after I hired someone, a mutual friend told me I’d made a huge mistake by Alison Green on April 20, 2023 A reader writes: I made a pretty big hiring mistake and I’m not really sure how to proceed. I recently hired a new employee — let’s call him Julian — for a fairly niche role within my company. Julian’s background aligned well with the role, all communication was timely and professional, he gave polished first […] Read the full article →
can I refuse a reference check that’s taking too long? by Alison Green on April 10, 2023 A reader writes: I’m in a role where I regularly manage students, so I get asked to give references frequently. A former intern reached out to me this week asking me to be a reference, and I got a call from HR at their prospective employer (for a very entry-level role). The reference questions were […] Read the full article →
company wants references from “coworkers you didn’t get along with” by Alison Green on October 4, 2022 I’m off today. This was originally published in 2016. A reader writes: I’m currently interviewing for a new position with a company that works remotely. Over the past two weeks, I’ve had 10+ video calls with every member of the small team, along with a bunch of unpaid work tests that have included everything from […] Read the full article →
we hired without checking references … and it went badly by Alison Green on November 3, 2021 A reader writes: We recently interviewed some one who seemed okay but I had reservations. We didn’t have many good options, so we asked for her references. She has 10+ years of work history and we could not get in touch with anybody. When we went back to her asking for help, she provided references […] Read the full article →
should I give a bad reference for a nightmare employee? by Alison Green on August 4, 2021 A reader writes: I used to serve on the board of a small nonprofit, which I left a year ago. During my time on the board, we had to hire a new executive director. The new hire’s references were stellar and he had a great resume, but there were problems even before he had fully […] Read the full article →
my interviewer wants a reference from my current boss by Alison Green on May 4, 2021 A reader writes: I have been at my current job for about six years and have a good relationship with my manager. But for various reasons I have decided that it’s time to move on and have been looking for something new. My manager doesn’t know about my search. Recently, the recruiter for a job […] Read the full article →
a person I asked to be a reference is telling people I’m job hunting by Alison Green on April 6, 2021 A reader writes: I work in higher education in a student support capacity (not a professor). I have been working at the school for seven years total, two years in my current position. I am not unhappy with my current job but there is very little room for further growth as we are a smaller […] Read the full article →
a terrible employee asked me for a reference by Alison Green on July 27, 2020 A reader writes: I have received a reference request for one of our former employees. I had told this student that I was not hiring her back because she wasn’t reliable. She would cancel her shifts at the last minute, not making an effort to find a replacement. She wouldn’t do anything unless I told […] Read the full article →
we offered someone a job — and then he got a bad reference by Alison Green on February 3, 2020 A reader writes: We recently offered a new employee a job, with a job offer email that included the following line: “The position is permanent and will be subject to a three-month probationary period and reference check.” We made the offer contingent on references because one of his references was his current employer and he […] Read the full article →
what to do if your references aren’t available by Alison Green on January 23, 2020 A reader writes: This question mostly applies to people working at small businesses where there is one manager and a few employees. I’ve always been told references should be whoever you reported to and/or whoever can evaluate your work. How can I provide a reference to potential future employers when the boss isn’t available or […] Read the full article →