About to be fired and job hunting

LegacyUser

Last week there was a customer complaint received about me in work. I work in a call centre and on one of my calls I can be heard swearing. They're also trying to make out that I've been avoiding calls when I know I haven't been. Thing is I'm already on a written warning (don't want to say why) so if I have ended up swearing on a call I'll likely loose my job when the disciplinary meeting takes place.

At the moment, I'm working on my CV. If I leave my current employer off my CV there will be a large gap, but if I get the sack it's unlikely I'll get a reference from them. Does anyone have advice on how I should approach doing my CV and applying for new jobs?

livedadream

It depends, if you ask for a letter confirming your dates of employment and they give it to you leave it on.

then just say they dont offer personal reference but i have my confirmation of employment letter here.

If they refuse (which technically they cant but they can make it difficult) say, i understand this employment has not ended as we would both like however obviously i would appreciate your support in progressing to another company. can you please issue me a letter confirming my start and end dates so I am not in a position of asking you to give a reference over the phone.

a couple of weeks after you leave have a friend call asking for a reference to see what they say.

Technically they can only ask/answer three questions
start date
end date
would you hire them again

obviously the last question is tough because they can say yes but ina way that makes it clear they are not really willing too.

If you are asked in an interview why you left just say your contact ended.

you dont have to say it ended coz they sacked you.

Mrs OBumble

livedadream wrote: »

Technically they can only ask/answer three questions
start date
end date
would you hire them again

Sez who?

Provided it's factual and not opinion based, then AFAIK they can ask any question they want, eg:

Did he display competence at <<task>>?
Was her timekeeping acceptable?
... and lots of others.

_Brian

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Sez who?

Provided it's factual and not opinion based, then AFAIK they can ask any question they want, eg:

Did he display competence at <<task>>?
Was her timekeeping acceptable?
... and lots of others.

Dead right, you can say anything you have hard evidence to back up, that's the point of a reference.

_Brian

what should I do wrote: »

Last week there was a customer complaint received about me in work. I work in a call centre and on one of my calls I can be heard swearing. They're also trying to make out that I've been avoiding calls when I know I haven't been. Thing is I'm already on a written warning (don't want to say why) so if I have ended up swearing on a call I'll likely loose my job when the disciplinary meeting takes place.

At the moment, I'm working on my CV. If I leave my current employer off my CV there will be a large gap, but if I get the sack it's unlikely I'll get a reference from them. Does anyone have advice on how I should approach doing my CV and applying for new jobs?

I'd be suspicious of a gap left on a CV.
You could say you were away traveling or something but it can be hard to pull off lies on a CV and then bring that through an interview when you are under pressure, personally once I see any fluffy answers or dithering on answers I presume there is something up and move on to the next candidate.

You could be truthful (partly anyway) and say that the job just didn't suit you and you're moving on from that line of work? Might be easier to pull off..

Best of luck and obviously I'd not recommend swearing at customers in the future...that rarely ends well.

livedadream

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Sez who?

Provided it's factual and not opinion based, then AFAIK they can ask any question they want, eg:

Did he display competence at <<task>>?
Was her timekeeping acceptable?
... and lots of others.

says the ETA.

NERA and CIPD Best practice.

everything else is too risky. thats why so many companies dont give personal references anymore.

Walter H Price

I work in call center management , so i think your bang on if you swore on the call your more then likely gone unfortunately.

To be honest if you get sacked i would not put the employer as a reference , they wont give you a bad one because nobody would but they wont give you a good one either , also they will be obliged to tell any future employer that you were dismissed if asked directly.

I would leave the gap on your CV perhaps put on it that you were travelling or something along those lines it would be more useful then providing a reference to an employer who has previously put you on disciplinary and then dismissed you , a neutral reference is a major red flag.

Hercule Poirot

Walter H Price wrote: »

I would leave the gap on your CV perhaps put on it that you were travelling or something along those lines it would be more useful then providing a reference to an employer who has previously put you on disciplinary and then dismissed you , a neutral reference is a major red flag.

This all over - while many ex-employers don't give bad references (per se) a neutral, carefully phrased reference is just as good as saying you shouldn't be hired

Wanderer78

oh move on op. dreadful industry to work in id imagine, ive never done it before though. best of luck with it

unseenfootage

How would it work out if you resigned before they sacked you?

LegacyUser

_Brian wrote: »

I'd be suspicious of a gap left on a CV.
You could say you were away traveling or something but it can be hard to pull off lies on a CV and then bring that through an interview when you are under pressure, personally once I see any fluffy answers or dithering on answers I presume there is something up and move on to the next candidate.

