Employer wont give me character reference.

[maza]

I used to work as a health professional in a sydney hospital, worked there for 11 straight years fulltime, but resigned about 2 years ago cause i was owner builder for my house and wanted to be there as much as possible..

I have now finished my house and want to go back into the workforce.

Ive been accepted for 1-2 jobs, but the hospital i worked at wont give me a reference check, and its totally stuffing up my employment prospects.

I rang up the hospital but they will only give me a statement of service.

I rang up my union and they said the hospital can choose not to give you a reference and the union cant help much in this situation.

Is there anything i can legally do to make the hospital give me a reference?

Anyone come across a similar position?

 

[sanj]

Do you really want to force someone to give you a reference? You could end up with a terrible one.

Did you leave on bad terms? Did you not get a reference when you left?

 

[Terry_w]

You generally cannot force anyone to do something such as that. Was there any contractual agreement that they would provide references when you left?

 

[monty python]

Perhaps there was someone senior to you from your time at the hospital who would give you a personal reference?

 

[geoffw]

I worked as a contractor many years ago. They would never give anybody a reference. If they gave somebody a good rap and they didn't turn out well they could be sued. If they gave a bad rap then the employee could sue.

My supervisor at the time told me that while he couldn't volunteer information, if a prospective employer asked if I was the best programmer who ever worked for him he would agree. I never had to take him up on that though.

There may be a former supervisor who may be able to give you a reference.

A hospital would be more aware of potential lawsuits than some other employers.

 

[beachgurl]

In my industry it is a given that the bosses won't give a reference. When looking for a new position I always find someone more senior than me or on a similar level to be a referee. Recruiters r fine with this as they understand firm policy in this regard.

 

[Dazz]

I've been accepted for 1-2 jobs

Well done....so you've seen the advert, applied in writing, got thru all of their screening methods, sat the psych test, had the medical, had numerous rounds of interviews, all passed with flying colours and have now received at least 2 firm written offers of employment.....congratulations !!!

but the hospital i worked at wont give me a reference check, and its totally stuffing up my employment prospects.

....ahh, what was that ??

 

[Sheryn]

Maza

As a health professional myself (Registered Nurse/Educator) as a general rule and current practice we do not give out written references in advance, most workplaces call and ask specfic questions and check the reference verbally.

If someone is selected for a senior position then the workplace will send an email requesting written responses.

Suggest you approach friends and fellow professional colleagues and use them as a referee.

http://www.theage.com.au/small-busi...got-anything-nice-to-say--20120921-269yr.html


Regards
Sheryn

 

[cu@thetop]

As an employer I don't give a toss about references.

When I was an employee I used to tell prospective employers that I didn't believe in references and if they put me on and didn't like me they should just sack me and I wouldn't kick up a stink.

Never had any problems.

 

[maza]

The problem is, my managers are happy to give me references, but i have to go through HR to get referencess, and there not allowing my managers to do that.

I cant ring up my old boss and say, hey bill, can you give me reference.He has to get permission off HR.

 

[Terry_w]

The problem is, my managers are happy to give me references, but i have to go through HR to get referencess, and there not allowing my managers to do that.

I cant ring up my old boss and say, hey bill, can you give me reference.He has to get permission off HR.

Why not just explain this to the new employer and get them to ring Bill direct.

 

[Olly]

Most companies don't give written reference nowadays, especially large ones, and haven't for quite a while - one of the reasons amongst others is that they can be forged easily with modern technology.

If the company has a HR department then a statement of service is all you'll get - there's no personal touch.

Unless it's against company policy, there's no reason though why other staff can't give personal written references or be phone referees.

 

[marg4000]

As said, most companies these days will only give a statement of time served with the company.

The mentality that prevails of "it's someone's fault, let's sue" sadly has lot to answer for.

Most senior personnel are expressly forbidden from giving references.

The fact that you were in the job for 11 years and left for your own reasons should speak for itself.
Marg

 

[soyabean]

As an employer I don't give a toss about references.

When I was an employee I used to tell prospective employers that I didn't believe in references and if they put me on and didn't like me they should just sack me and I wouldn't kick up a stink.

Never had any problems.

Not that simple in the public service - tones of paperwork and a long process to get rid of someone not performing even at their first 6 month probation ....

I agree though most of the time people chose referees who will say good thing about them.
When doing a ref check even if the referee does not say anything bad about the applicant (they usually avoid to do so as they could be challenged ...) you could still get the "real meaning" by the way they talk about the applicant and the words used (yes he does his job, she is OK i guess).

 

[Peter_Tersteeg]

The key to getting references is to simply create good relationships within your existing role and when you leave, ask those individuals if they'll act as a referee in the future. Bypass the employer altogether.

You want an individual who'll give you a glowing reference, not one who'll say that you're pretty good in a lackluster tone.

Employers are legally obligated to give you a letter of service and it's a good idea to obtain one of these with every role you have (the good and the bad, regardless of why you've left). A letter of service is required if you ever need to obtain a federal security clearance (you'd be amzed at the range of jobs that need this). It can also be useful for obtaining finance in some situations.

 

[Aaron_C]

It's a pretty sad world if employers don't give references due to fear of being sued. I can understand from government departments (sort of) but not from the private sector.

 

[BayView]

It's a pretty sad world if employers don't give references due to fear of being sued. I can understand from government departments (sort of) but not from the private sector.

In the private sector, if an employee asked me for a ref, I would give him/her one if they are worthy of one.

Most prospective employers call you anyway for a verbal certification anyway, so the written one is a bit of a waste of time if you ask me.

If they are a dud, and leaving under not-so-good circumstances; I would not oblige them with one.

In the situation where an employee moves on of their own accord, they don't need a ref if they've already got a job lined up to go to, I would have thought.

 

[Aaron_C]

When I applied for a government job last time they called 5 of my friends for references, asking whether I gambled or had a tendency to leak confidential information...

 

[Dazz]

Last time I applied for a Govt job, there was a 3 page questionnaire at the back of the form on all of the dodgy stuff in my life. Each page had 37 questions on it. It took forever to make up lies about all 111 questions.

Looking back, there was a lot of dodgy stuff going on there.

Needless to say, I didn't get the gig.

 

[geoffw]

Dazz- that was probably a long time ago, when you actually needed a job.

Things have probably changed now.

There's probably 33 pages of questions.