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It's never been a problem. None of my new employers even called my references, when the list was provided. They just verified employment with HR.
At all my old jobs, my managers and co-workers have moved on to different companies, due to layoffs or higher level positions. If they did contact my old supervisors and co-workers, he would be talking about a prior employer. HR policies are only for the current employer reference.
That's why it's a good idea to keep connected by Linkedin. It's been several years since I have seen them. Some bosses have changed jobs twice.
When we ask for professional references, we don't mean from HR. We are looking for people that are familiar with the person's work. This could be previous supervisors, co-workers, customers, suppliers, or contractors. When I applied for the position I have now, I was able to use someone I worked with 16 years before, a recent former customer, and the general manager at a place I had worked who is now a local CEO.
Most company hr departments have policies forbidding employees, managers, etc. From giving references. But on applications they always want references.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Originally Posted by rosie_hair
Most company hr departments have policies forbidding employees, managers, etc. From giving references. But on applications they always want references.
Policy or not, people are usually happy to give a reference if it's good. No one is going to sue for that. The key is to make sure you talk to the person ahead of time, and ask if they are willing to serve as a reference before you put their name and contact information on the application.
It's like the other paradox of experience in a job. You need experience to get a job but without a job you cannot gain said experience. I guess paradoxes are common in employment.
My employer has a clause in its employee handbook which states that giving any employer reference for another employee is "grounds for immediate dismissal."
For that reason, I make sure to add anyone I know and like who leaves this employer to my LinkedIn contacts. I may need to use these folks for a reference someday and this enables me to keep the contact information current.
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