When you leave a job and are on the hunt for a new one, there is one aspect which plays a vital role in your future employment - what your former employer has to say about you.
While a few job seekers believe that companies can only legally release dates of employment, salary and your job title, it is not the case.
There are no laws restricting what information an employer can - or cannot - disclose about former employees. And while most states have laws about what employers can legally disclose, and to whom, many do allow employers to share details about job performance, responsibilities, and professional conduct.
If you were fired or terminated from employment, the company can say so. They can also give a reason. Depending on laws, employers may also be able to share general feedback on your performance.
However companies are usually careful on what they share due to the defamation laws. They have to support their statement or it has to be the truth failing which the former employee can file a lawsuit.
You can always check with your former employee about the feedback that they may be giving to your future company.
Incase if they are saying a bit too much, you can always negotiate the additional details they share.
In case of any unavoidable circumstances, you could ask someone else to call and check your references or you can also make use of a reference checking service.
You have to do all this just to make sure that you and your former employer's story match. A mismatch in this could lead to you losing the job.
Also, not telling the truth during the application process can get you fired at any time in the future - even years after you were hired. That's because most job applications have a section where you verify the information is accurate.
Don't presume that your former employer won't disclose the reason why your job ended. Large companies typically have policies regarding the disclosure of former employee information, but may not. Many smaller employers don't have a policy at all or aren't aware of or concerned about legal liability issues.
In case if you feel that you will not get a positive reference from your manager, you can always mention two or three peers to your reference list who will say good things about you.
One negative reference will seem less meaningful if there are many positive references available as well.
Courtesy: www.thebalance.com