You could be truthful (partly anyway) and say that the job just didn't suit you and you're moving on from that line of work? Might be easier to pull off..

Best of luck and obviously I'd not recommend swearing at customers in the future...that rarely ends well.

Thanks, I agree about swearing at customers, it was definitely a stupid mistake I made. I'm tempted to use the excuse that working in a call centre didn't suit me though. Maybe find some voluntary work in the mean time and use them as a reference to get around having my current employers being one.

How would it work out if you resigned before they sacked you?

I could but I still wouldn't get a reference from them. Anyone who'd call them up would find out I was in the middle of a disciplinary when I resigned.

Irish_Elect_Eng

The poster that asked about resigning has a point.

Many companies will offer employees about to be terminated the option of leaving before being fired. There are benefits to the company, as if you leave before the sacking you cannot claim that the fired you incorrectly. It also protects them from errors in the disciplinary process that might cause them problems.

If it is confirmed that they are planning to let you go ask them if you can tender your resignation instead. They may or may not permit that.

If they agree, you should then broach the subject of a reference, or simply a letter indicating what your role and tenure was at the company. For some employers that will be enough, but many will call anyway. Is there anyone at the company that would give you at least a neutral reference, if not a direct boss a senior colleague that you got on well with?.

_Brian

Irish_Elect_Eng wrote: »

The poster that asked about resigning has a point.

Many companies will offer employees about to be terminated the option of leaving before being fired. There are benefits to the company, as if you leave before the sacking you cannot claim that the fired you incorrectly. It also protects them from errors in the disciplinary process that might cause them problems.

If it is confirmed that they are planning to let you go ask them if you can tender your resignation instead. They may or may not permit that.

If they agree, you should then broach the subject of a reference, or simply a letter indicating what your role and tenure was at the company. For some employers that will be enough, but many will call anyway. Is there anyone at the company that would give you at least a neutral reference, if not a direct boss a senior colleague that you got on well with?.

The big risk is the employee could claim they were bullied into resigning and a constructive dismissal case could follow.

TheDoc

How large is the gap OP?

I personally believe the CV gap thing is a bit of a myth. Obviously I'd be avoiding putting down this job as a reference. Depends on what sort of job your looking at next. But it can be hard to swing around being fired. As mentioned above, neutral references are as big a red flag as direct and blunt ones. Or the big one is the "sorry I cannot provide a reference for that individual".

I've been part of a few interviews in my current place and sat in with my dept head as he makes calls to references, surprised at how enthused some people can be about former employees. But I was also under the impression that the reference thing had changed due to that "oh you can't say bad things about people" but I remember two reference calls where the people involved couldn't have dissuaded us further from employing the people involved. It was brutal.

I'd probably leave the thing of the CV entirely depending on the next job you are looking at. While you havn't gone into specific bar swearing at a customer, doesn't bode well for any customer facing roles or jobs if you spell out what happened.

Keane2baMused

I think if I were in this situation I would give my notice and not wait to get fired. You will always have it on record if you do.

I would call a meeting and explain your reasons and apologise for what happened and thank them for the opportunity but you feel it's best to move on. You are more likely to get an OK reference if you do this, than no reference (ie just giving dates of employment).

duploelabs

Keane2baMused wrote: »

I think if I were in this situation I would give my notice and not wait to get fired. You will always have it on record if you do.

I would call a meeting and explain your reasons and apologise for what happened and thank them for the opportunity but you feel it's best to move on. You are more likely to get an OK reference if you do this, than no reference (ie just giving dates of employment).

There's a delay in receiving the dole if you resign from your role rather than being fired

Keane2baMused

duploelabs wrote: »

There's a delay in receiving the dole if you resign from your role rather than being fired

Not always it can depend on the circumstances. Similar happened to a good friend of mine (they weren't being fired though) and they didn't get delayed after explaining.

5rtytry56

Keane2baMused wrote: »

Not always it can depend on the circumstances. Similar happened to a good friend of mine (they weren't being fired though) and they didn't get delayed after explaining.

Be as up front as you can be OP with social welfare. Explain why you resigned.
- the atmosphere is'nt great at the moment.

Irish_Elect_Eng

_Brian wrote: »

The big risk is the employee could claim they were bullied into resigning and a constructive dismissal case could follow.

Yes, but the risk is still lower for the employer.