backing out of a promise to be a reference by Alison Green on January 5, 2010 A reader writes: How do you renege on a promise? I gave a problem employee a promise to be a reference and even wrote one up for her. I am new to management and came by it unprepared. I became pregnant last year and am now a new mom and running a small retail store. […] Read the full article →
when you can’t recommend a friend for a job by Alison Green on November 29, 2009 A reader writes: I have a friend (kinda) who applied for a position at the hotel I work at. It would be working directly with me. I did not and would not recommend her for this position. I know she is not a good fit. She applied, put my name down, and got an interview. […] Read the full article →
employer won’t give job references by Alison Green on October 29, 2009 A reader writes: I have recently been on two interviews with a company. “When can you start” and “will this salary be acceptable” have been discussed. My issue is that my former employer of 12 years has a strict reference policy that only allows them to confirm dates of employment and salary. I provided additional […] Read the full article →
how can I get a boss who doesn’t like me to recommend me for grad school? by Alison Green on October 11, 2009 A reader writes: I work for a small business, 9 total including 2 CEOs and myself. I am the top performer in the company, the only system expert, and considered the operational “backbone.” My boss is a genius, but she is an abusive bully. She also hates me. I’ll be honest, I am not the […] Read the full article →
is my old manager sabotaging my job search? by Alison Green on October 10, 2009 A reader write: I recently retired from a job that I had been at for more than 30 years. For most of that time, I had the same manager. In the last few years, we had a new manager and it was no longer a happy place to work. During that time, I ended ended […] Read the full article →
listing yourself as a job reference by Alison Green on September 3, 2009 I need to call your immediate attention to this comment from M. left on a recent post: In the last year, many (candidates) have been listing their mothers as references, and I even had one student last week list HERSELF as a reference. Has anyone else ever seen this? Listing yourself as a reference is […] Read the full article →
can I use my ex as a job reference? by Alison Green on August 26, 2009 A reader writes: On the application I have been asked to return immediately before what appears to be my final interview, it asks for three references that are not relatives or former employers. I would like to use my ex-wife, but I am concerned if this may be acceptable from the eyes of a recruiter. […] Read the full article →
4 biggest myths about job references by Alison Green on August 10, 2009 I get a lot of mail with misconceptions about job references — how they work, who gets called, and what they can say. Here are the four biggest myths about references that I encounter regularly. References are old-school; no one uses them anymore. Don’t listen to people who tell you that in the “new economy,” […] Read the full article →
company dragging its feet on reference-checking? by Alison Green on June 28, 2009 A reader writes: I am trying to find out how long, on average, it would take for a company to check my three references they requested. I have recently checked in with all my references and none has heard anything from that company (no call, email, any contact). It’s been three weeks since I forwarded […] Read the full article →
how to explain previous boss was demented? by Alison Green on June 7, 2009 A reader writes: My last job was really successful and exciting and I would love to talk about it at length with future employers since I think it’s very interesting and highlights a lot of my strengths. I started as an unpaid intern and was promoted to paid assistant within two months. I had a […] Read the full article →