Is your former boss bad-talking you? Every response on this page is real, taken from reference checks we performed. Names withheld.
You interview for a position and it fits you perfectly. During the second or third meeting, you’re asked for your job references and told the company will be back in touch soon. Despite great responsiveness in the past and what you thought was a good interview, you don’t hear back at all.
There’s a good chance a reference scared them off, and by now it’s too late to overcome. Check in advance to make sure your references are saying positive things about you or, at the very least, verifying your existence. We can help you choose the right references, then make sure answers like these never come up in the conversation.
We do not have this person anywhere in our records.
I am not allowed to say anything about this person as they were fired.
He [a firefighter] totally ignored the emergency call when it came in. He said he didn’t hear it!
He couldn’t make a decision if his life depended on it!
She purposely caused havoc in the office with her gossip.
Well, that’s why our company had a major layoff – left her in charge of finances!
He’s not the type to go knock on doors and talk with people.
He had no leadership skills.
He wasn’t here long enough to rate him.
He couldn’t manage a group of children!
Can I give a negative number? … −1
Inadequate would be a positive word for him!
I don’t think she had any integrity.
Is there a rating less than inadequate?
Lousy, can’t remember something that was completed on time!
Is zero in your rating scale?
You mean when she finally turned in the reports due a week earlier?
Basically you could rank them inadequate in all areas.
No comment, they could not do anything correctly in the position they held with us.
I cannot think of any strengths, only weaknesses.
I’m sure there must be some strengths but nothing jumps out at me.
Weaknesses seem to stick in my mind… I’d have to really think about any strengths.
I’d rather not comment – you can take that however you want.
Yes, she would be.
No, I wouldn’t re-hire her.
He is not. I’m really not supposed to say much but he was unreliable and sick a lot.
Probably not – she had a hard time working in a team environment.
No, but I can’t say why.
Probably not but it’s just a suspicion of mine.
No, because he didn’t want to work here and made it clear he didn’t want to work here.
Yes, she’s eligible, but we wouldn’t re-hire her.
I wouldn’t re-hire him. He was disorganized and dishonest.
No, it was the departure – kind of burned his bridges when he left.
No, she stole from the company. We have an investigation pending.
She was fired.
She was let go – she didn’t do her part as expected.
He was let go… there was a conflict with the children – he didn’t follow safety standards and guidelines.
I fired him! He and his buddy had some illegal things going.
I do not care to comment at all. I let him go and that’s all I care to say!
Are you certain he gave you my name?
I cannot believe you were given my name as a reference.
Hold on, let me get the legal file to see what I am allowed to say.
Never heard of him.
They’re going to say the same thing I did.
Yes, you can speak with my boss… he’s sure to tell you more than I did.
You can speak with our company attorney.
Tone is very telling, especially from references who don’t divulge much. We’ve regularly encountered:
As bad as missing out on a job can be, it’s even more devastating to be offered a job, only to have the offer withdrawn because of a bad reference or failed background check. It happens more often than you’d believe.
It usually looks like this: interviews go well, and all that’s left before you start is paperwork and a review of your references. Many companies don’t check references until after someone has started, so a failed reference check can affect you even after you think the hiring process is complete. A bad reference is the main reason people miss out on jobs, and one of the biggest reasons people are let go early.
If a bad reference led to an offer being withdrawn, we can help. Start by having us check your references, then we’ll help you decide how to proceed, including a Cease & Desist letter if needed.
A customized letter, prepared after your consultation with the attorney and sent by certified mail to your former employer. A month later, we run a follow-up reference check to see how they responded.
We’ll have our professionals start calling your references within 48 hours.