Ask a Manager

Remember the reader who was laid off by someone who wasn’t her boss, and her boss told her that she’d talk to her about it but then never got in touch?

Here’s her update:

I did reach out to my manager, thanking her for the opportunity at my company and asking if I could use her as a reference. She wrote me back claiming that she’d emailed me the day of my layoff but must have gotten the email address wrong (suspect) but that of course I could use her as a reference and she thanked me for all my work.

During the final stages of my job hunt that led me to my current position (I was unemployed exactly two months), a former co-worker reached out to me advising me not to use my manager as a reference and to trust that she knew what she was talking about. Since I felt skeptical at best about using my former boss, I took her word and was able to use my former co-worker and sales director instead. I’ve now been gainfully employed for almost a year and am much happier at my new position.

Also, I direct all my job seeking friends to your site. I check it religiously and would like to think I am a better employee and job seeker as a result. Thanks for all you do!