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Comments

• trolololol@lemmy.world ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Enter the chat: me

  Once upon a time I had to fire a contractor because we ran out of money. Fast forward 6 months, we’re hiring and he’s relatively happy at new job. Yada yada we convince him to apply again, and me being hiring manager I basically hire him on the spot.

  But hr needed a reference. He asks me if I can be his reference. I ask hr if I can be his reference. They say yes, so there goes me, filling a form that I’ll have to read and sign 2 days later.

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• schwim@reddthat.com ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  There’s some people that can’t come up with positive references, even when cherrypicked. I’d probably fall into that group.

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• Curious_Canid@lemmy.ca ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  I tend to agree with you, but as someone who has been on both sides of interviews, sometimes what nice things they say about you can provide useful information.

  At many companies, the hiring process is designed to identify people who are capable, but also highly willing to be exploited. There are also a few companies that use their decent treatment of employees as a hiring tool, and rightfully so.

  Capitalism, especially late stage capitalism, works strongly against the interests of individuals who are not billionaires in every aspect of life. Hiring is just another of those areas. Unions are pretty much the only tool within the system that can help non-billionaires.

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• ImplyingImplications@lemmy.ca ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  I think it’s a barrier to entry for people who had something happen in their life that caused them to lose friends/family. Recovering addicts and former prisoners can have a hard time finding references.

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• recapitated@lemmy.world ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Having people willing to say good thing about you is a signal.

  There are people who I would not be surprised if they are unable to produce quality references, and I would be ok with not having the opportunity to work with them.

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  • theyoyomaster@lemmy.world ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    I’ve had people ask me to write reference letters and need to decline. It was super awkward but I just couldn’t put my name to one.

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• Lmaydev@programming.dev ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  In my country you can’t give a bad reference but you can refuse to give one.

  If your former employer declined to provide one that’s a pretty big red flag.

  Your previous employer is the person most likely to know if you are a good employee tbf.

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  • KevonLooney@lemm.ee ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Why would a former employer say anything good or bad about you? What do they gain from it? In the US any questions about your previous work will just result in them saying “yes, they worked here for those dates”. Why would they help you or a competitor? You left and a competitor cuts into their profit margin.

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• Drusas@kbin.social ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  I once had a former friend (as in, we had a falling out due to him being a constant asshole) apply to the company I was working at and list me as a reference (we had also worked together for a couple of years at one point).

  Oh boy, did he not get that job.

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  • ResoluteCatnap@lemmy.ml ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    I had a falling out with a friend but apparently he had listed me as a reference. Now if we were on good terms i mightve lied for him, but he had terrible work ethic and i watched him get fired from one job to the next on repeat for years. So when they asked if i would consider him a good worker i told them frankly i thought he was a terrible worker and how he had been terminated from half a dozen jobs in the 2-3 years i had known him.

    I have no idea why i was listed as a reference and i especially don’t know why he wouldn’t tell me he was using me as a reference. But yeah he for sure didn’t get that job.

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    • Drusas@kbin.social ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Similar story. I think my exact words were, "If you hire him, he will railroad you." 'Nough said.

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• Bishma@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  When I give references (assuming I considered the person an asset) my strategy is “honestly with rose colored glasses.”

  Like: “They fantastic problem solvers who will hyperfocus until they get the task done” = Generally productive person but they’ll get caught in the weeds if you let them

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• morphballganon@lemmy.world ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  I hope the info my references give on me is a little more nuanced than “they were good.”

  Maybe something like “they’re one of the best at innovation. They actually came up with engineering solutions that allowed us to overcome bottlenecks and exceed our goals.”

  You can bet 99.9% of applicants don’t get that kind of reference.

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• macrocarpa@lemmy.world ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  What do you assume happens in a reference check?

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  • orcrist@lemm.ee ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    I’m not OP, but of course that depends on the field, company, and country.

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• orcrist@lemm.ee ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  I think you’re wrong about personal responsibility and boot straps, or at least that depends on your field. Certainly my successes and failures at work are closely linked to my coworkers and customer base. It’s not all on me, for good or bad.

  Also, these days in many countries, referees don’t dare say anything negative. Most companies have policies about that. Nobody wants to get sued or be forced to deal with the labor board. In reality, former bosses most likely to confirm employment history, and they might throw in a few generic positive comments. Or if it’s someone you know well, they might say something that makes you sound good.

  References are not going to hurt you, unless of course you don’t have any halfway decent ones. But if that’s the situation, you probably ought to work a part-time job, volunteer, or take a class at community college for 4 months, if that’s at all possible given your economic constraints.

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