you the job. Only thing would be to claim you don't have any contact there (and your e-mail / printed reference is useless to them since you could have created it yourself for all they know) or similar but it ties back with the major flag warning again.

Other option would be to try to get hold of someone in Company A that you worked with to give their details (even if they don't work in A at the moment they can claim they did at the time).

gaz wac

Zodiac2000 wrote: »

I can't contact anyone from Company B really.

???

No one at all ? My mate was in the same situation, he met a bloke outside his old job and offered him €100 to get him some headed paper and wrote out his own reference, but told the new employeer that his boss has now left the company, gave them the " bosses" mobile number (which was our mates ) and when the new employeer rang...he sang his praises and got the job !!

Done Deal good luck

Jim2007

Zodiac2000 wrote: »

I have provided 2 references already but then they asked 'Can we get an email address from Company X?' They are a bank in Canada - maybe they are a bit tighter on references.

These days banks are required to be very careful in who they employ and for full time positions other than right out of school a full background check is normally done. Which means that they will want to talk to your previous employer and if you can't deliver it will set alarm bells going. I would expect you will need to get that reference to progress this to the next level.

Depending on what banking licences the bank holds and nature of the work you should not be surprised if they ask for a police background check as well.

I've done a lot of IT consulting for international banks and have been through this process more than a dozen times and even though I'm sure I'll pass it, I'm always uptight until it is over.

Good luck with that,

Jim.

sheesh

Dude that is bad news.

but have you definitely lied on your cv? (don't mind the dates for now) you were working in the company A for company B you could ask the person in company b to point out clearly that you were working on site for company A on contract from Company B.

That they were working there for the length of time you were there.

Ask them not to mention dates but lengths of time.

Technically you were working for company A but not directly employed by them.

unfortunately you may have pushed the massaging your CV a bit too far unfortunately you now have to bite the bullet.

As long as its not seen as overt lying you still have a chance.

Mrs OBumble

gaz wac wrote: »

No one at all ? My mate was in the same situation, he met a bloke outside his old job and offered him €100 to get him some headed paper and wrote out his own reference, but told the new employeer that his boss has now left the company, gave them the " bosses" mobile number (which was our mates ) and when the new employeer rang...he sang his praises and got the job !!

Done Deal good luck

I feel a need to get all moderaterly, and mention fraud is illegal and therefore something that we don't recommend here. Please don't suggest it again.

On a practical note, the way I was trained to do real reference checks is by telephone to the main company switchboard, using a number not supplied by the applicant but found from the telephone book or other sources. (Yes, that means that I did go back to the office at 9pm to ring a previous employer on the other side of the world!) It sounds like the Canadian bank aren't quite so well trained.

OP, you keep asking if there's any way to refuse. IMHO, in short not there's not. Tell the truth, and tell them why the addresses don't match. I don't believe your small lies will necessarily cost you the job, provided you're honest now.