Professional References -quick reference guide Do employers respect your privacy ?
Professional References Pros and Cons
Do employers respect your privacy when you indicate it is not okay to contact your employer?
If you are currently working at a job that you plan on leaving and you insist on not creating friction by letting employers contact you, what are the ground rules?
Specifically, if employers always complain about fictitious resumes and work histories can’t the job seeker complain about the severe lack of discretion employer’s use?
Example: I remember interviewing for a position with a company that was similar to my employer at the time…there were subtle differences and I did not have a “non compete” agreement to worry about. I did, however want to be discrete for a few significant reasons…
One reason was because the company had undergone some financial setbacks and tried to redo their salary structure and they asked their staff to accept pay cuts…I suspected if they discovered I was testing the waters in the job market that it could have disastrous results and I might end up with a dramatic financial loss due to termination.
Another reason was the volatile nature of my boss’s personality…he thought of himself as a warrior and wanted people to enter into battle with him and betrayal was an unforgivable offense…despite the fact that he himself had struggled with behaving honorably.
The stage was set for me to exit my position if only there was the right opportunity…I also had to skillfully avoid anything that would cause me to not receive my final check…
I was very discrete and conducted my job search on days off and lunch breaks and I knew in my heart I did nothing to create suspicion…and when asked by potential employers I stated my reason for leaving was to cultivate an opportunity for advancement that was better than the prospects at my current job.It seemed like a good fit!
The prospective employer represented all the values and aims I was looking for and we spoke at length about what the job entailed and the direction of the company. We agreed to meet again when his partner was back in town since they made decisions together…he did say, off the record, that the job was mine and that he was the brains of the outfit…he said his partner was a hopeless and reckless drunk that was useless. I was quite happy with everything up until that statement…how could I..a relative stranger..be privy to such information?What kind of a man makes a statement like that behind his partner’s back?
He didn’t even know me but discloses someone’s personal business?How can a man denigrate the character of another…unless he wanted to feel superior?
Was this a sign of things to come?
I soured considerably on my way out and was sickened at the thought that I did not see a character issue coming…I began to question whether or not I was losing my sense of how to read people. I got about 10 minutes away when I silently made a decision to just not pursue any further communication with him or anyone at his company.
That night I slept on it and I still felt the same the next day…My instincts proved correct when I went to work the next day and my boss called me into his office asking me why I was trying to make a fool out of him…and if I was going to leave him in a bind…couldn’t I at least do it without rubbing his face in it?
