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 →
my interviewer contacted a reference I didn’t approve by Alison Green on August 28, 2019 A reader writes: I recently started a job search, and I reached out to various people on LinkedIn to see if they knew of any open positions. One of those people was an old coworker, and he had me get in touch with the CEO of the small company he currently works for. I emailed […] Read the full article →
I bombed in an interview I asked for, employee wants to skip lunch and leave early every day, and more by Alison Green on April 19, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I bombed in an interview I asked for I’m in a customer-facing role at a large company, and I’m interested in advancing into a management role. I’ve held management positions in the past, but happily took a “step back” in this job because it’s a […] Read the full article →